Latest news with #SpaceOddity
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'David Bowie was my best friend - he gave me a priceless gift''
Geoff MacCormack, 78, who knew the iconic Space Oddity singer like no other, talks through some of 90,000 items relating to David Bowie's life and work which will go on display at the V&A museum in September He was the man who fell to Earth - and inspired generations of future shape-shifting music stars, from Madonna to Lady Gaga. But David Bowie 's other-worldly creativity, and ability to constantly reinvent his image, style and music, left just as indelible an imprint on the world of fashion, art and culture, too. It's the reason why the singer, who died in 2016 aged 69, is being honoured with a permanent gallery at London's V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum), which opens in September. The new David Bowie Centre, at the museum's V&A East Storehouse location, will house over 90,000 items relating to Bowie's life and works, including his costumes, sketches, paintings, writings and set lists. We got a sneak peak at some of the exhibits, offering fans fascinating insights into the mind of rock's enduring enigma. They include Bowie's paint palette covered in the last colours he used, the asymmetric knitted catsuit he wore as Ziggy Stardust and the lyrics he cut up and mixed up to write his 1977 song 'Blackout' Bowie's lifelong friend Geoff MacCormack says the new permanent gallery shows just how much of a legacy the Space Oddity star left. In an exclusive interview, Geoff, who was also Bowie's backing singer and percussionist, says: 'David became a fashion icon. His whole show was about what he was wearing and his different personas. He was very clever at constantly changing himself.' And he said that during the years he spent touring the world with Bowie gave him something that allowed him to emulate his success - bravery. He says: "David made people braver. He encouraged people to do their thing without fear, including me. He instilled his bravery into others, and today we see what a incredible legacy he left.' But Geoff, who went to Burnt Ash Primary School in Bromley, Kent, with Bowie says it wasn't immediately obvious that he would leave such an impression on the world. He recalls: 'Our friendship was based on the appreciation of music and humour. We used to listen to Radio Luxembourg together, but he'd also get a lot of the latest records because his dad worked for the Dr Barnardo's charity organising fundraising shows. 'David's dad bought him a little record player, and he was the only kid I knew who had one. I remember listening to rock'n'roll, and seeing his eyes open wide. We were born just after the war, we still had ration books and there were bomb sites all over the place, so it was a pretty grey world until that music hit us. 'He was fascinated by the stuff coming over from America, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Screaming' Jay Hawkins, it was just like alien music, slightly disturbing but in a cool way. We were at the birth of rock'n'roll and it felt like a whole new world.' 'He was definitely different. He was into reading some really quirky stuff, especially American magazines. I remember one time him telling me a story he was reading, about two wrestlers who had fought to the death, really gory stuff with eyes being gouged out and stuff. 'I remember the more wide-eyed I was the more he got into performing this recital for me. We were only about eight or nine.' At that stage, Geoff says, his friend's quirkiness didn't extend to his dress sense. 'David went to a different school to me. I was a Mod, so I was more into fashion, but David was more of a studious type,' he says. 'I think it was once he started doing well and had a personal tailor, Freddie Burretti, that he started experimenting with his clothes. Freddie lived in the basement of 89 Oakley St, where David also rented a flat, and he used to just walk down and try on his new creations. 'The same way David pushed boundaries and challenged conventions in music, he did with his costumes, performances, stage sets, everything.' Geoff, whose book, David Bowie: Rock 'n' Roll with Me, charts their friendship through candid photographs, recognises many of the items that will be displayed at the V&A. He contributed backing vocals to a number of Bowie's albums and spent three years touring the world with him. During their time together in America, when Bowie was filming The Man Who Fell to Earth, the star took up painting. One of the works on show at the V&A will be a self-portrait of the singer. Geoff says: 'We lived in a ranch in Santa Fe, and that's the first time I saw him paint. The style was very similar to the self-portrait. But he didn't always like what he did. David was very confident about his music, but not particularly so about his paintings. But he still kept them, whether or not he liked them.' Another fascinating item at the V&A is an example of Bowie's 'cut up' technique in his songwriting, inspired by his contemporary William Burroughs. He took existing text, cut it into pieces and rearranged them to create new lyrics and meaning. Geoff recalls: 'The first time I saw him do it was for Diamond Dogs, at the Olympic Studios in Barnes, London. William Burroughs actually turned up in the studio while he was doing it. 'It was incredible to see. He was able to give what he was writing about a slight swerve. A cut up sentence becomes more interesting, taking you somewhere else, by chance, rather than by choice.' Geoff was also with Bowie when he departed from his glam rock style and recorded the soul album Young Americans - with backing vocals from Ava Cherry and the then-unknown singer Luther Vandross. He remembers: 'We were in the middle of the Diamond Dogs tour in 1974, and I was one of the Diamond Dogs, who'd mime and dance. It was a brilliant show, with a huge set built to look like a city, and loads of moving parts including a moving bridge. 'We both loved soul music, and David decided to do a soul album. But he wasn't very patient. If he was into something he'd get on with it, even at the expense of ditching an amazing and very expensive theatrical show. So that's what he did.' Bowie abandoned Diamond Dogs, took the month of August 1974 off to record the new album, then re-branded the tour 'The Soul Tour'. Geoff's fondest memory of his time with Bowie is an adventure of a lifetime when he joined him on a world tour, following the release of Ziggy Stardust. Because of Bowie's phobia of flying, that meant sailing from the US to Japan and taking the Trans-Siberian Express train across China and Russia back to the UK. He recalls: 'It was great for me, I was travelling with him and hanging out with him on their long journeys. 'At the time, his management wanted him to look like a star, before he was a star, so he would do stuff on a grand scale. So we'd stay in grand hotels, go first class on the ships, he was living beyond his means but it was an incredible time.' After finishing his US tour, Bowie and his entourage needed to reach Japan for the next leg. Geoff says: 'The only way was to get a boat from LA. We stopped off at San Fransisco and went out with Bet Midler. Then onto Vancouver and Hawaii. 'When we got to Japan, we hung out with Kansai Yamamoto, the designer who David had found years before and was already using his clothes. He had some new costumes for him, which he wore on the Japanese tour, and then the British tour later that year.' One of the designs was the famous one-legged, zig-zagged jumpsuit which visitors will be able to see at the new exhibition. Geoff says their spell in Japan, and the long train journey back, inspired Bowie's future creations. He says: 'Everything we saw and listened to crept into his music at some stage. 'Japan in 1973 was a very alien society, really weird. Coming from there, getting a boat to Siberia, another completely alien experience, then the Trans Siberian through Siberia, China, Russia. 'Then East Germany, which was really unfriendly because the guards boarded the train and they were kicking in doors. What we saw on those trips definitely gave him ideas.' Geoff was also on stage with Bowie when he dramatically announced Ziggy Stardust's 'retirement' at London's Hammersmith Odeon in July 1973. Bowie went on to achieve his first US No1 with Fame, then won new fans in the 80s with hits like Let's Dance and Under Pressure, with Queen. Geoff, now 78, went on to set up his own hugly successful advertising production company, which he says was also inspired by David Bowie. He says: 'I'd never done it before, but David was always saying just do stuff. He threw me in the deep end. I wouldn't have done it if it were not for him. Like with so many other people, he made me braver."
Scottish Sun
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Rarely seen nepo baby celebrates his birthday with A-list Hollywood parents – but can you guess who he is?
He has starred in a series of film projects with his famous family birthday boy Rarely seen nepo baby celebrates his birthday with A-list Hollywood parents – but can you guess who he is? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HOLLYWOOD nepo-baby has marked his birthday with his superstar parents. The 36th milestone comes after a huge family film project featuring the entire high-profile clan. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 A Hollywood nepo-baby has celebrated his 36th birthday Credit: Instagram/@kevinbacon 7 Their famous dad shared a series of images of their son in a sweet birthday message Credit: Instagram/@kevinbacon 7 Travis Bacon is the eldest child of Kevin Bacon and wife Kyra Sedgwick Credit: Instagram/@kevinbacon 7 They have collaborated on a series of joint projects together as a family Credit: Getty Travis Bacon, the rarely-seen son of Hollywood actor Kevin Bacon, 66, and wife Kyra Sedgwick, 59, was seen beaming as he posed by a slice of cake with a candle on top. A chef had written the words 'happy birthday' in icing on the plate and Travis appeared chuffed to be at the heart of the celebrations. He wore a black logo top for his special day, with his black hair styled poker-straight over his shoulders. His famous actor pop Kevin was quick to upload a grid post on Instagram and put: "Happy birthday TSB! Boy I love my Boy." Music composer and artist Kevin added: "Thanks Dad!" The images also showed the family enjoying some quality time together, with a trip to the caravan, before images showed tattooed Travis sleeping on a cuddly toy skeleton and wielding an axe. Meanwhile, Bad Shabbos actress Kyra, 59, also shared a snapshot to Instagram to celebrate her eldest and posted: "Happy birthday to my baby boy @svrtcntraclt." Travis, who is known for Space Oddity and Carry The Darkness, then shared his own celebrations from Texas. He posed topless by a car and wrote: "This is 36," before posing by his car with his burlesque performer girlfriend Angelina Sambrotto. FAMILY AFFAIR Travis, who will soon appear alongside little sister Sosie, 33, on horror movie Keep Coming Back, has a history of collaborating with his famous family. What is Kevin Bacon's TikTok footloose challenge? His parents directed and starred in Family Movie - which also starred both Travis and his sibling. The plot captured a family of real-life filmmakers who became embroiled in their own horror flick 'There may not be a more compelling Hollywood family than the Bacons,' said Dark Castle co-CEO and fellow producer Norman Golightly at the time. 'We can't wait to bring their unique dynamic to the screen and then wildly turn it on its head for audiences.' Kevin Bacon Films Kevin Bacon has enjoyed a long career as an actor. He rose to fame in the late 70s, and continues to appear in movies to this day. Kevin has appeared in some of the most iconic films to date and is beloved by fans. Here's a look at his filmography. National Lampoon's Animal House Friday the 13th Diner Footloose Quicksilver She's Having a Baby Flatliners Tremors He Said, She Said JFK A Few Good Men The River Wild The Air Up There Murder in the First Apollo 13 Sleepers Wild Things Stir of Echoes Hollow Man My Dog Skip Trapped Mystic River The Woodsman Death Sentence Frost/Nixon X-Men: First Class Crazy, Stupid, Love Black Mass Patriots Day The Darkness MaXXXine They also starred in 2005 flick Loverboy. Talking about his parenting style to Vulture, Kevin previously opened up about his parenting style and said: "When I go home, I try to raise my children with honesty and integrity and teach them to take care of the world and of each other." Meanwhile, Kevin has spoken out about enjoying his high-profile life with his brood. In a 2017 interview with Good Morning America, Kevin shared a time he went incognito, and he said he "hated it." He said: "It's better to be well-known. Everyone complains about it, saying, 'My life is so hard.' "But every day people say 'I love you'. Isn't that a great thing?" 7 Travis has followed in the footsteps of his famous movie star parents Credit: Instagram 7 He spent his birthday in Texas with partner Angelina Sambrotto Credit: Instagram/@angiealaska
The Irish Sun
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Rarely seen nepo baby celebrates his birthday with A-list Hollywood parents – but can you guess who he is?
A HOLLYWOOD nepo-baby has marked his birthday with his superstar parents. The 36th milestone comes after a huge family film project featuring the entire high-profile clan. Advertisement 7 A Hollywood nepo-baby has celebrated his 36th birthday Credit: Instagram/@kevinbacon 7 Their famous dad shared a series of images of their son in a sweet birthday message Credit: Instagram/@kevinbacon 7 Travis Bacon is the eldest child of Kevin Bacon and wife Kyra Sedgwick Credit: Instagram/@kevinbacon 7 They have collaborated on a series of joint projects together as a family Credit: Getty Travis Bacon, the rarely-seen son of Hollywood actor Kevin Bacon, 66, and wife Kyra Sedgwick, 59, was seen beaming as he posed by a slice of cake with a candle on top. A chef had written the words 'happy birthday' in icing on the plate and Travis appeared chuffed to be at the heart of the celebrations. He wore a black logo top for his special day, with his black hair styled poker-straight over his shoulders. His famous actor pop Kevin was quick to upload a grid post on Instagram and put: "Happy birthday TSB! Boy I love my Boy." Advertisement read more nepo baby Music composer and artist Kevin added: "Thanks Dad!" The images also showed the family enjoying some quality time together, with a trip to the caravan, before images showed tattooed Travis sleeping on a cuddly toy skeleton and wielding an axe. Meanwhile, Bad Shabbos actress Kyra, 59, also shared a snapshot to Instagram to celebrate her eldest and posted: "Happy birthday to my baby boy @svrtcntraclt." Travis, who is known for Space Oddity and Carry The Darkness, then shared his own celebrations from Texas. Advertisement Most read in Celebrity He posed topless by a car and wrote: "This is 36," before posing by his car with his burlesque performer girlfriend Angelina Sambrotto. FAMILY AFFAIR Travis, who will soon appear alongside little sister Sosie, 33, on horror movie Keep Coming Back, has a history of collaborating with his famous family. What is Kevin Bacon's TikTok footloose challenge? His parents directed and starred in Family Movie - which also starred both Travis and his sibling. The plot captured a family of real-life filmmakers who became embroiled in their own horror flick Advertisement 'There may not be a more compelling Hollywood family than the Bacons,' said Dark Castle co-CEO and fellow producer Norman Golightly at the time. 'We can't wait to bring their unique dynamic to the screen and then wildly turn it on its head for audiences.' Kevin Bacon Films Kevin Bacon has enjoyed a long career as an actor. He rose to fame in the late 70s, and continues to appear in movies to this day. Kevin has appeared in some of the most iconic films to date and is beloved by fans. Here's a look at his filmography. National Lampoon's Animal House Friday the 13th Diner Footloose Quicksilver She's Having a Baby Flatliners Tremors He Said, She Said JFK A Few Good Men The River Wild The Air Up There Murder in the First Apollo 13 Sleepers Wild Things Stir of Echoes Hollow Man My Dog Skip Trapped Mystic River The Woodsman Death Sentence Frost/Nixon X-Men: First Class Crazy, Stupid, Love Black Mass Patriots Day The Darkness MaXXXine They also starred in 2005 flick Loverboy. Talking about his parenting style to Advertisement Meanwhile, Kevin has spoken out about enjoying his high-profile life with his brood. In a 2017 interview with Good Morning America, Kevin shared a time he went incognito, and he said he "hated it." He said: "It's better to be well-known. Everyone complains about it, saying, 'My life is so hard.' "But every day people say 'I love you'. Isn't that a great thing?" Advertisement 7 Travis has followed in the footsteps of his famous movie star parents Credit: Instagram 7 He spent his birthday in Texas with partner Angelina Sambrotto Credit: Instagram/@angiealaska 7 His little sister Sosie has carved out a career as a film star Credit: Getty
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Iconic '90s Rocker, 60, Shares Surprising Memory of Late Music Legend
Iconic '90s Rocker, 60, Shares Surprising Memory of Late Music Legend originally appeared on Parade. As the frontman for the groundbreaking band Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor was one of the most iconic musicians of the '90s — but that doesn't mean he lost the ability to be completely starstruck by other legendary rock stars. In a recent interview, Reznor, 60, recalled seeing David Bowie sing his song "Hurt" live when NIN opened for the late musician on the 1995 "Outside" tour, which featured Reznor and Bowie collaborating during each other's sets. "We would sing it live onstage together," Reznor said in a clip shared to TikTok this week, adding, "and I distinctly remember standing onstage, looking over, and David Bowie, you know, singing my song with me, and thought, man, how the f— know, how is this happening?" Fans in the comments loved hearing Reznor reminisce about the unforgettable experience. "The two loves of my life NIN and David Bowie. love it!" one person raved. "What a moment," somebody pointed out, as another gushed, "still have a major crush on him." "This is the man, you listen when he speaks," declared someone else. Reznor, now an Academy Award-winning soundtrack composer, opened up about Bowie's influence — both musical and otherwise — in a 2021 interview with Consequence of Sound, admitting that he was both "terrified and intimidated" to go on tour with the "Space Oddity" singer, who died in 2016 at the age of 69. "What really left the biggest impression on me was there I was in a bad state of addiction and kind of going down the toilet," he revealed. "And he was on the other end to have come out of it. And there were the few kind of big brother/fatherly times where he'd call me aside and kind of get on my sh—t: 'You need to get your sh—t together. It doesn't have to end up down there.' He didn't say this, but look at where he was. He was happy. He was still taking chances."Iconic '90s Rocker, 60, Shares Surprising Memory of Late Music Legend first appeared on Parade on Jun 9, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Sydney Morning Herald
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
This astronaut says space is not the lonely place we see in science fiction
Chris Hadfield was nine when Neil Armstrong took his one small step for (a) man. Watching the astronauts from his small town in southern Ontario, he decided what to do with the rest of his life. But where many starry-eyed youngsters harbour similarly grandiose ambitions, little Chris got to work. 'I started making decisions when I was nine years old to try and turn myself into an adult that could do those things. I learned to swim. I thought about what food I ate. I made sure I kept my body in shape. I joined the Air Cadets so they would teach me how to fly. I studied so I could go to university.' There were significant obstacles along the way, not least the fact that Canada didn't have a space program. But Hadfield emphasises that he didn't hope to become an astronaut. ''I want to' or 'I dream to,' that's not nearly enough. You have to decide to. I dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, but obviously I haven't decided to because I never really worked at it. I'm not going to win an Olympic gold medal unless they give one for laziness and procrastination.' He's speaking from his cottage on an island not 200 metres from where he made the decision that would define the course of his life. Yes, he might have spent 165 days in space and travelled all over the world in the most literal sense, but these days he has returned to the place where it all began. Not that he doesn't travel. He's about to tour Australia with a new live show in which he recalls his adventures in space, answers audience questions and performs music live. In 2013 Hadfield became the friendly face of off-earth travel when his cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity – performed onboard the International Space Station – became a viral hit the world over. The novelty of the music video doesn't reflect his serious accomplishments, however. He was the first Canadian commander of the ISS, and notched up a total of 14 hours and 50 minutes of extravehicular activity (that's spacewalking to us earthbound types). He retired in 2013 but has maintained an active role as a writer, speaker and adviser. The young Hadfield decided to become a space traveller, but the 65-year-old today notes that he never made the achievement of that goal a measure of self-worth or success. 'I thought, there's a lot of forces beyond my control. Most of them. But I'm going to work really hard on the ones I can control. If I do my part right, and I get some luck, then I will have a chance of flying in space ... I got to fly in space three times. If I hadn't flown in space, I never would have thought of myself as a failure or as somehow cheated. It just helped me make all of the little decisions on a daily basis as to what to do next. ' That meant following in the footsteps of his heroes. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins were all engineers, so he earned an engineering degree. They were pilots, so he became one too, and then he climbed the ranks to fighter pilot and test pilot. 'Neil and Mike and Buzz were all test pilots. That's like a PhD in flying. I could have been a test pilot for the rest of my life.' Hadfield speaks with the confidence and conviction you'd expect of someone who possesses the right stuff to make it to space. During his first spacewalk, a visor malfunction temporarily blinded him. Most of us would probably panic if things went wrong 400 kilometres above the Earth with just a few centimetres of plastic between you and the void. It's hard to imagine Hadfield losing his cool. TAKE 7: THE ANSWERS ACCORDING TO CHRIS HADFIELD Worst habit? Not knowing the difference between work and play. Greatest fear? The untimely death of my children or grandchildren. The line that stayed with you? When I did my third space flight, my dad said: 'Trust yourself. You've done the work. You're going to have to make decisions without being able to ask anybody else, that have life or death consequences. But you're not doing it frivolously. You've built yourself the capability and right to do those things, so trust yourself.' Biggest regret? I don't live a life of regret. I spend life looking forwards, and I try and forgive myself and other people as often as I can. Favourite book? Carrying the Fire, by Mike Collins. He was the guy who orbited the moon while Neil and Buzz walked on the surface. The artwork/song you wish was yours? Almost every song I hear. Especially the simple ones, right? It's like, 'How come I didn't write that?' If you could time travel, where would you choose to go? If I could truly time travel, I would be a frequent flyer. I don't want to just go live somewhere else. But I would love to go back to some of the great significant moments in history. Wouldn't it be great to spend a day at the Colosseum in Rome? Just put on the toga, and somehow materialise and go to an event for the day, and then come back to 2025. 'Panic is like extreme fear. There's a hyena in front of you with its jaws open? You need to get adrenaline into your veins, and you need to run faster than you've ever run in your life. I try to avoid that ever happening. In my life as a fighter pilot and test pilot there were all kinds of hyenas with their jaws open, figuratively. All kinds of dangers that reared their head instantaneously, but most of them are foreseeable. I'm going to use the quiet times to prepare myself so that I don't have to be afraid, and I sure don't want to panic.' That mindset is something that astronauts share. 'You choose people that have quite a large skill set, but also the right mentality and the right sense of humility and purposefulness. The filter that chooses astronauts tends to spit out the same type of person, no matter what country they're from. There's a great commonality when you get together as a group of astronauts.' It's reassuring to hear that the pettiness of politics is mostly confined to our planet. When you're travelling at 28,000km/h with people from all over the world, it brings you up to speed on what we have in common. 'You're over Ukraine, and you can look down at the worst of human behaviour, of violence and death and murder sanctioned at the national scale. But 10 minutes later, you're over farmers' fields ... You come around the world, and it puts things into perspective for you, that there are wicked things happening, but the vast majority of what's happening is just people living their lives. And they want the same things, no matter what country they're in.' Our earthly laws don't even apply in space. The ISS follows the International Crew Code of Conduct, designed to ensure that the squabbles and resentments of nations don't make it past the airlock. 'I think there's a real beauty in that. It's not just technical exploration or scientific experiment. It's also a geopolitical experiment.' It's an experiment that Hadfield thinks will only grow in importance as more nations launch their own space programs and private corporations do the same. 'As we start settling on the moon, whose laws will apply? Will we take the International Crew Code of Conduct and make that the law of the land? Or will we import a little China and a little America and a little India and just transplant that onto the moon?' It's apparent that Hadfield doesn't have much time for the 'incredibly stupid stuff' that can take place on Earth. But his time among the stars also reminded him that 'we're incredibly imperfect, yet we've still carved the Venus de Milo and built Angkor Wat and we revere Uluru. We built a space station where we've been working peacefully for 25 years.' There's an irony to the song that first brought Hadfield into many of our lives. Where Bowie lamented that 'planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do,' Hadfield says that floating in a tin-can is the antithesis of a bummer. Loading 'The biggest misconception is that people think it's lonely. It's often a metaphor for loneliness. If you watch movies like First Man or Ad Astra, those movies are so sad and grim, and everybody's glum. Or the series that Sean Penn was in, The First, everybody's just so unhappy,' he says. 'But it's completely the opposite. It's magnificent. You're weightless. You have a superpower. You can fly. It's the coolest. And the whole world is pouring by out your window.'
