This was my first fan video on YouTube. He made another video for the original version of this song, Take Me Down, which was on my first album, Pop Down The Years. This version is available on my Bandcamp page as part of the Towers Of Blue album, which are mostly early alternative takes of songs from the final album.
This an acoustic version of David Bowie’s masterpiece, “Quicksand,” from his 1971 album, “Hunky Dory.” The inspiration for the video was Heinrich Boll’s 1963 novel, “The Clown.” The novel follows, in a series of flashbacks and ruminations, the downfall of the protagonist, Hans Schnier, once an A-list entertainer who toured Europe and performed at the finest concert hall and stayed in the best hotels. He has lost the only woman he ever loved to his stubborn refusal to sign an agreement to raise their future children in the Catholic faith. Additionally, his alcoholism has progressed to the realm of hopeless. The last scene shows him performing on the sidewalk outside a train station, his make-up smeared and cracked, with tears streaming down his face. Quite a book, beautifully written, and I highly recommend it.
The video was directed by Nero Nava, who took my rough concept, which came to me as I was falling asleep one night, and made it into something so much better. I also wish to thank Sonyia Jordan, Maia Panos, Gita, Will Hughs, and Atticus Wolf for being in the movie, and thank Gita, once again, for doing such great makeup on everybody.
This an acoustic version of David Bowie’s masterpiece, “Quicksand,” from his 1971 album, “Hunky Dory.”
Had an album release party today at the lovely home of Maia Panos, a wonderful gathering of friends. The album came out on Friday. We premiered the video, the first one for the album, at the party today. It is now live on YouTube, etc.
This an acoustic version of David Bowie’s masterpiece, “Quicksand,” from his 1971 album, “Hunky Dory.” The inspiration for the video was Heinrich Boll’s 1963 novel, “The Clown.” The novel follows, in a series of flashbacks and ruminations, the downfall of the protagonist, Hans Schnier, once an A-list entertainer who toured Europe and performed at the finest concert hall and stayed in the best hotels. He has lost the only woman he ever loved to his stubborn refusal to sign an agreement to raise their future children in the Catholic faith. Additionally, his alcoholism has progressed into the realm of hopeless variety, with the concomitant spirtitual and emotional collapse. In the last scene of the book, he is performing on the sidewalk outside a train station, his make-up smeared and cracked, with tears streaming down his face. Quite a book, beautifully written, and I highly recommend it.
NPR has an annual contest
Every year, NPR has a contest for people, independent musicians, to send in videos of themselves (or their bands) performing a piece of original music, with a desk nearby. It’s in the rules: there must be a desk. The winner gets flown to Washington, D.C., to perform in the studio and be broadcast all over the country. A friend sent me the link, so I made this video and entered.
Another friend saw the video and called me Mr. Rogers. Everybody is a comedian.
the new cover