Space Oddity
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Chris Hadfield's zero-gravity cover of 'Space Oddity' returns to YouTube
When Chris Hadfield left the International Space Station, he performed a cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity for the world to enjoy. Unfortunately, the Canadian Space Agency only had a license to distribute the track for a year, and after that it had to be pulled from YouTube. Thankfully, all the parties concerned have been working together to un-knot the various legal issues concerning performance rights in the upper atmosphere. Now, the astronaut has taken to his blog to announce that the video has been given a two-year extension and can now be watched once again - unless, of course, you just ripped it the first time it was up, in which case you probably didn't notice that it was gone.
Star Fox sings 'Space Oddity' in 3D, puppet-style
If you fondly recall long nights barrel-rolling across the galaxy with Fox and his crew on your N64, this video is for you. If you've ever listened to David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in the angsty privacy of your room, this video is for you. If you ever saw a puppet show at one of your local libraries, this video is for you. If you've never done any of those things, your childhood must have sucked. Geek-gag geniuses brentalfloss and Underbelly threw together a stellar Star Fox-remake of Bowie's "Space Oddity" using hand puppets, paper spaceships and what appears to be a small amount of Fox porn. We think they nailed the entire video in these five words: "Hey Falco, you're a douche," but we could just be projecting.
WoW Moviewatch: A Moonkin Space Oddity
We've talked about the sublime, unknowable joy of the Moonkin in previous Moviewatch installments. There's something wonderful and subtle about these creatures. A sort of oddness that sets them apart from your average creature. That's why it seems to be a particularly beautiful inspiration to couple Moonkin with David Bowie in BeeblesTV's A Moonkin Space Oddity. The video is straightforward and wonderful. The story is about a Moonkin who longs to return to his home. He embarks in a short, earnest quest to put together a rocket, and then shoots off into the sky. The video might feel like it runs a little long, but I promise the final bits make the journey worth your time. The filming isn't fancy or complex; instead, Beebles has focused in on his simple narrative. He lets the elements of his art do the heavy lifting. Like I said, putting Moonkin and David Bowie seems like a natural thing. Beebles gets a tip o' the hat for thinking of this coupling. And, really, it's hard to go wrong with Moonkin. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
Remix David Bowie's "Space Oddity" on your iPhone
I'm a big David Bowie fan, regardless of the era. From Ziggy Stardust to Tin Machine, I'm a just a fan. Bowie's first big UK hit, "Space Oddity," was originally released on July 11, 1969. It was released in conjunction with the Apollo 11 mission and became a smash in the UK, though it wouldn't break through to US audiences until 1973. Coinciding with yesterday's Apollo 11 anniversary iKlax Media and EMI have come together to release Remix David Bowie - Space Oddity [iTunes link] for the iPhone and iPod touch. Essentially Remix David Bowie is the Space Oddity 40th Anniversary EP [iTunes link], but it lets you create your own "mix" of the track. iKlax's Remix app has a pretty neat interface that separates the original track into various stem-specific elements. You can control the volume for each of these stems (for things like the lead vocal, the vocal dub, the electric string guitar, orchestra, mellotron and others). In addition to letting you control what elements you want to adjust, you can also listen to some of the pre-arranged samples, like "acoustic," "a cappella" and "instrument only." This actually coincides with the versions and stems on the Digital EP release that is available as a music download. You can make track adjustments on the fly, but you can't alternate levels in various parts of the track. That would be expecting a bit much from a $1.99 app, but I thought I should point it out. After you create your custom mix, you can name it and save it. Unfortunately, you can't share that mix with others, which I imagine is a licensing issue, but it's too bad. Sharing custom remixes, even if it was through a web player, would be really cool. At $1.99US, Remix David Bowie is a pretty fun app for the would-be DJ/Bowie-fan. %Gallery-68450%
