What Are You & Who Are You Doing? David Bowie, Live Lou Reed & More!

     I've always liked that line - it's a demented twist on the old cop show / movie question. As humorous as it may be, it sometimes seems appropriate (in an odd way... very odd) in the grand scheme of things. I'll respond to this in two parts; the latter statement first because that one is easy - it's none of your dang business. With that out of the way, I'll answer it from the blog / radio station's point of view. They are doing (and thus being) themselves. The station nor the blog is an imitation of anything else out there. It was never meant to be. It's going to exist and evolve in it's own way, in it's own time. I always like to hear comments or feedback about the two entities, but it doesn't mean changes will be made just because someone loves it or hates it.

     The "what are you" portion is an extension of that last thought and statement. I started 360 Degrees of Alternative because there wasn't anything out there like this. I have my own views of what "alternative music" is. I'm sure you do as well. If those planes mesh, then great. If not quite completely, that's still okay. We can still have the love for this genre of music and still agree to disagree. Bottom line - hopefully we all learn from each other, evolve in a positive way and can all co-exist peacefully. 

     I'm going to steal another old cliche here; is it me or has there been a lot of press and general hoopla with the timing of David Bowie's return to the music scene? I'll admit - with some of the latest PR pics floating around the internet lately, the first thing I noticed is that he looks... well... old. Yeah, the guy is 66 years old, but for the longest time he seemed to have had this Dick Clark anti-aging thing going on. Be that as it may, the BBC has agreed to air a documentary on his life, primarily focusing on certain years, namely 1971, 1975, 1977, 1980 and 1983. I think these time frames have a lot to do with how Bowie changed musically during those times. Another question that popped into my head was - where is the Ziggy Stardust years? It's quite possible that once Bowie "killed" that character, (which he has described in the past as quite egotistical and dangerous), that he wanted it buried for good. I can remember seeing him back in 1983 on his "Serious Moonlight" tour - he performed zero songs from that brief era. In any event, it should be an interesting documentary and I wish him all the best with his upcoming release "The Next Day".

     Since we're discussing icons in the alternative music world, I'm going to leave you with another video clip of one of rock's greatest artists - and not just in the punk / alternative world. Some even pose the question, without Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, would there be rock n roll as we know it today? I can't answer that, but I do agree that without Reed and company, who literally threw everything out the window when it came to conventional rock and roll - at a time when society was starting to throw conventionalism out as we knew it. In 1966, when the Beatles were singing "Yesterday", the VU was singing about heroin. This may seem like no big thing today, but 45+ years ago, it was cosmos moving! This clip is a more modern Lou Reed jamming out the classic "Sweet Jane". Enjoy!

     Until next time - peace out.