Purple Stardust

Joost van Bellen: Hi Simon! How are you? I'm a little sweaty... it’s hot and I just did a bike ride through a part of the island. But I’m getting into wonderful the laidback vibe here. Are you in London at the moment?

Simon Price: Hello! No, I'm in Brighton, where I live, about two minutes' walk from the beach. It's quite sweaty here too...

JvB: Ah, sorry... I always presume people to be in London! I played in Brighton a few times years ago for Big Beat Boutique, related to Fat Boy Slim. Loved it. 

SP: That's a reasonable assumption. I did live for 20 years in London, and it's only an hour away on the train. A lot of people call Brighton 'London-On-Sea', because so many people from London move down here (especially music and media people like myself), although I'm originally from South Wales. 

JvB: Have you ever been to Vlieland? And if not: did you know this island existed?

SP: I did not know about Vlieland specifically, but I've often looked at that string of islands (the Frisian Islands?) off the coast of Holland and Germany on maps, with a certain fascination: what must those places be like?

JvB: Well… they are extremely pretty and slow paced. Beaches are stunning, too. I'm sooo looking forward to finally meet you and especially during this festival. It's very special. And: it's a huge honour to be dj-ing back2back with you and to do a tribute to Bowie ánd Prince at the same time. I heard you did quite a few tributes to both Bowie and Prince this year?

SP: Yes, that's right. I'm a huge fan of both artists, and 2016 has been absolutely devastating in terms of the deaths of so many great cultural icons. I run two club nights in Brighton: Spellbound (alternative 80s) and Stay Beautiful (glam, punk, trash). When Bowie died, we announced a Stay Beautiful Bowie tribute night, and the reaction was insane: we sold out all the tickets within a few minutes, and had to add a second night, which also sold out. We did the same thing with Prince. (A percentage of the profits went to a transgender charity and an AIDS/HIV charity.) And even though it's tinged with sadness, the events have been hugely celebratory, real parties. And I've also been booked to DJ Prince or Bowie nights at venues in London and around the UK, at music festivals, etc. 

JvB: Did you ever do a tribute to both of them at the same time? 

SP: This will be the first time I've brought them both together, which is gonna be so much fun.

JvB: I find it very interesting but it scares me at the same time... They're both legends who made incredible music, both had a feminine side, both spelled sex and drama, but still they are so different. I have no idea what will happen.

SP: Yes, I definitely see major similarities between Prince and Bowie. I think you and I are from slightly different generations, and I'm deeply envious of anyone who experienced Bowie's golden years in 'real' time rather than in retrospect. (Were you a fan in the Seventies?) Bowie is the most influential artist of all time, and we are all Bowie's children or grandchildren: if he didn't directly change our lives, then he changed the lives of the people who did (in my case, that would be the 80s generation like Boy George, Adam Ant, Gary Numan, Human League, Marc Almond, Dexys etc). And to me, Prince is simply the greatest musical genius of the modern era, to the extent that I almost detect something supernatural and superhuman in his abilities and talents (which is an odd thing for an atheist to say, I know). And I experienced it in 'real time', so in that sense, I often say that Prince is 'my Bowie'.

JvB: Yes, all true. Actually: Aladdin Sane was the first album I ever bought. Just seeing the cover made me realize it was okay to be different and special. And the music... Wow. I also went to the Station To Station tour in 1976, when I was 14. I still remember seeing Louis Buñuel's “Un Chien Andalou” as the support act: a surreal movie instead of a band. I’ll never forget that night.
 

Prince was a funk artist who made rock records, and Bowie was a rock artist who made funk records

SP: You are so lucky! The first Bowie tour I saw was the Glass Spider at Wembley Stadium, when I was about 19, and I'm sorry but it was awful. It nearly put me off Bowie for life, haha. (But I saw him several times after that, playing much much better shows, so his reputation was restored...) I think what you said about Aladdin Sane, and Bowie making you feel that it's OK to be different, is so important. In my own adolescence, Boy George and Morrissey (among others) fulfilled that role. Both of them big Bowie fans themselves, of course. That's the transformative power of pop, at its best.

JvB: We already chatted a bit about the music we will play, and it was great to find out you had a same idea: play “Life On Mars” and “Purple Rain” after each other... That will be goose bumps galore! Still have no idea how to combine all the glam rock stuff with the purple funkiness, but that's the big challenge for us, right? Or do see other specific musical differences that could be hard to combine?

SP: Hah, we should be careful not to give away spoilers! But yes, those two anthemic songs always seem to be very emotional finales to the evening. Prince was a funk artist who made rock records, and Bowie was a rock artist who made funk records, so there are definite points of crossover. Some of the transitions might be smooth, some of them might be stark and abrupt, but that's all part of the fun!

JvB: So... Who's going to play the very first track? Shall we toss a coin? And what will be your first track if you are opening? Mine would be “Station To Station”... Because of the slow and monumental first part which changes into a party... But maybe I’m wrong?!

SP: Hah, maybe we should flip a Euro, as a direct insult to my idiot countrymen and women who voted for Brexit. At my previous Bowie nights I've started with a few seconds of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Strauss then into "Space Oddity", so I might try that. Or if it's Prince, "Sometimes It Snows In April" segued into one of the big uptempo tunes. It's gonna be late in the evening so people will be ready to sing and dance, and we only have three hours to squeeze in all the hits!

We'll toss a Euro.
A British one.

JvB: Okay: deal! We'll toss a Euro. A British one.

SP: Hah, if only a British Euro existed... I have a question: were Bowie and Prince as popular, and iconic, and important, in the Netherlands as they were in the UK and the US? It's going to be fascinating to see if the same songs are popular with Dutch crowds as with British ones.

JvB: Yes. Though there are many more UK and US artists who are inspired by the two...

SP: It's going to be fascinating to see if the same songs are popular with Dutch crowds as with British ones.

JvB: Well... I saw your most favourite list with songs we should play, and I had nothing to add. All right on target.

SP: In some ways, the playlist writes itself. Although, one thing I found interesting is that it's OK to play SLOW songs by Bowie, because people put their arms around each other and sing every word. Whereas Prince's ballads tend to be more private and solitary, so I leave them out and stick to the dance tunes.

JvB: I totally agree. Thanks for your time, Simon. Looking forward to Thursday evening. Let's try to make it the very best duo-tribute ever!! Bon voyage, and make sure to wear something a little warm when taking the boat. The views from the upstairs deck will be amazing at the time you are travelling.

SP: Thank you, Joost, and thank you in advance to everyone who's coming along! (And don't feel that you have to pick a side, Bowie or Prince - it's OK to love them both!) See you on the dance floor.