In the studio last night we
tried to find a live feed for the Brit Awards online, but even YouTube didn’t
allow us to watch it because we weren’t in whatever country the feed was
intended for. Obviously we were meant to watch it on ITV and take notice of the
adverts, so we made do with having the official Twitter account for the awards
on a monitor so we could keep up to date. We only wanted to watch it because as
Nottingham’s top music show, we could have exclusively broken the news if Jake
Bugg had won an award. I also wanted to keep an eye on things because Bugg was
in the same category as David Bowie for best British male, and although
Nottingham was collectively tweeting in Jake’s support, I wanted Bowie to win.
David Bowie is a unique talent and not some lucky busker, so it was pretty
obvious that the award would go to the lucky busker. That’s what usually
happens, but I’m very pleased to say that common sense ruled in this category,
and David Bowie took the award. That is to say he could have taken it if he had
turned up, but Kate Moss turned up wearing one of Bowie’s old costumes (which
we know is genuine now that we know he never threw anything away) and collected
the award on his behalf.
I know Bowie is scared of
flying, but I’m starting to wonder what his motivation is behind all the
secrecy. He has hardly been seen out and about since his last tour, aside from occasion
shopping trips, and since releasing The Next Day he
hasn’t made a single appearance. Is it because he knows that it doesn’t matter
if he isn’t there, making the mystique stronger every day? Or is it simply that
he can’t be arsed? I suspect there’s an element of the two in there somewhere,
if you’re the only rock star that can get away with this sort of behavior and
not play the publicity game then you milk that ability don’t you? On the other
hand, he is actually playing the publicity game skillfully and with a reserved
dignity. Had he arrived on stage at the Brits, the place would have gone
batshit crazy. He genuinely is the only musician these days who has managed to
become an enigma, Michael Jackson and Prince played with the concept, Freddie
Mercury enjoyed socializing and Axl Rose is just regarded as a petulant bell
end these days.
The other theory is that by
not appearing anywhere (and I was disappointed that he didn’t show up at the
press launch for David Bowie Is last year at the V&A) he is building up
mysterious credits for when he finally announces a tour. That will be the announcement
that turns the country into a remake of It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad
World.
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