January 28, 2022

CHECK IN

Greetings, Spy Vibers! I hope everyone is doing well! It's been a super busy time lately in the Spy Vibe lair. My art students have been experimenting and moving into their winter projects. With a few people out, it's also meant some extra subbing. I've continued to work on the upcoming Spy Vibe book. This week I revisited I Spy and The Ipcress File and it was great to be reminded of just how interesting both projects were, and of how each was innovative in its own way, as well! If you ever get a chance to see Ipcress on the big screen, don't miss it! It's got a fantastic visual style and John Barry supplied one of his greatest scores. What else is on the radar? Spy Vibe passed three-million visitors a few months back, so that was exciting to see! I hadn't had a chance to mention that yet. And I will be resuming my monthly segments for the Cocktail Nation radio show out of Australia starting in February. I look forward to sharing more soundtrack gems from classic thrillers. In the meantime, stay safe! Below: cool imagery from The Ipcress File

Selected Spy Vibe Posts:Bowie DayInterview: Girls Guns GadgetsShandigor BluShag Palm SpringsNew Bond NovelHi-Fi BookJudex Serial BluUFO ComicsInterview: John BussITC Magazine, Interview: Kaiser MarionettesBelmondo R.I.P.007 Corgi EventSpace 1999: The VaultShag Eames LoungeFirecracker ExoticaSpy Vibe Radio: Lola AlbrightTikyaki 5-0Godzilla ScoresMid-Century VillageSpy Vibe radio: Nicola ConteMen's Adventure QuarterlyBilly May FrenesiGary NumanSpy Vader SpyChris Barber LegacyPhantom RetrospectiveAstro-ManSpy Vibe Radio: BatmanJames Bond LexiconRay CathodeSpy Vibe Radio: Johnny StaccatoMatt Helm BluCold War AuctionAvengers Francavilla PrintsAvengers 60th EventIrma Vep BluAvengers Keel DesignRonnie Scott's DocThe Avengers 60th DesignArt of Pan BooksJohn Le Carre R.I.P.Sean Connery R.I.P.New 007 VinylBurke's Law SkaDieter Rams Complete2-Tone DocSpy Vibe Radio: Vendetta Part 2Diana Rigg R.I.P.Moog Micky DolenzBeetle Bailey 70thRSD Spies VinylIan Fleming TributeFellini Box SetSpy Vibe Radio: VendettaThe Saint Podcast BonusThe Saint PodcastBarber Lotus, Trad RootsMorricone R.I.P.Fleetway Spy DesignsJohn Steel CasebooksPaul at 78ITC Podcast: The PersuadersDazzle ShipsSpy Vibe Radio: RaumpatrouilleRemembering Richard SalaCrime & Spy Jazz booksNuman is FABBruce Lee Blu, RSD Vinyl SpiesJames Bond's DB5UFO CD SetSpy Vibe radio: Phantom AgentsSteranko is Revolutionary!Interview: The Saint I Ain'tDiabolik InterviewNew 007 SongDiabolik FiguresDiabolik SoundsDiabolik Set DesignDiabolik Park RideDanger Diabolik BluCount Arthur StrongHoney West Title CardsBowie DayNeil Innes R.I.P.Claudine Auger R.I.P.OHMSS at 50Italian Job 50th OSTCharles Schulz ModernPaul DesmondPython 50thRandall Hopkirk 50thThunderbirds DayLazenby Returns to MI6Dr. John R.I.P.Spy Vibe Radio: Lupin IIILupin SkaSpy Vibe PrimeZigomar TranslationThe Village: Part 1Monkey Punch R.I.P.Bubble Girl 63ITC SoundtracksSpy Vibe Radio: Public EyeUFO PrimeSpaceship to MarsModesty Blaise CompanionSpy Vibe Radio: FantomasGeorge DayFantomas BluDark Shadows DocBedazzled Blu-rayMary Quant ExhibitLaika CalypsoLost in Space JapanSpy Dust CalypsoAtomic CafeJohn Barry MonoInterview: John Barry BookLand of the Giants Score, Spy Vibe Radio: UppersevenMabuse PropagandaBond Beatles DaySpy Vibe Radio: LiquidatorDiabolik LPFab DressesEurospy Music CollectionBeetle Bailey in West BerlinWhy Mort Walker?Spy Vibe radio: The Beatles Help!Avengers Critical GuideThe SpotnicksBenny SpiesJames Pond 0017'Satire StonesAnnette Andre Book, Spy Vibe Radio: Get SmartCaine: My GenerationInterview: Ian OgilvyHorror of Party BeachSylvie Vartan RenownRingo At 78Dark Shadows StripsSpy Vibe Radio: FlintArchie Batman 66Beatles Pac-ManSpy Vibe Radio: Jerry CottonThe Invaders007 Horowitz Book TourThe Prisoner Interviews Vol 1British Underground PressInterview: Fab4 ManiaBond Cocktail Book, Spy SmasherSpy Vibe Radio: Peter GunnAgent Zero MNew Prisoner ComicDr. No Villains EditionSpy Vibe Radio: Danger DiabolikDr. No 60thOy-Oy-SevenSpy Vibe Radio (UFO)Cold War Comic Strips, Mission to IndiaMort Walker CelebrationPeter Wyngarde Celebration, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018Interview: Ed Hulse PulpAvengers Audio DramaInterview: Callan At 50Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private EyesTWA ReturnsSpy Vibe Radio 8Interview: Ryan HeshkaMid-Century Modern SchulzAgent WerewolfJohnny Sokko 50thInterview: Trina RobbinsEddie IzzardThe Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50thHugh Hefner R.I.P.Jack Good R.I.P.Interview: Shaken Not StirredCallan 50thSpy Vibe Radio 7Bo DiddleyCarnaby PopBilly Bragg SkiffleElvis 68Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2Interview: The Prisoner Essential GuideMaud Russell MottisfontSpy Vibe Radio 4Batman GallantsAdam West R.I.P.Village TriangleRoger Moore R.I.P.Spy Vibe Radio 3Sgt Pepper 50thSatanik Kriminal OST60s OverdriveSpy Vibe Radio 2Spy Vibe Radio 1James Bond Strips, Interview: Police SurgeonXTC Avengers1966 Pep SpiesBatman Book InterviewExclusive Fleming InterviewAvengers Comic StripsRobert Vaughn RIPUNCLE FashionsThunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film GuideLost Avengers FoundThe Callan FileMission Impossible 50thGreen Hornet 50thStar Trek 50thPortmeirion Photography 1Filming the Prisoner, Ian Fleming GraveRevolver at 50Karen Romanko InterviewMod Tales 2Umbrella Man: Patrick MacneeNew Beatles FilmThe Curious CameraEsterel Fashion 1966Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview007 Tribute Covers, Argoman DesignSylvia Anderson R.I.P.Ken Adam R.I.P.George Martin R.I.P.The New Avengers Comics, 007 MangaAvengerworld BookDiana Rigg Auto ShowThe Prisoner Audio Drama Review. 

January 8, 2022

BOWIE DAY

Happy Birthday David Bowie, born David Jones on this day in 1947. Like many teenagers in the early 1960s, David Bowie found inspiration in American music and culture. He took up saxophone and guitar and formed a string of bands, playing blues and rock covers for parties and local entertainment. A keen student of graphic design, art, and movement, Bowie constantly synthesized his interests and disparate styles to express his own unique vision. More below. 


If an artist is always in the state of becoming, Bowie spent a lifetime exploring- trailblazing the outer limits and sending back transmissions of things to come. He was a voracious reader, ever curious, and ever engaged in creative explorations of process, pushing paint, layering sound, assembling cut-up lyrics a la Burroughs, and collaborating with fellow creatives. He stayed in the fast lane for forty years, recording albums, touring, and acting, until a heart attack on stage in 2004 made him take stock. He spent a nine-year hiatus to recoup and to be a stay-at-home dad (he and wife Iman had a daughter in 2000). But Bowie surprised everyone in 2013 with an outstanding new album called The Next Day, which was released during a flurry of art shows and a massive retrospective at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The V&A exhibit celebrated his career in music, fashion, graphic arts, fine art, and set design, all of which Spy Vibers can see in the exhibit catalog, David Bowie Is He recorded The Next Day in secret- his first album in ten years- and it quickly went to number one in charts around the world. The vibe of the record was energetic and experimental. Probably of interest to Spy Vibers, Bowie also seemed to mine his Berlin period with Brian Eno and Iggy Pop during the 1970s by re-exploring themes of the city, most notably in "Where Are We Now?" The cover image itself was a re-appropriated version of Heroes, made originally in 1977. Fans enjoyed spotting various references to the artist's past, including a connection between "Five Years" (Ziggy Stardust/1972) and the track, "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die." Besides its sweet echo of Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" (Bowie and Elvis shared a birthday)the more interesting layer to this song was its thematic connection to tradecraft and the dirty business of espionage. One couldn't miss the allusions to dead drops, secrets, betrayal, and assassination. During promotion for The Next Day, Bowie starred in a video for another track, "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)," with the wonderful Tilda Swinton, who was invited to give the opening speech for the exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Below: still from "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)."


Swinton herself had an artistic fascination with Berlin. She made an experimental film study of the Berlin Wall in 1988 called Cycling the Frame. Twenty-one years later she starred in a marvelous and meditative film that re-examined the presence -even in its absence- of the Wall called The Invisible Frame (2009). The film invited the viewer to travel with Swinton by bicycle along the scars and remnants of the Wall, an experience that became a long portrait of the city and of perceptions of identity and territory. Below: Bowie's The Next Day a la Berlin-era iconography Heroes



Bowie followed The Next Day with an album called Blackstar, which was released on his birthday in 2016. Sadly, he passed away only two days later at the age of 69. Speculations arose quickly that "blackstar" may have referenced his fight with cancer. That skinny 1960s Mod kid, who had once dreamed of becoming Little Richard's saxophone player -only to become the king/queen alien of glam, experimental oracle, actor, artist, designer, and cutting-edge pop star, David Bowie- was no more. No one could deny the message of his farewell video, Lazerus, in which he sang of mortality, donned one of his old costumes, climbed into a coffin-like wardrobe, and disappeared from the world. It was his creative way to say farewell to the persona of David Bowie. And then David Jones himself was gone. Below: still from the set of Lazerus


A final small batch of songs (No Plan) and a stage musical Lazerus (inspired by the 1963 novel The Man Who Fell to Earth) were released posthumously. Like many people, I still feel that it's difficult to reconcile Bowie's passing. It's been hard to imagine someone so creative, so prolific, and so forward-moving would ever stop. And although I can't quite understand a world without him, I know his creative spirit lives on in his work. When Tilda spoke about Bowie at the V&A, she talked about how he had been a kind catalyst for so many people to embrace their alternative identities and basically let their freak flags fly. I like to think that his own courage and individuality will continue to inspire young people to follow their own vision, whether it be about personal identity or about creative ideas. I was lucky to see Bowie a number of times, including an 80s arena concert, his 50th birthday bash, the launch party for Heathen, and a small venue show for Earthling. It was amazing how he could light up a room and ignite imaginations. Below: The young Mod with so many miles still to go!


For Spy Vibers who have never explored the fascinating career of David Bowie, you have a lot to look forward to! Although it's difficult to choose a short list of his work, here is my "Essential Bowie." If 1960s-era material is a priority, check out the Deram album, David Bowie (1967) and the 1969 promo film, Love You Till Tuesday.

Screen: The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), The Hunger (1983), Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (1983), Labyrinth (1986), The Hunger (tv/1999-2000).

Docs: Ziggy Stardust, Ricochet, Reality Tour, Storytellers, Five Years, The Last Five Years, Finding Fame. 


Albums: Space Oddity (1969), The Man Who Sold the World (1970), Hunky Dory (1971), Ziggy Stardust (1972), Aladdin Sane (1973), Pin Ups (1973), Station to Station (1976), Low (1977), Heroes (1977), Lodger (1979), Scary Monsters (1980), Baal (1981), Outside (1995), Earthling (1997), VH1 Storytellers (2001), Heathen (2002), The Next Day (2013). There have also been great sets released  over the past few years that offer deeper exploration, including Nothing Has Changed, Five Years, Who Can I Be Now?, A New Career in Town, Loving the Alien, and Brilliant Adventure. Below: Bowie in the 1960s. 


Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Interview: Girls Guns GadgetsShandigor BluShag Palm SpringsNew Bond NovelHi-Fi BookJudex Serial BluUFO ComicsInterview: John BussITC Magazine, Interview: Kaiser MarionettesBelmondo R.I.P.007 Corgi EventSpace 1999: The VaultShag Eames LoungeFirecracker ExoticaSpy Vibe Radio: Lola AlbrightTikyaki 5-0Godzilla ScoresMid-Century VillageSpy Vibe radio: Nicola ConteMen's Adventure QuarterlyBilly May FrenesiGary NumanSpy Vader SpyChris Barber LegacyPhantom RetrospectiveAstro-ManSpy Vibe Radio: BatmanJames Bond LexiconRay CathodeSpy Vibe Radio: Johnny StaccatoMatt Helm BluCold War AuctionAvengers Francavilla PrintsAvengers 60th EventIrma Vep BluAvengers Keel DesignRonnie Scott's DocThe Avengers 60th DesignArt of Pan BooksJohn Le Carre R.I.P.Sean Connery R.I.P.New 007 VinylBurke's Law SkaDieter Rams Complete2-Tone DocSpy Vibe Radio: Vendetta Part 2Diana Rigg R.I.P.Moog Micky DolenzBeetle Bailey 70thRSD Spies VinylIan Fleming TributeFellini Box SetSpy Vibe Radio: VendettaThe Saint Podcast BonusThe Saint PodcastBarber Lotus, Trad RootsMorricone R.I.P.Fleetway Spy DesignsJohn Steel CasebooksPaul at 78ITC Podcast: The PersuadersDazzle ShipsSpy Vibe Radio: RaumpatrouilleRemembering Richard SalaCrime & Spy Jazz booksNuman is FABBruce Lee Blu, RSD Vinyl SpiesJames Bond's DB5UFO CD SetSpy Vibe radio: Phantom AgentsSteranko is Revolutionary!Interview: The Saint I Ain'tDiabolik InterviewNew 007 SongDiabolik FiguresDiabolik SoundsDiabolik Set DesignDiabolik Park RideDanger Diabolik BluCount Arthur StrongHoney West Title CardsBowie DayNeil Innes R.I.P.Claudine Auger R.I.P.OHMSS at 50Italian Job 50th OSTCharles Schulz ModernPaul DesmondPython 50thRandall Hopkirk 50thThunderbirds DayLazenby Returns to MI6Dr. John R.I.P.Spy Vibe Radio: Lupin IIILupin SkaSpy Vibe PrimeZigomar TranslationThe Village: Part 1Monkey Punch R.I.P.Bubble Girl 63ITC SoundtracksSpy Vibe Radio: Public EyeUFO PrimeSpaceship to MarsModesty Blaise CompanionSpy Vibe Radio: FantomasGeorge DayFantomas BluDark Shadows DocBedazzled Blu-rayMary Quant ExhibitLaika CalypsoLost in Space JapanSpy Dust CalypsoAtomic CafeJohn Barry MonoInterview: John Barry BookLand of the Giants Score, Spy Vibe Radio: UppersevenMabuse PropagandaBond Beatles DaySpy Vibe Radio: LiquidatorDiabolik LPFab DressesEurospy Music CollectionBeetle Bailey in West BerlinWhy Mort Walker?Spy Vibe radio: The Beatles Help!Avengers Critical GuideThe SpotnicksBenny SpiesJames Pond 0017'Satire StonesAnnette Andre Book, Spy Vibe Radio: Get SmartCaine: My GenerationInterview: Ian OgilvyHorror of Party BeachSylvie Vartan RenownRingo At 78Dark Shadows StripsSpy Vibe Radio: FlintArchie Batman 66Beatles Pac-ManSpy Vibe Radio: Jerry CottonThe Invaders007 Horowitz Book TourThe Prisoner Interviews Vol 1British Underground PressInterview: Fab4 ManiaBond Cocktail Book, Spy SmasherSpy Vibe Radio: Peter GunnAgent Zero MNew Prisoner ComicDr. No Villains EditionSpy Vibe Radio: Danger DiabolikDr. No 60thOy-Oy-SevenSpy Vibe Radio (UFO)Cold War Comic Strips, Mission to IndiaMort Walker CelebrationPeter Wyngarde Celebration, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018Interview: Ed Hulse PulpAvengers Audio DramaInterview: Callan At 50Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private EyesTWA ReturnsSpy Vibe Radio 8Interview: Ryan HeshkaMid-Century Modern SchulzAgent WerewolfJohnny Sokko 50thInterview: Trina RobbinsEddie IzzardThe Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50thHugh Hefner R.I.P.Jack Good R.I.P.Interview: Shaken Not StirredCallan 50thSpy Vibe Radio 7Bo DiddleyCarnaby PopBilly Bragg SkiffleElvis 68Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2Interview: The Prisoner Essential GuideMaud Russell MottisfontSpy Vibe Radio 4Batman GallantsAdam West R.I.P.Village TriangleRoger Moore R.I.P.Spy Vibe Radio 3Sgt Pepper 50thSatanik Kriminal OST60s OverdriveSpy Vibe Radio 2Spy Vibe Radio 1James Bond Strips, Interview: Police SurgeonXTC Avengers1966 Pep SpiesBatman Book InterviewExclusive Fleming InterviewAvengers Comic StripsRobert Vaughn RIPUNCLE FashionsThunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film GuideLost Avengers FoundThe Callan FileMission Impossible 50thGreen Hornet 50thStar Trek 50thPortmeirion Photography 1Filming the Prisoner, Ian Fleming GraveRevolver at 50Karen Romanko InterviewMod Tales 2Umbrella Man: Patrick MacneeNew Beatles FilmThe Curious CameraEsterel Fashion 1966Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview007 Tribute Covers, Argoman DesignSylvia Anderson R.I.P.Ken Adam R.I.P.George Martin R.I.P.The New Avengers Comics, 007 MangaAvengerworld BookDiana Rigg Auto ShowThe Prisoner Audio Drama Review.