Just what is David Bowie doing on the "Heroes" LP cover?

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I think he's playing an over exuberant game of pat your head and rub your stomach.

― dmun, Thursday, 6 January 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

You mean other than looking like an arsehole?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 12:53 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.waiting4louise.de/cover/Cover-Bowie-Heroes.jpg
"... look at your friend, he'll be surprised.."

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:16 (twenty years ago)

4K image? No good? Blimmi.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:17 (twenty years ago)

Wasn't he just ripping off Iggy (as usual) - you know, Iggy's look-at-me-I'm-an-arty-weirdo-in-black-and-white pose on the cover of "The Idiot"?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

http://www.waiting4louise.de/cover/Cover-Bowie-Heroes.jpg

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

Quite obviously he is striking a pose, something that he chose to do because there is nothing to it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:21 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000000WH7.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:23 (twenty years ago)

You know Bowie had his photo aribrushed to make him look more gaunt?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)

bowie's putting the finishing touches to his quiff, isn't he? and wiping the hair wax from his right hand onto his shirt.

iggy, meanwhile, is merely inventing ian curtis.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:26 (twenty years ago)

Meanwhile Lou is putting the finishing touches on his make up before auditioning for the part of Frankenstein's monster on Broadway.

ihttp://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004T1HA.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

"Last call for Mr. Reed!"

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:29 (twenty years ago)

... and again

ihttp://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004T1HA.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:31 (twenty years ago)

Fuck it, you get the general idea

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:32 (twenty years ago)

Marcel Marceau to thread.

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:40 (twenty years ago)

It looks like '70s decadance to me. He's just spent 200 quid on getting his quiff done by some posh hairdresser and he's going "look, I'm David Bowie, I'm rich, I can do what I want and what I'm gonna do is just smack this fucker so it's crap, after all the work you've done".

― KeithW (kmw), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)

They're both based on some German Expressionist picture (or artist's works). Can't remember who.

But they both went all teutonic at that time.

― Ted, Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:53 (twenty years ago)

Egon Schiele perhap?

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

I think you hit the nagel on the kopf there

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:58 (twenty years ago)

nah its erich heckel

http://www.etciu.org/ARTNEWS/OTT2002/1ottobre2002/Artnews16.jpg

― Owen Hatherley (owen), Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

http://www.etciu.org/ARTNEWS/OTT2002/1ottobre2002/Artnews16.jpg

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

Arrgh - Nick Cave's body, but Blixa's face!

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

Apparently Bowie frequently visited the Brücke museum in Berlin where a few of the paintings inspired the artwork for the albums

Gramatte's self-portrait --> "Heroes"
http://64.202.182.52/bowie/heroes/pictures/cover.jpg
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00001OH7V.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Heckel's Roquairol --> The Idiot (as owen already pointed out)
http://64.202.182.52/bowie/heroes/pictures/idiot.jpg http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000000WH7.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― willem (willem), Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)

That's the one

― Ted, Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:21 (twenty years ago)

I always heard it was Egon Schiele.

― RS LaRue (rockist_scientist), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:01 (twenty years ago)

the answer is in the name, dude.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/kenjuggle/heroesgray.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/kenjuggle/vogue.jpg

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:02 (twenty years ago)

Bloody hell; another Donner Ken?

― KeithW (kmw), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:08 (twenty years ago)

was it originally called Giros?

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:09 (twenty years ago)

Now I'm hungry.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/birdnestsoup/schiele.jpg

G'day, Schiele.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

"Self Portrait of the Artist Wiping Dandruff From the Shoulders of Cardigan". Nice lumberjack shirt too.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:15 (twenty years ago)

I always figured he was doing the Robot...

― Mike West, Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:16 (twenty years ago)

x-post
i've just got that joke, and now realise i've always pronounced 'schiele' wrong. damn you

― Owen Hatherley (owen), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:16 (twenty years ago)

I always figured he was doing the Robot...

Yeah, no kidding. Jesus, I thought it was obvious.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Thursday, 6 January 2005 18:26 (twenty years ago)

thought he was just uncovering his eye, due to the weird dilation.

― Beta (abeta), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:27 (twenty years ago)

http://www.chennaibest.com/cityresources/Entertainment/img/tkvadivelu.jpg

"There! See the doggie? Woof woof woof! Now who wants to see a bunny rabbit?"

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:49 (twenty years ago)

He's practicing his defense shield against over-exuberant fans who throw lollipops at his eyeball?

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

In the 1930s, Photoshop was made of wood, string and spit.

― .adam (nordicskilla), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:59 (twenty years ago)

Isn't Iggy trying to pioneer a Lynndie?

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 6 January 2005 22:37 (twenty years ago)

i think he's doing the "read between the lines, asshole" thing with his left hand, while striking an ironically obseqious pose with his right arm/hand.

that or he's auditioning for that kylie video. i dunno.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 7 January 2005 00:22 (twenty years ago)

Kung Fu.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 7 January 2005 00:24 (twenty years ago)

That's not Kung Fu. I know Kung Fu.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 7 January 2005 00:26 (twenty years ago)

gang signs..

― reo, Friday, 7 January 2005 00:47 (twenty years ago)

He's saying "Moi? ... Whatever!"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 7 January 2005 00:53 (twenty years ago)

He's having fun!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 7 January 2005 01:02 (twenty years ago)

"ripping" off Iggy

― Riot Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 7 January 2005 01:06 (twenty years ago)

It's 8PM on Jan 6 here in NJ (Dave the Spazz is doing an Elvis special) but the posts say Jan 7? International date line? (my first time here)

David Bowie holds his hand at a funny angle because he is an alien. From space!

Iggy must swing his arms to maintain equilibrium because he is so very drunk. That is why he is the passenger, cuz he would never drive drunk, right kids?

SkooliDescartres

― HyenaSparerib, Friday, 7 January 2005 01:13 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

PART II

Just What Is Dripping From David Bowie's Clavicle On The "Aladdin Sane" LP Cover?

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd600/d644/d6442817d50.jpg

― m0stly clean (m0stly clean), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

HAHA, great question.. but better for another peripheral thread me thinks.

To get back to the top part.. I'm sure Klaus Nomi had SOMETHING to do with all of this re: both Bowie *and* Iggy.

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:39 (twenty years ago)

I wouldn't go that far, Mr. Donut -- the cover was shot in mid-1977, when Klaus wasn't known by anyone except his friends! (Similarly with Ig.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:41 (twenty years ago)

hair gel, obv

― The Sensational Sulk (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:41 (twenty years ago)

Answer to the original question: thinking he could've had a V8, but he went to Berlin and had a V2 instead?

― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:43 (twenty years ago)

Ken wins.

Ned, didn't Klaus join Bowie on stage on SNL in 1976? Or was that a different year? The movie didn't delineate the time code as strictly as I wanted to (which is fine and healthy, as I'm a bit OCD about the year thing, anyway).. I know that Klaus ditch his NYC entourage circa 1979 and went the way of RCA Europe around then.

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:45 (twenty years ago)

Julian Cope doing weird hand motions on the cover of "Head On"
also, another theory....
http://www.linkclub.or.jp/~maakun/ultraman/Ultraman.JPG

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Thursday, 19 May 2005 05:39 (twenty years ago)

Ned, didn't Klaus join Bowie on stage on SNL in 1976? Or was that a different year?

1979.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 19 May 2005 06:01 (twenty years ago)

i suspect that part of the answer wr2 "heroes" also has to do w/ mr. bowie's past-life as a mime.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 19 May 2005 06:01 (twenty years ago)

there's something about bowie ?
http://www.cameron-diaz.com/scripts/viewfull.asp?img=about321.jpg

― dameron ciaz, Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:12 (twenty years ago)

this is so march 2005:

http://www.hipinion.com/users/nkozyra/images2005/schiavo/schiavo_low.jpg

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:17 (twenty years ago)

she was a hero, of sorts

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 19 May 2005 16:49 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006WL0V.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― angelo flores (flores), Thursday, 19 May 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

fuck that guy.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Thursday, 19 May 2005 23:03 (twenty years ago)

Dude. That's a girl, dude.

― Jimmy Mod, Sultan of Sexxitime (ModJ), Friday, 20 May 2005 01:55 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

my friends had a bowie themed party where everyone was supposed to dress as their favorite period bowie and i was just gonna walk with my hands like the cover of "Heroes"

― jaxon, Monday, 2 June 2008 04:17 (seventeen years ago)

tape your nose over to one side for instant 'lodger' lols

― haitch, Monday, 2 June 2008 04:25 (seventeen years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006WL0V.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
tombot?

― and what, Monday, 2 June 2008 04:30 (seventeen years ago)

oh those are fighting words

― Mackro Mackro, Monday, 2 June 2008 05:09 (seventeen years ago)

or fighting pic captions

― Mackro Mackro, Monday, 2 June 2008 05:10 (seventeen years ago)

Looks like he's reaching deep down within his soul to call up a Pavarottian high-C belch.

And what came out landed on Aladdin Sane's collarbone.

― Hideous Lump, Tuesday, 3 June 2008 02:22 (seventeen years ago)

this thread has inspired me to listen to that cex album.

― Creeztophair, Tuesday, 3 June 2008 02:48 (seventeen years ago)

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