January 13, 1979 - David Bowie Melody Maker

ETHNIC BOWIE

MM. B 1979

WHILE David Hemmings re-cuts Just A Gigolo, which had an uneasy press showing two months ago, David Bowie is preparing to finish off his next album, which has two tentative titles of "Despite Straight Lines" and "Planned Accidents."

The album, which may be out on RCA in April, is being produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, using again Brian Eno and the musicians Bowie brought to Earl's Court last June (with the exception of keyboards player Roger Powell, who has rejoined Todd Rundgren).

Bowie 'recorded in Switzer- land for three weeks during the autumn, but then had to break off for tours of Australia and Japan. In March, he will resume work in Berlin.

He thinks it contains some of his most intimate lyrics ever, and says that, although he still uses cut-up techniques, he is also going back to narrative. "But more in a very, emotionally driven way rather than from an objective point of view."

The big change, though, seems to be in the variety of ethnic influences on the new music, which include Chinese, Turkish and African. In 1977, he spent some time in Kenya, and has also travelled through Thailand and Cambodia:

"I guess quite a bit of Third World flavour may emerge from it. Africa again Nairobi, Mombasa, some of the bushland experiences. "I think that this is a time for the amalgamation of different methods for creating music, and that also reflects what has been happening the world over. For instance, for the first time ever that I can remember, the entire front page on one day of the New York Herald Tribune was completely covered with news features from the Third World. There was no American or European news on it at all. There could now be juxta- positions of ideas for the future in just about every area, from politics to music."

Bowie says he will continue to work, off and on, with Eno, who is now away in the South Seas writing a thesis on cybernetics. They have talked about doing films together, too "cut-up movies," as he describes them.

About his own film career as an actor, he remains enthusiastic. He wants to act in several more films, including the long-delayed biopic of Egon Schiele, now awaiting a further script rewrite, be- fore directing his own. He's currently discussing a project in South America.

"But, I mean, I've not made any plans for the next couple of years at all, apart from keeping on with my painting. I'm still painting pictures of my favourite area in Berlin, the Turkish area.

"I started to say yes to an exhibition, but then I backed off. I'm still completely frustrated and scared by the idea of exhibiting that publicly. But it's certainly one of my, mo're successful art forms over the last couple of years." MICHAEL WATTS.

DAVID BOWIE (Pic: S.K.R. Photos International)