David Bowie – 23 Things you never knew about him!
H&G Creations are delighted to be back in Merrion Square this weekend for Pride 2016. This year we will be paying homage to the passing of one of the world’s greatest people in music to date, David Bowie. Visit the Rebel in Love tent where we’ll celebrating with all that vibrant colors, playfulness and edginess that was quintessentially Bowie!
Since we will be celebrating the talented and magical Bowie, we rounded up some lesser known facts, which we all should never forget.
- Did you know that his album, “The Next Day”(2013) was created without his PR team knowing about it. Bowie, wanted the album to be so secret, he recorded in a studios using one or two friends, who each had to sign non-discloser agreements.
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- Bowie claims he once had a horrible incident with a cup of tea and has since refused to drink any sort of tea.
- Bowies 1975 album, “Station To Station”, was created when everyone was high on cocaine. Geoff Mac Cormack, a backing singer of the album, stated that, “Everyone was wondering around with chains around their necks with little coke spoons”.
- Bowie amazingly plays almost every single instrument on “Diamond Dogs” including the famous guitar riff “Rebel Rebel”
- The song “Under Pressure” – a collaboration between Bowie and Queen – evolved from a collective jam session at Bowie’s studio in Switzerland. He had originally intended to sing backing vocals on a different Queen song, “Cool Cat”.
- David Bowie’s real name is David Robert Jones. He changed his surname to Bowie to avoid confusion with Davy Jones.
- David Bowie’s eyes are not different colors. They only appear so because one eye has a permanently dilated pupil, the result of a fight he had with a school friend, George Underwood who punched him, in a fight over a girl.
- Despite looking lanky and tall, David Bowie was only 5’10ft (178cm) tall.
- Bowie was no academic genius (though a musical genius for sure!), but while at school he left with one qualification, an 0 level in art.
- Bowie shares his birthday with another legend, Elvis! Who was exactly 12 years older.
- David Bowie was immortalised in stone by artist Ed Chapman who created a tile mosaic of the Starman to celebrate his 65th birthday.
- He voiced a character, Lord Royal for the movie Sponge Bob Square Pants. (Check out the different eye colors!)
- David Bowie appeared on over 25 films throughout his lifetime. Which include; “Labyrinth”, “The Man who Fell to, Earth”, “The Hunger”, “The Prestige; Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence”, Basquiat, “The Last Temptation of Christ”, “The Snowman”,“The Prestige” just to name a few.
- He was born and raised in London, England. His father was originally from Yorkshire. His mother was from Kent, but had Irish ancestry. (‘gwan the Irish!)
- David Bowie had a fear of flying (Aviophobia).
- He is mentioned in the lyrics of the theme tune “Only Fools and Horses”(1981) one of the UK’s most popular sitcoms.
- His nick names include: The Think White Duke, Ziggy Stardust, The Picasso of Pop, The Dame, The Master of Reinvention, The Chameleon of Rock.
- He was nominated for a MTV award for his cameo in Zoolander.
- He was friends with Elton John, before Elton John was famous. When Bowie was 17 (where he was called David Jones) he loved meeting his friend Regindald Kenneth Dwight (later Elton John) at the Soho’s Giaconda Café, to talk about music.
- He turned down a knighthood. In 2003, the Queen offered him a knighthood. He told the Sun, “I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that. I seriously don’t know what it’s for. It’s not what I spent my life working for.”
- Rolling Stone magazine declared him 39th on the list of 100 greatest artists of all time.
- David Bowie, once performed on the Berlin Wall, while East Germans gathered and listened behind.
- There is a spider named after David Bowie, the “Heteropoda davidbowie”.
Now you’re all Bowie experts we expect to see you all for a boogie at the Rebel in Love Tent in Merrion Square on June 25th!