Entertainment Weekly - You're saying this film will change the world forever?
Bowie - It's a dangerous film. At the test screenings last week 17 people died from shock. They actually passed away because the film they were watching was so spectacular.
Entertainment Weekly - I find that hard to believe.
Bowie - Get out of my office.
The title track, written and performed by Bowie, produced by Bowie, Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, was by stunning coincidence also titled 'Absolute Beginners'. It was released as a single in March and proved popular, making Number 1 in the British charts. Eddie and Patsy became very excited. [Sysiyo comments: "It topped at number 2 in the British charts. It should have gone to no.1."]
The film was premiered in April, along with the soundtrack through Virgin which contained three Bowie tracks, the title track, 'That's Motivation' and 'Volare'. There was much hoopla, trumpets, fireworks and silly-string. The film crawled from the primordial sea of Hollywood, flopped around for a bit, and then expired.
Movie Magazine - Extrodinary. Spectacular. Amazing. These are words I'd use to describe it if it hadn't of been so average.
Anal Moviegoer Weekly - What possible use could such a giant typewriter have? It would take you three weeks to write a letter on that thing.
Film and Movie - Ahhh, ummm, it was...I liked that bit...you know, the bit where he twirled the thing...but....
David moved right along to Labyrinth. Letting Eddie and Patsy get on with picking up the pieces. In June EMI America put out the 'Labyrinth' soundtrack. It tried desperately to get back in, crying out 'I'm not ready yet!', but EMI were having none of that.
Play School Music Review - Chilly Down made my four year old son cry.
'Underground', from the soundtrack album was released as a single. It was Bowie's 46th single, and he was happy since when he got to release 50 it would sound very impressive. 'Underground' was where most of the singles ended up.
Labyrinth was by no means a big hit when it was released to theatre screens world wide. But it would prove to be a Bowie conduit for horny teenage girls in years to come. Despite the anti-erotic nature of muppets, Bowie would portray his Muppet-King as handsome and mysterious, with a huge package.
The film details the plight of Sarah, played by Jennifer Connely, as she tries to solve the Muppet King's labyrinth and save her baby brother from a fate that may or may not be frighteningly perverse. She is aided by a bunch of muppets, because a movie just can't have too many muppets.
Premiere - Woah! What a package!
Movie Magazine - 10 inches!
In October Virgin released another Bowie song fronting yet another film. 'When The Wind Blows', a film about an old Prussian town who's inhabitants all get a terrible case of gas at the same time, saw Bowie release the title track to the soundtrack. It was, unsurprisingly, called 'When The Wind Blows'.
New Musical Express - Blows.