The dancer playing the blue skinned demon is a reference to Lindsay Kemp, the avant-garde dancer who taught David Bowie how to move. Kemp has a cameo appearance as the pantomime dame in the film. This song is a perfect Bowie pastiche.
@@Nudiescorner Yes, they are, but my point is that the demon's appearance and choreography are a tribute to the late, great dancer Lindsay Kemp who heavily influenced David Bowie's career. See the opening of Derek Jarman's film Sebastiane (1973) for a sample of Kemp's work.
+piugie I watched this video when I was in high school and somehow most of my usernames became this movie's title..but I've never watched the movie only this video.
I was just thinking that. I was like 13 when I saw this, I was on a huge Ewan Mcgregor kick, I wanted to see everything he ever did cuz he was obi wan kenobi haha. To this day he's still my favorite actor.
This is a film that's aged pretty damn greatly over the 23 years or so since it's release. I remember the critic's pretty much bashed this film but it's gained a cult following since then and it's got a deserved upturn in acclaim, and would love to see Criterion Collection or Arrow Video give this a blu ray release with a ton of extras. look at the cast for this one, post Trainspotting and pre Star Wars Ewan McGregor in the early run of his Stardom, pre American Psycho and A List career Christian Bale (probably one of his more underrated performances), the always fantastic Toni Collette and pre Tudors Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Great soundtrack, sure it sucked the late great David Bowie didn't give permission for his songs (understandable when you watch the film why he didn't but it does hurt a bit that you don't have glam rock's main star's tunes in a Glam era film) but still a wonderful soundtrack with the Stooges, Roxy Music, T-Rex etc.. and fantastic originals like this song. One of my favourite Todd Haynes films. Clearly influenced by Citizen Kane in it's story and the way it's shot. But great designs and costumes and wonderful performances from the leads. Deliver a cult classic.
My mom just linked me to this. She said she's wanted to show me it for a long time, but I wasn't old enough! I just turned 18 .. Haha, thanks mom. This is really cool!
You're lucky. I showed this to my mother just as she was getting into Bowie (I helped her with that) and her reaction to this song/scene was "What the fuck is this?!"
A.K.A Jonathan Rhys Meyers is actually singing here. I love Jonny! He's so damn talented and super sexy!! I love Velvet Goldmine I stumbled on this movie a few years ago and the more I watched it the more I loved it.
The shame it got no play in America as a movie, because at the time it was considered mid level Brit actors, Izzard was even unknown here yet, that it was assumed I would flop, which is probably the truth. But we were robbed of the " I knew when" moment. This is one of the greatest ensemble cast movies most here will never know.
People seem to think this movie takes only from Bowie. A Bowie parody does exist but references to many other famous glam and rock stars as well such as Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, Jim Morrison, the Beatles, etc...
The leather pants, long hair, and shirtless look with Ewan McGregor's character definately reminded me of Morrison as I believe Morrison was the first one to really pull off that look. As well as the scene where he exposes himself on stage. Morrison was the not only the first singer to be arrested on stage but was the first performer to be arrested for supposedly exposing himself. Their is no way you can rule out Morrison's antics as what has now became common coin. The Beatles may be a bit of a stretch but the assassination at the start could be a parallel with John Lennon not to mention the costumes. Thou I'll give you that I may have been overzealous with the Beatles reference yet a Morrison parody is debatable.
Yeah, but McGregor's character is almost pure Iggy Pop, and Iggy was known for getting naked on stage and wearing leather pants himself, so I don't think that is a Morrison reference. Morrison was dead when the whole glam thing happened anyway.
+Vladimir Casasky The Jobriath story would have ended a lot earlier. It's not hard to see why Bowie was pissed off with this film. Like the gentleman he was he did nothing but not allow his songs. The director reacted to that by poking fun at the Bowie figure. Bowie said nothing.
+Yummy Sounds Why did Bowie not like this film? Well...I think at the time he said all his character did was shag people and it wasn't about the music. The first draft was a lot more sympathetic to Bowie in an attempt to get him to give his songs to the soundtrack. He declined for the above reason when given the script. It was then rewritten to make him an almost a bad character in his own life story. As I said, many moons ago, it's Bowie's life story for sure but from a haters point of view. Bowie didn't disappear or fake his death, he went on to write some of the best albums of his career.
-They despised him. -Yeah. But when you're abused like that, you know you've touched the stars. -...I just wish it had been me. Wish I'd thought of it. _________ This dialog is my favourite in the history of filmmaking.
Lyrics: Got tired of wasting gas living above the planet Mister, show me the way to earth The boys of Quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds Never come around here no more Sometimes I wonder if I'm still alive Six feet down at age 25 Maxwell Leather Demon rock hand jive I came down like water For the age of solar Hail to the father Kiss your sons and daughters Goodbye goodbye Steam steady roller Lady tongue controller Ten feet tall, better walk it back down Despite the great duress, always get off 'cause damn it! It's the only sure-fire way to win Your poison doesn't hurt me, no Tender wine disguised in a milk-fat fair kiddie show I'm here to celebrate the one below At last I've heard from good God above As the slap on my ass by a lipstick-kissed elbow glove I came down like water For the age of solar Hail to the father Kiss your sons and daughters Goodbye goodbye Steam steady roller Lady tongue controller Ten feet tall, better walk it back down I came down like water For the age of solar I came down like water Kiss your sons and daughters Ten feet tall, better walk it back down
@@norman11111 don't tell me to shut up i'm an american!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I obviously love this movie, that's why i'm here. I think it's an amazing movie. I just hate how everyone always says "this is the best thing ever maaade" it's art, there is no best.
One thing that is overtly anachronistic is the blue hair. I remember my Mum complaining that they didn't have bright, unnatural colours like that in the '70s. It didn't stand out to me at the time, as Bowie of course had the glowing red, but the more I learn about and see of the genuine era, the more glaring the inaccuracy. A bright white, brassy yellow or gleaming silver would have been plausible, but let's face it, it wouldn't have looked as good.
Except this is supposed to be a music video, set nearly a decade before music videos like this were a thing
10 лет назад
Oooh this is actually a very good song! Very nice intense singing! Love his voiceeee! No matter what Jonathan does... he's also so damn sexy and intense! No matter the character! They are all so different. All so good!
The rhyme of twenty-five/jive is a reference to “All the Young Dudes” (written by Bowie of course) I still get freaked out by how much Ewan with the wig looked like Kurt Cobain NOT Iggy Pop. Ewan himself said he saw this later -
Though the colors are vivid and the tone is 'playful', the imagery is so powerful..especially when his breath wilts the flower. Brian was an incubus that used Curt! sigh
I knew this movie since I was 12 but i've never watched it until now, at 23. When I was 12, I was obsessed with glam rock and I knew that the moment I will watch Velvet Goldmine was going to be the end of me, like it was going to be my everything. And it did became my one of my favorite films ever. I can't stop thinking about it
I love this movie. Great actors (Christian, Jonathan and Ewan), great music (like Placebo) and so on. Everything's perfect :D and this song is amazing ;)
Oh God, I love this moment at 0:26! And btw... I didn't know, that Brian and Curt knew each other while making this video for this song... I thought they met later... Eh, or I didn't remember... I should watch this film again... and again, and again... because it's amazing :)
they chose to focus on Bowie because his the arc of his music career corresponded with the shifts in popular music: through psychedelic folk to glam rock and then, towards the end of the film's denouement, it's suggested that Slade reemerged with monicker Tommy Stone and a look resembling the Serious Moonlight tour. They use Bowie's likeness to drive the plot of a film about glam rock.
The plot is based on countless elements of the genre. The main controversy of Brian Slade seems to follow the story of Jobriath: The costume Slade wears during his assassination stunt resembles one worn by Jobriath during his performance on the Mightnight Special. The film simultaneously celebrates and criticizes Bowie and society. Slade appears solely fame-driven, yet oblivious as to its acquisition until he discovers how to emulate and exploit the zeitgeist. His misstep echoes Jobriath's.
ya on some of the clips from the film he does the vocals, the soundtrack has the original singer-whom, has better range in all seriousness- but having his actual vocals adds a variety of personality to the film
Super trivia fact: The body paint scheme for the character skulking into the bedroom is based on the same one used for Roddy McDowall when he portrayed Ariel in a 1972 production of "The Tempest" produced by the legendary Joseph Papp in New York City.
