Jazzin' for Blue Jean

In the mid 1980s, thanks mainly to Michael Jackson, seemingly everyone and their codfish was making overlong promo videos with stories on either side of the song.

David Bowie only made one of these - but it's far better than most. The story is that Bowie's character, Vic, manages to impress a girl enough with his false tales of being friends with rock star Screaming Lord Byron, and for some reason says he has tickets for his gig that week - the hottest gig in town!

Bowie manages to get her a ticket, but not himself, and the opening part of the video sees his ridiculous attempts to get past security while Byron (also Bowie) prepares for the gig by doping himself up and moping about in a stereotypical rockstar manner.

Post performance of 'Blue Jean' from Byron, Bowie and his date meet the star... with disasterous consequences, and a funny exchange between Bowie and the director about what 'should' happen...

A classic video, and now easy to own thanks to the 'Best Of Bowie' dvd... as long as you can work out how to find it (hidden easteregg) that is...

This is an interesting little video, but I'll be honest, it's not really MTV material, not on the level of what Michael Jackson was doing at the time. Still, it is entertaining for Bowie fans, and a funny little piece of Cinema. Bowie plays two parts, Screamin' Lord Byron, and someone trying to get into his concert. The music video itself really is the highlight of the whole thing, it's like Bowie's acting ability goes up 10 fold when he is singing. Sadly, when he isn't singing, his acting seems to suffer a bit in this piece. Like I said, this is a funny little piece of cinema, and great for collectors.

I love the song and the musical part of this video, but the dramatic parts of it are a bit blah, but then of course, David Bowie is not known for his acting!! But see this only for the GREAT song, not for the acting.

Sometimes, people just totally miss the point. David Bowie 'not known for his acting'. Harsh dude, his whole life is pure drama but, forget that, check out Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence..... I rest my case.

First and foremost, this is a pop video. This is a medium to deliver a new song to an audience. During this era, a few artists with bottomless bank accounts (Michael Jackson) fancied trying their luck in the movies. Fortunately, people like Julien Temple were there to help them and so started the 'Video Short', a mini movie containing a pop video.

So, here we have an attempt at the most simple story. Boy meets Girl, Boy wants to impress Girl, Boy gets in all sorts of trouble.... Since David Bowie is not known for his acting we need a strong supporting cast to carry him.

Dream Girl, Louise Scott, she says nothing, does nothing and goes on to do a lot more nothing. The Bouncer, nope. Ah, the pop star, eh.... that's David Bowie again, he's playing two roles with no real supporting cast AND he does a sterling job. Some marvellous 'off the cuff' ad lib. I find it hard to believe it was scripted as it's far too natural, and his character is so likable, straight out of Only Fools & Horses.

OK, context folks, this is a tongue in cheek extended pop video with a superb performance by David Bowie. A 20 minute advert for Blue Jean and very enjoyable it is. I saw it premier on TV and I just watched it again on YouTube. It's OK, fun and mildly entertaining and, YES, it has a jolly good pop song at 13:32.... Enjoy, just don't expect Gone With The Wind or Citizen Kane. ;-)

If you want to see a closer glimpse of who David Bowie really is, this is the short for you. And the secret of what Bowie's music is all about and what a genius he really is is found here.

Throughout history, we have seen David Bowie as this stud beyond all studs. From his pre-Ziggy days through The Thin White Duke and into the present, David Bowie has presented himself as THE Glamorous Rock Star without which there could be no rock stardom. And while that role has changed constantly with the times, there is no doubt that Bowie has changed with it. But if you watch closely, you will see that this "Rock Star" was always played with a wink and a smile; for underneath the visage of David Bowie the Rock Star is David Bowie (or really David Jones) the ordinary guy creating extraordinary music and theatre. And while he has been seen as a complete doppelganger without a true personality compass, the reality is that he is one of the modern world's truly great actors and has been but playing a role for us to take in with awe.

And to see this movie short is to understand this. This movie finally has Bowie drop the rock star visage to reveal a much closer glimpse of who he really is. Certainly he is playing a role, and this role should not be mistaken for the "real" David Bowie. But equally certain is that this role is the closest we have seen him to his real self. In essence, this film shows Bowie mocking the rock star image to the hilt while simulataneiously teaching us how our perceived gods can be mortal. And just as the boobish Vic is in reality the godly Screaming Lord Byron, the Glamorous Rock Star is but an Englishman with an overactive imagination.

To not realize Bowie's normalness and mediocrity is to not realize his genius and extraordinary talent. A god is born a god and should be faulted for acting short of that. But a human that acts like a god should be praised for performing the impossible. And David Bowie has performed the impossible for several decades. To fault this mortal's later works as being unnecessary and embarrassing is to not understand how his earlier works were beyond comprehension and expectation.

And oh yeah, it's a very funny movie for those with a sense of humor. It's a tad on the dry side, but if you don't find this movie to be funny then you should just be embarrassed. Remember, life should be played with the wink and the smile. You only get to do this once, so make the most of it while you've got the chance.