From The North...: Pushing Ahead Of The Dames: David Bowie ... In A Word

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Pushing Ahead Of The Dames: David Bowie ... In A Word

Here Keith Telly Topping is, dear blog reader, not quite dying. Having - for the most part - successfully tackled reviewing the first ninety odd Doctor Who stories using just one appropriate adjective for each (or one verb if this blogger couldn't think of an adjective. Or, one noun if he couldn't think of a verb), yer actual Keith Telly Topping has decided to do the same with his very own favourite one hundred and two David Bowie songs. Because this is Keith Telly Topping's blog and he, you know, can do what the Hell he likes upon it. If one of your own favourite tunes by the late Grand Dame her very self has not been included in this list, dear blog reader, then Keith Telly Topping is afraid that's just tough. Start your own blog and do your own list and see how you like being criticised by glakes whinging in a high-pitched voice: 'Ooo, you've missed out 'Fantastic Voyage' and 'China Girl', you silly sausage, you.' Such malarkey is an effing pain in the dong, so it is dear blog reader. Anyway, without further faffing about or other such rank kerfufflement ... Here's Davie.

102. Sex & The Church

101. Always Crashing In The Same Car

100. Let Me Sleep Beside You

99. The Laughing Gnome

98. Repetition

97. Cygnet Committee

96. This Is Not America

95. Joe The Lion

94. Warszawa

93. Watch That Man

92. Scream Like A Baby

91. Sense Of Doubt

90. Be My Wife

89. Look Back In Anger

88. Thursday's Child

87. The Drowned Girl

86. Jump They Say

85. Heathen (The Rays)

84. 5.15 The Angels Have Gone

83. The Supermen

82. Conversation Piece

81. Memory Of A Free Festival

80. All The Young Dudes

79. Fall Dog Bombs The Moon

78. The London Boys

77. 1984

76. In The Heat Of The Morning

75. Love Is Lost

74. Win

73. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)

72. Silly Boy Blue

71. It's No Game (Number One)

70. African Night Flight

69. Andy Warhol

68. Shadow Man

67. The Hearts Filthy Lesson

66. Valentine's Day

65. Letter To Hermione

64. Absolute Beginners

63. Word On A Wing

62. Beauty & The Beast

61. Sorrow

60. Let's Dance

59. Seven

58. Bring Me The Disco King

57. Wild Is The Wind

56. Lazarus

55. Loving The Alien

54. DJ

53. Teenage Wildlife

52. John, I'm Only Dancing

51. Hang Onto Yourself

50. Kooks

49. Ziggy Stardust

48. What In The World

47. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)

46. The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

45. All The Madmen

44. Slip Away

43. TVC15

42. Breaking Glass

41. Panic In Detroit

40. Sweet Thing/Candidate

39. I'm Afraid Of Americans

38. Cat People (Putting Out Fire)

37. The Next Day

36. Quicksand

35. Strangers When We Meet

34. The Width Of A Circle

33. Starman

32. Hallo Spaceboy

31. Up The Hill Backwards

30. Drive-In Saturday

29. Where Are We Now?

28. The Bewley Brothers

27. Five Years

26. Boys Keep Swinging

25. Blackstar

24. Moonage Daydream

23. The Jean Genie

22. Young Americans

21. The Man Who Sold The World

20. Rock & Roll Suicide

19. Buddha Of Suburbia

18. Cracked Actor

17. Station To Station

16. Suffragette City

15. Diamond Dogs

14. Oh! You Pretty Things

13. Stay

12. Fame

11. Queen Bitch

10. Space Oddity

9. Rebel Rebel

8. Fashion

7. Golden Years

6. Time

5. Ashes To Ashes

4. Changes

3. Sound & Vision

2. "Heroes"

1. Life On Mars?

And that, dear blog reader, is yer jolly whack, so it is. It's no good shouting 'more, more, Keith Telly Topping, more! Where's 'Black Country Rock' and 'Can You Hear Me Now'? And 'The Laughing Gnome'? You're havin' a laugh, right? Plus why, oh, why, oh, why, wasn't 'All The Young Dudes' higher than that?' (Because, Dave never recorded a studio version that was a patch on Mott The Hoople's, that's why. Although, this blogger does have something of a soft spot for the 'Ooo! Get her, ducky!' Round The Horne version on David Live.)

And, 'will you be doing one hundred and two songs by The Be-Atles (a popular beat combo for the 1960s, you might've heard of them) next?' (Possibly. But, not for a while ...) So, dear blog reader, whether you're in the back of a dream car, twenty foot long or, indeed, sinking in the quicksand of your thoughts, it all ends here. Wham-bam, thank you, ma'am. Get on yer red shoes and get outta the gaff ...

Disclaimer (A Slight Return)

All of the opinions expressed within this most opinionated of blogs - unless specifically indicated otherwise - are Keith Telly Topping's own. They should not, in any way, be thought of as reflecting (either collectively or individually) the views of any of the various media organisations, broadcasters, publishing companies or periodicals for which this blogger has freelanced in the past, or may be employed by in the future. Or, indeed, anyone else other than Keith Telly Topping his very self.

This blogger's opinions on all manner of subjects, his political and spiritual beliefs, the choice of which TV shows he likes and dislikes, which newspapers and books he chooses to read and, indeed, which football team he used to have the misfortune to follow are his own and expression of them is Keith Telly Topping's right within a free and democratic society. (Which, for all of Britain's faults in other areas in 2022, it just about still is.) If you disagree with any of the opinions expressed here, then please feel free to start your own blog and say whatever is on your mind to your own dear blog readers. That is, after all, what blogs are for.

This blogger encourages everyone to use those freedoms - which many brave men and women have struggled, suffered and died to attain and then maintain over the years - to express your opinions upon whatever subjects you desire and whenever you see fit in a public forum. Within - of course - the boundaries of The Law as it currently stands.

Please remember there are, sadly, many parts of the world where citizens do not have similar liberties and who would probably love the opportunity to enjoy some of the freedoms that we in the West, all too often it would seem, take for granted.

Copyright - An Important Notice

During 2015, this blog received three separate "take-down" notices from blogger.com regarding individual pages of From The North relating to - alleged - copyright material posted on this blog. All of which were compiled with despite an extremely unhelpful attitude from those making the requests in telling Keith Telly Topping exactly *what* they - or, specifically, a third party - wished him to remove from the page(s) in question. Therefore, please note, From The North is an entirely non-profit making blog compiled by Keith Telly Topping in his spare time. Almost all of the images used on this blog to illustrate a particular story come via Google Images. No attempt is made to infringe on anyone elses copyright - and the same goes to any links provided to You Tube. I am perfectly happy to remove any links or images from any particular page which are copyrighted (within reason, of course), but it would greatly help if I knew which one (or ones) are at issue. If you are a copyright holder and you believe that something has been posted on From The North which shouldn't be here, please contact this blogger directly via email. Keith Telly Topping is a reasonable chap - mostly - and is sure we can work something out to the mutual satisfaction of all concerned.

Who He Is & How He Came To Be

A full-time survivor, dandy highwayman, bon vivant, self-unemployed author, journalist and broadcaster Keith Telly Topping's bibliography includes over forty books on mainly pop culture subjects. He was the co-editor of two editions of The Guinness Book of Classic British TV and has written or co-written factual volumes on television series as diverse as The X-Files, Star Trek, The Avengers, 24, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Charmed, The Sweeney and Stargate SG-1 as well as music, film and literary critique. He authored four Doctor Who novels (including the award-winning The Hollow Men, with Martin Day) and a novella. His work includes two editions of the acclaimed The West Wing programme guide Inside Bartlet’s White House, A Vault Of Horror: A Book Of Eighty Great (and not-so-great) British Horror Movies, Do You Want To Know A Secret?: A Fab Anthology Of Beatles Facts and Doctor Who: The Discontinuity Guide. He was a regular contributor to numerous TV and genre magazines and was a former Contributing Editor to DreamWatch. He is widely considered to be one of Britain's foremost experts on the bewildering complexities of US network television. No, he hasn't the faintest idea why either.

Notoriously suave, articulate and a right wow with the ladies (allegedly), Keith Telly Topping was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne on the very day that his beloved (though even then unsellable) United lost three-two at home to Northampton Town. Things haven't improved much since. He was the presenter of the monthly The Book Club (2006-08) and the daily Keith Telly Topping & His Top TV Tips preview slot on BBC Newcastle (2005-2012). He contributed to the BBC television series I ♥ the 70s, Call The Cops and The Perfect Detective and has also written for Sounds, the Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times Culture Supplement, Radio Times, TV Zone, The Doctor Who Magazine and many other publications and periodicals.

Keith Telly Topping writes, and occasionally performs stand-up, and has written radio comedy, co-wrote the stage musical comedy Monopolise! (performed at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival with Alfie Joey and Mark Deeks) and two TV pilots both of which are, currently, stuck in 'Development Hell.' A failed pop star at the age of fourteen as bass guitarist in (the never-legendary) Slime, Keith Telly Topping lives, works and occasionally sleeps on Tyneside. His interests include foreign travel, listening to bowel-shatteringly loud pop music, socialising with friends, eating in nice Chinese restaurants, watching football and cricket, reading, British horror movies of the 1960s and 70s, military, political and social history and lots of other malarkey and shenanigans too numerous to list.

Keith Telly Topping still dines out on the tale of how he and three friends once - accidentally - stalked George Harrison down pretty much the entire length of Oxford Street. True story.

A Mod's Odyssey

Keith Telly Topping is a fifty nine year old geezer. He has survived pop, power-pop, glam-rock, prog-rock, Krautrock, punk, post-punk, mod, ska, synth-pop, indie-pop, indie-rock, post-indie, neo-indie, goth, post-goth, shoegazing, soul, funk, blues, rhythm & blues, jazz-funk, jazz-fusion, house, acid-house, acid-jazz, reggae, rap, hip-hop, trip-hop, trance, Madchester, grunge, post-grunge, Britpop, dadrock, techno, hardcore, urban, jungle, drum n' bass, handbag, garage, contemporary UK R&B, glam-metal, thrash-metal, death-metal, black-metal, nu-metal, ragga, bhangra, two-step tanga and the English folk revival-revival. And then, sometime around 2007, he thought ... 'Nah, sorry, that's me done. Can I have some milky cocoa, a pair of slippers and a copy of Mojo now please?'

Yer Keith Telly Topping's Favourite TV Shows Include

In no particular order other than those that occur to me ...

Doctor Who, The West Wing, Qi, Life On Mars, Sherlock, Top Gear, Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Borgen, Lost, Our Friends In The North, The Sweeney, True Detective, Star Trek, The Avengers, The Simpsons, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Planets, Time Team, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Angel, The Prisoner, State of Play, Porridge, The X Files, Rutland Weekend Television, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), Coast, Being Human, House Of Cards, Bones, The Black Adder, The Shield, Millennium (season 2 only), In The Red, 24, Ashes To Ashes, House, Monkey, The Wire, UFO, Mock The Week, [spooks], Waking The Dead, Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons, Drop The Dead Donkey, Ideal, The Rockford Files, Top Of The Pops, Rising Damp, The Blacklist, MasterChef, Department S, Luther, Grandstand, A Man Called Ironside, Lie To Me, Ripping Yarns, Jonathan Creek, Not The Nine O'Clock News, Stargate SG-1, A Bit of Fry & Laurie, I, Claudius, Columbo, The Brothers, Dad's Army, Match Of The Day, Is It Bill Bailey?, The South Bank Show, Inspector Morse, Broadchurch, The Goodies, The Invaders, Coronation Street (up to some point in the mid-80s), The Champions, Foyle's War, The Culture Show, Callan, Soccer AM, Torchwood, When The Boat Comes In, Pushing Daisies, The Morecambe & Wise Show, Sharpe, Touching Evil, Have I Got News For You?, Man In A Suitcase, Arena, Twin Peaks, Secret Army, Hawaii Five-0, Spiral, Between The Lines, Shoot, Harry Hill's TV Burp, Cosmos, The Young Ones, Washes Whiter, Danger UXB, World In Action, The Fall, The Sky At Night, The Shadow Line, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Duchess Of Duke Street, Z Cars, Pandora's Box, Wire In The Blood, Omnibus, The Omega Factor, NCIS, Absolutely, This Week, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Tube, Ace Of Wands, Kojak, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Civilisation, The Ascent Of Man, The World At War, Dave Allen At Large.

... and so on for another fourteen pages.

Comments

Depressing to report the From The North Comments Section which this blogger reopened due to popular(ish) demand has been closed again. This is because of a further - entirely unwanted - deluge of correspondence to this blog from an extremely tiresome online stalker whose behaviour caused its closure in the first place. A rather dispiriting example of the Twenty First Century at its most crummy.

This blog operates a zero tolerance policy towards rude arseholes, racists, homophobes, transphobes, bigots and crass overgrown school bullies. If you want to indulge in any of those sort of things then you can go somewhere else and do it (though it'd be preferable for everyone if you didn't). Be advised, however, that you are not any getting space on my blog to spread your repulsive views.

appreciate what you've got while you've got it

The BBC is, of course, a British institution and national treasure that we should all be proud of. It is also - much more importantly - a World Class broadcaster with a global reputation for journalistic honesty, integrity, balance, innovation, creativity and quality. Ironically, the only places in the world where it *isn't* highly regarded are in knobcheese fascist dictatorships like Iran and China and in its own backyard where shit-scum politicians and pond-lice newspapers with a, sick, agenda use it as their own personal punch-bag. This is WRONG. This blog supports the BBC and believes that it is high time the people of this country - to whom, after all, the BBC *belongs* - stand up for themselves and remind such crass, ignorant bullies that the BBC is BETTER than all of them put together. Even if its Director General is a wretched spineless coward who, seemingly, believes that "impartiality" is letting Tories goosestep all over you and everyone who works for you.