The Brunton Theater, Musselborough
Weds 9th November
Directed By Brett Morgan
Overseen By Tony Visconti
The Prologue
When this film was first released I was wiped with a strange virus, that caused a cascading nose for two weeks. so was grounded, By the time I felt well enough to investigate the only theatres showing the film, were not conducive to my enjoyment. My Angels spoke to me, “Och Divine, be patient the right time will come” So last week I came across a facebook post, a competition for two free tickets for Moonage Daydream at The Brunton. Yeehha, so I entered the competition and emailed Damo at the Mumble to see if I could get a review ticket. Bingo 
The lovely Josaphine at The Brunton replied immediately. Yes Yes Yes, Thankyou Angels
Now, The Brunton Theater is that conducive venue, housed in the lovely tranquil seaside town called Musselborough, Its a place that has always been very kind to me and never fails to bring peace to my heart, away from the maddening crowd of Scotlands Capital Edinburgh. Its a 90 minute walk along the coastline from Lieth. Its also on the 26 and 30 bus routes The 30 goes right outside my home in Niddrie Mill. Right to the door of the Brunton. It couldn’t be easier or more pleasant. Moonage Daydream is on
Anyone that knows me knows that I am a Stardust child. Devoted to the Grandmaster Bowie, he is the whole reason I started wearing makeup in the first place, Ziggy Sradust and the Spiders From Mars had been in my life since I was 4 in 1972. My big Brother John is 12 years older than me and was really into Glam, T Rex, David Bowie and Pink Floyd I grew up to, I shared a room with my Brother John. it was all he played, However, it wasnae until the 80’s that David started speaking to me through his music. Gary Numan was my man when I was a teen, it wasnae until 19 when I fell in love with Diane and David was her number1. I had always had Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and Changes 2. Diane introduced me to the whole of The Grandmasters 70’s cannon and I was hooked. Totally..
It wasnae until the Summer of 89 that I got to see David live and that was with Tin Machine, Bradford Saint Georges Hall. We queued all night for tickets and got them, It was like having Bowie in ones living room. Then in 1990, I had my first David live performance of Bowie performing Bowie in Birmingham at the NEC on the sound And Vision Tour. I was hooked and saw David live on every tour after, I was at Glastonbury in 2000 for possibly the best mainstage performance by anyone ever, before or since. I saw the Grandmaster live 9 times in total, The last time was the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in South Australia on the Reality Tour. Even when The Next Day was released, hmm I thought, David will play this live. I had the money stashed, to get tickets and airfares to where ever that was going to be. If only for the fact that David Bowie live is one of the best things in the Universe.
Alas as we all know. The Grand Master Ascended on the 10th of January 2015. The day after Davids’s masterpiece, Blackstar was released. Did David predict his own ascension with Blackstars predecessor? “The Next Day?” Spooky
I first met Linda when I ventured back from Australia and returned to live in Edinburgh, I was walking in Leith and popped into a shop and there she was. With an instant spark, I said Hmmmm this is a Stardust thing. we have been friends ever since. So after coffee with Linda on Saturday I mentioned that I was going to see Moonage Daydream. Linda hasnae seen it yet either. So its gonna be a first for both of us.
There can be only one David Bowie and only the Grandmaster can do his songs justice. This is why everything needed to be right for my first viewing of Moonage Daydream.
The Film.
After spending some time reading reviews of this work of art. Not all were offering the praise that my Bowie pals, who had already seen it, were gushing its brilliance, so I had some reservations. However, moments in and I was hooked, Maybe because I have missed David so much, It didnae matter that the greater part of the experience I had seen many times before, but not as a cinematic presentation. One of my Pals asked if the film hadn’t been on telly yet? Well the answer to that question is yes, Some of it, Like parts of Cracked Actor, the 1975 Omnibus Telly special, directed and filmed by Alan Yentob, that documented Bowies American tour for Diamond Dogs, when he was at the peak of his coke and alcohol addiction, The Thin White Duke demonstrating the very thin line between Insanity and genius. And of course Ziggy Stardust The Motion Picture had also been on the telly, I taped them both when VHS was still a revelatory invention, I think I wore the tape out because I watched them both so much. Yes, with added extras that were new to my eyes, The very camp Bowie being interviewed by Russel Harty, So so gorgeous, Davids Ziggy stage presence androgynous with lots of horny crotch shots perfectly tantalizing.
Then the move to the creation of the Berlin Trilogy and the Stage Tour filmed at Earls Court again demonstrated the love that the fans had for their Rock N Roll messiah and on to The Serious Moonlight Tour and the mega gigs that David Performed in the early 80s, with a lot of the short film Richochet of Bowie taking Japan and its culture in while performing there. Before moving on to his acclaimed Broadway staring role in the Elephant Man. with very tasteful reminders of the films, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Just A Gigalo. Merry Christmas Mr Lawrennce and a quick blast of Labyrinth.
With snippets of The Glass Spider Tour. Tin Machine was completely omitted from the production, leaping to the backdrop film for the Sound And Vision tour, Reminding me of why Turquoise eyeshadow is my favourite colour. The Outside Tour offering and with very clear memory of why Halo Spaceboy is one of my all-time fave live Bowie Numbers. Climaxing with a snippet of Earthling, Heathen and Hours were also omitted, however backstage shots of The Reality Tour were included. There really is a lot to take in and I have written this in chronological order. But this is not how the film presents, There is no order and not one song is presented in its entirety. Its not a greatest hits, more a celebration of why David Bowie was and is the greatest Rock N Roll Star that ever existed
Blackstar his last offering closes the presentation as a way to help understand that the journey is not over and that we all have to understand that life in the mortal coil that we inhabit is temporary but art is eternal. For Divine this film filled a void that was created when David ascended.
I Loved It. Linda did too.
Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert
Mumble Music 