I might be wrong

So, today is David Bowie's 66th birthday and to celebrate, he's released a new single - and why not?  I am something of a Bowie agnostic.  Apparently, I once tried to chat up a woman at a party by claiming to be a big Bowie fan (as she was) and dropped myself in it, by admitting that I'd never heard TVC15.  I say 'apparently' because I remembered nothing of the conversation after the party and was only told afterwards by a mutual friend (of the woman I was trying to chat up, not David Bowie).

I do, genuinely, own a couple of Bowie's albums, and find some of his work awesome; I also find a lot of it  pretentious untuneful tosh - I might be wrong.  Anyway, I've listened to his new single: I like the wistful chord changes, but I'm not sure about the lyrics; on the whole, it's enjoyable enough, if not exactly earth-shattering (but see my earlier caveat about the 'pretentious untuneful tosh' comment).

The video is the most striking thing.  Bowie appears yoked to a woman said to look like Bjork.  I didn't see the Bjork resemblance: to me, this woman looks like Yoko Ono, particularly in her attachment to a famous musician.  Towards the end, Bowie sings 'so long as there's me', which is followed (in no way predictably) by 'so long as there's you' - the whole thing reminds me of Lennon's 'God', although I might (as previously hinted) be wrong.

I don't know if there's any significance in this; I suspect David Bowie is just having a laugh at our expense - and why not?  Anyway, Mr B, if you're reading this, happy birthday, whatever your intentions.

Update: It seems that I am a bigger Bowie fan than I realised.  I have just taken this quiz on the Guardian's website and scored 9 out of 10.  This, apparently, entitles me to 'bore on' about Bowie.

Stoned

The Stone Roses have been in the news recently. I won't write about my objections to their reunion as others have already done so. Instead, I'd like to relate a little-known story from their early years.

The band have generally been regarded as being chilled-out and amiable, in part because of their song 'One Love'. Few people know, however, that the song's lyrics have their origins in an event that took place before the band were successful.

Singer Ian Brown and guitarist John Squire took a cheap day out in picturesque Cheshire town Marple. While there, they decided to enjoy a treat in a local teashop. Finding themselves strapped for cash, they decided to share one cup of tea. Unfortunately, the waitress misunderstood their order and seeing two people sat at the table took them two cups. Seeing her error, Ian Brown - later to become an exemplar of courtesy - shook his head: "one, love" he said, "we don't need another, love." Squire, so legend has it, whipped out his guitar and a classic was born.