• Casting David Bowie in Musical Adaptations: Labyrinth, The Last Temptation and More

    David Bowie has been working on a musical adaptation of the 1976 film The Man Who Fell to Earth for some time now, and today fans were greeted with the news that the title character Lazarus would be portrayed by Michael C. Hall of Dexter fame when the off-Broadway theater production begins its run later this year. Unfortunately, alas, Bowie himself won't play a role in the actual stage portion of the production, although he will work with Tony-winning writer Enda Walsh (Once) to write original songs and arrangements for the performance. Hall is a solid choice for the role of an alien who comes to Earth, seeking water for his famished planet, only to be turned to the temptations of drugs and sex. If you've watched him in Dexter, you know how much emotion he can bring to a character that struggles with expressing emotions. Hall has a decent block of Broadway work as well however, including stints in Hedwig and The Angry Inch, Chicago and Cabaret. It got us thinking…if we were to create musical versions of other Bowie films, who would we put in the Thin White Duke's shoes? Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) Certainly one of Bowie's more challenging and underrated roles in film, the performer's turn as Major Jack "Strafer" Celliers during Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence demands an actor that can sincerely portray the sexually ambiguous nature of Bowie's character, along with all of the other traumatic occurrences that take place during a film set in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. Celliers serves as a foil, perhaps even a romantic one, to the character of Captain Yonoi (played by Ryuichi Sakamoto), but there is no hope to be had. One man is executed before the war is over and the other is executed after the war has concluded. We recommend Andrew Garfield for a potentially breakout role…he was Tony-nominated for his role in Death of A Salesman during 2012…does he have the voice to make a musical out of Merry Christmas? Labyrinth (1986) If any of the films suggested in this list have the potential to hit Broadway, Labyrinth is probably at the top. Although a commercial failure upon release, children of that generation and later have formed a cult audience around what is probably Bowie's best-known film appearance. Also consider the fantasy realm in which the film takes place and the current pro-puppet attitude on Broadway (Avenue Q, Warhorse) and this Henson Studios is just begging for a rebirth. Bowie of course plays Jareth, the goblin king, and we're going to play the Neil Patrick Harris card here. Sure, it seems like a obvious notion, casting NPH in a prominent role in a musical, but think about it: for all of wacky musical numbers he's done on awards shows, rarely have we gotten to see him play anyone…weird (outside of Dr. Horrible). Just imagine him with Jareth's blonde coif and the rest of the glimmering outfit will just fall into place. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) If you think Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ is too touchy for Broadway…you obviously haven't been on Broadway recently. Religion is as fair game as anything, from The Book of Mormon to Jesus Christ Superstar. The latter is actually a rather watered-down version of Christ, one of the most controversial films of the '80s. Bowie, alas, did not play Jesus, but he did play a rather hard-up Pontius Pilate (give Scorsese credit…while many directors try to make Pilate out to be a sympathetic character, Bowie wants blood). It's not a headlining role, to be sure, but it's a necessary one that Bowie performs with his usual pleasant intensity. We're going for a more strapping Pilate, played by an actor who has excelled at keeping his cool while dropping the axe for years on Mad Men: Jon Hamm. Basquiat (1996) The focus of the film Basquiat should of course be upon the work of real-life artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (and the excellent performance of Jeffrey Wright in the role) but inevitably attention heads back to one of the most possessing cultural figures of the 20th Century, the artist's friend and sponson Andy Warhol. The pop art figure dominated the cultural landscape of New York City simply by knowing how to present himself, and anyone planning on featuring Warhol in a stage of film project needs to present him in a similar way, regardless of how little the plot focuses on him. If you want a replication-level performance, it's tough to do much better than Daniel Day-Lewis. The guy takes method acting to the extreme, and the results are usually good. And yes, he's sung a bit…although Nine was one of his least popular works. The Prestige (2007) This production—a battle between two turn-of-the-century magicians—hardly revolves around Bowie's character at all, yet the musician plays one of the most curious characters in both science history and regular history: Nikola Tesla. We want to throw out Joseph Gordon-Levitt's name to play the genius and theoretical physicist…and maybe not just for the sake of a Prestige musical but a whole project dedicated to Tesla himself. It got us thinking...if we were to create musical versions of other Bowie films, who would we put in the Thin White Duke's shoes?

  • Ranking Alanis Morissette's 'Jagged Little Pill' 20 Years Later

    Alanis Morissette didn't release her debut album in 1995 but she may as well have: 'Jagged Little Pill' took the teen pop star who had released two questionable previous records and tore them into jagged little pieces. When the vocalist reared up and roared into the first hook of first single "You Oughta Know," the world took heed. Hang with Music Times as we count down the tracks on 'Jagged Little Pill' from least favorite to vice versa.

  • I The Mighty and 'Connector' Beg For Grander Prog-Rock Sound

    Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at 'Connector,' the second album from alt-rockers I The Mighty.

  • Ornette Coleman's Best Albums by Decade: 'Shape of Jazz To Come,' 'Free Jazz' and More

    Ornette Coleman, one of the most innovative and influential figures in the history of jazz, died today of cardiac arrest and Music Times wants to revisit his catalogue across six decades and throw out the best of the bunch for those who haven't checked out his catalogue yet, including smashes such as The Shape of Jazz To Come and Free Jazz.

  • 5 Les Paul Gifts to Modern Music: Solid-Body Guitars, Multitrack Recording, More

    Today marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Les Paul, one of the greatest innovators in music history, both for his work with instruments and with recording technology (and he wasn't half bad as a guitar player either). Music Times has assembled five of Paul's greatest contributions to the music world, in order of when he was most involved in its development. Understand that none of these technologies were solely his creation, but none of them would be the way we know them today if it weren't for his contributions, from the solid-body guitar to multitrack recording.

  • 8 Victims of MC Hammer: Madonna, Vanilla Ice, AC/DC and More

    MC Hammer took his first step to the top of the Billboard 200 on this date 25 years ago with Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em , the hip-hop album that would introduce the world to "U Can't Touch This" and help the rapper to maintain a place at the top of the charts for 21 weeks, interrupted only once. That's impressive but it makes us feel bad for all of the other performers who were denied a no. 1 album by that craze. Nothing tops a best-selling album for musicians but Hammer wasn't trying to give his spot up. Music Times checked out the eight albums that took the no. 2 spot during Don't Hurt 'Em's run, from Madonna to Vanilla Ice, and listed them from least weeks to most in second place.

  • 5 Triple Crown Horses and Music to Match: Michael Jackson, U2 and More

    Fans of horse racing finally got the Triple Crown they had been waiting 37 years for when American Pharoah won at Belmont this weekend, capping off a Spring that included wins at the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. It was the first time a horse had won the "Big 3" since Affirmed during 1978, with the horse in question finally sealing the deal in the third race. We say "finally" because it's not as if attempts at the Triple Crown are rare—13 horses won the first two legs of the Crown in the years since 1978—however the lengthier Belmont course often wore down on the hopeful horses. Music Times doesn't know much about racing, but we wanted to pay tribute to the last five Triple Crown winners with a comparable musical act, including Michael Jackson, U2 and more.

  • Governors Ball 2015: Best, Worst & Biggest Moments from Deadmau5, Florence + The Machine, The War on Drugs & More

    It's Monday morning now, and Governors Ball 2015 has finally come to an end. Over the weekend of June 5, countless rock, EDM and rap acts took to the stage at New York's City's Randall's Island to play for crowds of adoring fans. But, with the best of the fest which ranges from free chips to Florence + The Machine to SBTRKT, we also got sound issues, long lines for burgers and big ol' mud pits. In all its glory, Music Times was there to take in it all. See our best of the fest superlatives!

  • Billboard Hot 100 vs. Official Charts Company: Mariah Carey, Wiz Khalifa and 40 Years of No. 1s

    Few people realize just how different the music across the pond is from that we listen to in America, that the Hot 100 doesn't exist in the UK, and that its equivalent to our singles chart doesn't just feature a whole bunch of American artists with even more One Direction and Ellie Goulding tracks. Music Times is looking back at the last five decades of music, and at the no. 1 hits on April 2 every ten years on the spot, going back to 1975. The ultimate contest, of course, is which country has better taste. Last month the win went to the UK in the best-of-five showdown. This month features Wiz Khalifa, Jason Derulo, Mariah Carey and more in the field.
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