Mega64 Record Club Ep. 64 - David Bowie - Scary Monsters(#443).mp3
Added 2024-05-30 13:00:11 +0000 UTC
Oh hi friends! Today we are once again talking about David Bowie, but this time it's about his 14th album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). There are a bunch of connections to past records we have covered with this one, so let's see if we can find them all.
It's funny that this album popped up, because a few weeks ago on the podcast, they talked about SNL, and specifically artists playing songs that weren't planned to be played and the artist getting banned from SNL- I can't find an original source, so it could be ancient internet bullshit (earliest source I find is from 2000), but Bowie was apparently briefly banned from SNL in the 90s for singing the song "Scary Monsters" as opposed to a different song from his 90s album "Earthling."
He did it specifically to antagonize Lorne Michaels, who was mad at him for last minute dropping out of a sketch. Michaels previously admitted to Bowie about how much coke he used to do while listening to the album, and how he paired the album with coke a lot (apparently sometimes off of the cover's sleeve) during the darkest period of his life.
Sorry for the wall of text. This album is a top 10 Bowie album, but to me, not a top 5 just cuz it falls in the trap of the A side completely dominating the B side too much that his greatest albums aren't a victim of.
Beltz Roth
2024-06-06 07:12:00 +0000 UTC
I cannot stand for this fallout boy slander!!! Lmao anyways the Bowie album was decent. Nothing blew me away about it but I love the Bowie sound so I enjoyed this. 3/5 for me
Paul LoBue
2024-06-02 19:00:13 +0000 UTC
Few things in this show have been more entertaining than Shawn mocking the Fallout Boy song. I don't even dislike the song but it was just a really amusing response
MikeOShay
2024-06-01 19:30:13 +0000 UTC
I get that Can wasn't Shawn's cup of tea, but giving this a 4 so easily and not even giving Can a 1 is pretty egregious. I liked this Bowie record. Fashion wasn't a favourite of mine, but Ashes to Ashes is pretty good. The opener and closer I liked as well. Overall a 3.5. I listened to the song for next week and I gotta say already, fuck that song. Edit: I should hate Sugar We're Going Down, but honestly I low key love it.
Tyler Lajevardi
2024-05-31 18:18:08 +0000 UTC
As someone who was 14 when that Fall Out Boy song released, I loved it and that whole album. I didnβt enjoy any of their other albums, but that one was great.
Thomas Hasse
2024-05-31 13:12:33 +0000 UTC
This was my first Bowie record, picked up at a thrift store in the period of the 2000s when Boomers and Gen-X were throwing out their old collections. There was always new stuff to pick through, we didnβt know how good we had it. Sadly those days are long gone π’
This is certainly not his best record, but itβs not bad either. I have a fondness for it, but i think itβs genuinely worthwhile. There are some really great songs, and a few skippable ones, but it overall was probably the last truly strong album of the β70s-β80s period of his career.
Donut
2024-05-31 08:17:44 +0000 UTC
More Bowie!
Sam
2024-05-30 18:52:11 +0000 UTC
I felt like we kept pulling albums I've already heard, so I went through the list and counted how many I've listened to. Around 300/500 it turns out. lol
Aaron Mood
2024-05-30 18:20:32 +0000 UTC
I'm glad you really enjoyed this album. It's really hard choosing a favorite Bowie album, but I think this might be the one for me. I love new wave and post-punk and Bowie's take on it is awesome! I love that Robert Fripp is back on guitar all over this album and on some of my favorite songs like Teenage Wildlife and Kingdom Come. Teenage Wildlife is definitely a little long, but I really enjoy all the details and changes throughout. I didn't know Kingdom Come was a Tom Verlaine song. That was cool to find out as well as the Gary Numan beef lol I can totally hear it in Fashion now. I think you're right about the beep beep parts in the song. Up the Hill Backwards is a great song and I'm glad to see it get some appreciation. Much love Shawn and Record Club! Hope you enjoy the next Who album more than the last one
DoflamingoSnailPhone
2024-05-30 17:13:54 +0000 UTC
Roccoβs distant cackle always gets me π
Ross Wood
2024-05-30 14:49:16 +0000 UTC
lmao why is Rolling Stone quoting the Ramones in the blurb? I mean, I understand the reference but itβs pretty goofy - I donβt think they mention Bowie in the song???
Anyway, Scary Monsters ruled. (I love when Bowie sings in that deeper voice.) I was pleasantly surprised to realize this was one of the Visconti-produced records, his work with T. Rex is incredible and if you get along with pre-80s Bowie I bet youβd enjoy their glam records too.
My favorite songs were Teenage Wildlife and Scream Like a Baby. I liked the slower vibe to TW and it reminded me of Ian Hunterβs stuff - which makes sense since theyβre all connected. Thereβs a neat earlier version of SLaB called I am a Lazer sung by one of Bowieβs collaboratorβs during that time. I recommend listening to that! Totally different.
Mary and Steve
2024-05-30 14:00:22 +0000 UTC
πΏπΏπΏπΏπΏ/π one of my favorite albums ever. Easy 5 pieces of vinyl.
I got super into David Bowie in July of 2018 and decided to listen to his entire discography, since then I've always felt like this was *my album* for whatever reason.
I had never heard of it before then and still don't see that many people rank it as their top Bowie record, but it's never even been a question for me.
@GarrettVacation πͺππ©Έ
2024-05-30 13:55:19 +0000 UTC
Fall Out Boy fans are gonna be coming for Shawn. I totally agree with him, screw that stupid song
Nezumi
2024-05-30 13:50:30 +0000 UTC