The centrepiece of Pop Screen’s Bowie month could only be one thing: David’s first, extraordinary lead role, as the alien Thomas Jerome Newton in Nicolas Roeg’s trippy science fiction masterpiece. For those unfamiliar with the film, Bowie plays an extraterrestrial sent to Earth to bring water back to his home planet, funding his return trip by patenting alien technology. But the world of high finance drags him off course, as do Earthly temptations like alcohol and weird sex. Lots of weird sex.
In this week’s episode of Pop Screen, Graham is joined once again by Rob from Directors Uncut to look at the many facets of this enigmatic film, and marvel at just how banjoed on cocaine Bowie was during this period of his life. There’s also some talk about the recent TV series based on Walter Tevis’s source novel, the unexpected actors – and one novelist – who might have taken Bowie’s role, and Rip Torn’s infamous appearance in Norman Mailer’s Maidstone.
If you don’t want us to have to patent our alien technology in order to stay on the air, you can donate to our Patreon, where backers will receive exclusive episodes of Pop Screen, early access to Directors Uncut, Graham’s twice-weekly Doctor Who reviews and much more. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with what we’ve got planned next.
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