There must be something special these days as concerns the relationship between rock legend David Bowie and the city of New York. Birthday Celebration – Live in NYC 1997, has just been released, the record was recorded at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1997 as part of Bowie’s 50th birthday celebration. The album features guests such as Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters, Frank Black, Robert Smith, Sonic Youth, Billy Corgan among the others, all of them performing with "The Thin White Duke" on Bowie's songs. There is then an amazing four tracks performance with Lou Reed, with the two playing Bowie's and Reed's famous songs. For full information, track listing and reviews on Birthday Celebration album, please refer to the David Bowie section on MusicAdvisor.
Another event in New York is the opening of the "David Bowie, Artist" exhibition at Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), in Columbus Circle (Central Park). From 9 May to 15 July 2011, the exhibition will feature a film series – from 1973's Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and 1983's The Hunger to 1996's Basquiat – plus a new 35mm print of 1976's The Man Who Fell To Earth.
It is described on Madmuseum.org as "a multi-platform retrospective re-framing Bowie's daring, multi-discipline career as that of an artist working primarily in performance. From his roots in such performance-based practices as cabaret, mime and avant-garde theatre to 'Ziggy Stardust…', his revolutionary tour that synthesised theatre, music and contemporary art into a rock spectacle, as well as his innovative video collaborations, and his work in cinema and theatre, David Bowie, Artist presents Bowie as one of the most iconoclastic cultural producers of the 20th century." Not to be missed, really!!!
But news on "The White Duke" are not finished. On 6 June 2011 an EP with remixes of Bowie's famous 1975 single "Golden years" will hit the stores, and an iPhone application will be released, which will allow anyone (who dares) to make his own remix, by playing with the original master of the song.
As usual, Bowie (and his world) confirms to be one step beyond as concerns image and communication...
Recently, Ian McCulloch, leader of Echo And The Bunnymen, in an interview has expressed the wish to collaborate with David Bowie on new material, maybe suggesting that Bowie is just waiting for the "right moment" to release a new studio album.