Dogs In Space is a 1987 Australian film that re-creates the Melbourne 1978 David Bowie ticket queue.

Noted for the lead actor Michael Hutchence (as Sam Sejavka), the film depicts a ragtag collection of outcasts who survive on a diet of old TV space films, drugs, Iggy Pop, Nick Cave......and David Bowie.



As we await the long overdue DVD release, check out this fantastic opening sequence on youtube.





Bowie Downunder

This can't be real.

But sometimes I feel more fulfilled
Writing senseless posts with the mentally ill

I wouldn't have thought so either ... but I know people that apparently lived in that queue for a period of 1 month total (1 week for tickets then a further 3 weeks to get into the concert).

In the process, friendships were formed, substances shared and rubbish bins burnt for warmth. It was picked up by the local press and by the morning of the ticket sale, there were apparently thousands in line.

Bowie Downunder

Holy shit, it just struck me that David Bowie is the gay equivalent of Star Trek. Who knew?

Non importa quanto si aspetta,ma chi si aspetta.

Seems there's a whole cultural world down under that we up north should probably remain unaware of.

But sometimes I feel more fulfilled
Writing senseless posts with the mentally ill

Have you seen the whole film Adam? How Bowie related is it?

Adam, have you only just seen Dogs In Space recently for the first time? It was supposed to be shown at the Rooftop Cinema last January and Sam was actually going to come and see it with us (thanks to Bruce) but the screening got canned at the very last minute for undisclosed reasons. Shame, I'd have loved to see it on the big screen again.

my face is finished, my body's gone and i can't help but think,
standin' up here in all this applause and gazin' down at all the young and the beautiful with their questioning eyes,
that i must above all things love myself

Sam's diaries from the era when the movie is set are blogged online now. Guess what, Sam is a Bowie fan too Sails of Oblivion

my face is finished, my body's gone and i can't help but think,
standin' up here in all this applause and gazin' down at all the young and the beautiful with their questioning eyes,
that i must above all things love myself

For some reason I can't edit my posts...

excerpt:

I turned up at the Birthday Party’s film clip shoot at the Hawthorn Tip. There were fires burning in a pit bordered by a murky lake, which in turn was bordered by a great sandstone cliff. Bubbles of methane spurted from the surface of the lake, gallows and crucifixes were set up on mounds. I watched for hours until finally – on heroin and booze – I decided I wanted to swim in the lake. I stripped and Troy covered me in body paint. I made my way out to a bathtub, in which they filmed me, as I danced…

The whole thing seemed like a cheap version of Ashes to Ashes.

I wonder if Sam's going to All Tomorrow's Parties?

my face is finished, my body's gone and i can't help but think,
standin' up here in all this applause and gazin' down at all the young and the beautiful with their questioning eyes,
that i must above all things love myself

I am holding off seeing it until the remastered DVD edition appears or indeed - a screening at the Roof Top or similar. I met Sam at the Scott Walker doco.

Bowie Downunder

Ollie and Sam have had that in progress for years now, don't hold your breath

my face is finished, my body's gone and i can't help but think,
standin' up here in all this applause and gazin' down at all the young and the beautiful with their questioning eyes,
that i must above all things love myself

It's a fantastic film, with a fantastic soundtrack. Hutchence's 'Rooms For The Memory' was one of the greatest things he put his name to. Shame it's been relegated to relative obscurity.

I picked up a DVD version of this earlier in the year at Dirt Cheap in the City Arcade; I was told it was "a very dark print", which basically meant it was taken from a VHS version (at one point the tracking of the tape goes for about two-three seconds - this comes up on the DVD!). It's not the crystal clarity we've come to expect, though it's still very watchable.

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Ollie and Sam have had that in progress for years now, don't hold your breath

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Are they doing it with or without Lowenstein? (Director)

It's a shame they didn't get it done last year, for the film's 20th anniversary and all (and 10th anniversary of Michael's death). Interestingly, the film became easily and readily available on VHS immediately after Michael died. I would suggest it was re-released to cash in on his death, but I suppose it does mean that the original print is still around and in pretty good nick.

I used to be with it, but then they changed what "it" was. Now, what I'm with isn't it, and what's "it" seems weird and scary to me.

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Are they doing it with or without Lowenstein? (Director)

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Adam, can you ask Bruce about this when you see him next week?

my face is finished, my body's gone and i can't help but think,
standin' up here in all this applause and gazin' down at all the young and the beautiful with their questioning eyes,
that i must above all things love myself

Definitely will include Lowenstein. Bruce posted this on imdb in April 2006:

DVD will be fully remastered, so much better than UK region 0 disc. It will contain an interview with Michael conducted at the time by Sam Sejavka (the character Michael plays), a recent questions and answers session which included Richard, Ollie Olsen and I believe Karen Ansel. We may also get a commentry by Richard, out-takes and Richards clips for The Ears (the real Dogs In Space band). The soundtrack, however, will probably never be released on CD due to ownership and licensing problems.

Bowie Downunder

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Seems there's a whole cultural world down under that we up north should probably remain unaware of.

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Just thought I'd bump this for the benefit of Diamond Frog who is staying about 500m from the holy grail - the MCG where the 78 Bowie Q festered for a month back in 1978

my face is finished, my body's gone and i can't help but think,
standin' up here in all this applause and gazin' down at all the young and the beautiful with their questioning eyes,
that i must above all things love myself