Great to see Duncan Jones win a BAFTA at the recent awards ceremony. I heard him being interviewed a few months ago on the radio and he was a gracious, amusing intelligent young man and I was captivated by him. No surprise then to learn he is the son of David Bowie. Duncan had been saddled with the name of Zowie Bowie for most of his childhood. When he was 13 Zowie decided he wanted to be called Joe and then he reverted, at 19, to the name on his birth certificate - Duncan. The name Duncan was Bowie's choice (what was he thinking? Duncan?) and Duncan he remains. Men generally don't have to change their name. The actor/comic David Walliams, the really camp one from Little Britain, changed his name from David Williams. There was, of course, already a David Williams in equity and Mr Williams (the camp one) didn't want to change his name too drastically so he swapped a couple of vowels around. It is more common for women to change their name. Some women change their names as often as other women change their underwear. Some of us have a pseudonym. It would be great, but confusing, to be able to change our names, if we wanted with each passing decade. When I was about 10 I wanted to be Adrianne. Having just had a milestone birthday I quite fancy a more appropriate name to reflect my maturity. Something more solid and serious than than the name my parents gave me. I am toying with 'Katherine' which is the full version of my pseudonym.
Duncan's parents are reported to have had an open marriage and they took full advantage of the sex and drugs that were available to them being young, beautiful and famous. The marriage was short lived and Bowie won custody of the young Zowie/Joe/Duncan and the child was effectively raised by a nanny as at this stage in his life Bowie was leading a pretty hedonistic lifestyle. Duncan has a close relationship with his father but he has not seen his mother since he was a teenager when she accused him of being 'bourgeois'. So Ab Fab! Both parents are reportedly very proud of Duncan and thrilled with his success although it would seem from her comments the ex Mrs Bowie believes the film 'Moon', for which Duncan won a BAFTA for 'Best Debut by a British Director', is about her. Duncan denies this. Sadly Duncan has not inherited any of his fathers musical talent. He cannot play any instruments despite Bowie encouraging him and giving him every opportunity to learn a variety of instruments from an early age. Maybe Duncan was itching to pick up a guitar and start strumming and his refusal to learn was his way of rebelling. Its a wonder he didn't become a bank manager!
Duncan's parents are reported to have had an open marriage and they took full advantage of the sex and drugs that were available to them being young, beautiful and famous. The marriage was short lived and Bowie won custody of the young Zowie/Joe/Duncan and the child was effectively raised by a nanny as at this stage in his life Bowie was leading a pretty hedonistic lifestyle. Duncan has a close relationship with his father but he has not seen his mother since he was a teenager when she accused him of being 'bourgeois'. So Ab Fab! Both parents are reportedly very proud of Duncan and thrilled with his success although it would seem from her comments the ex Mrs Bowie believes the film 'Moon', for which Duncan won a BAFTA for 'Best Debut by a British Director', is about her. Duncan denies this. Sadly Duncan has not inherited any of his fathers musical talent. He cannot play any instruments despite Bowie encouraging him and giving him every opportunity to learn a variety of instruments from an early age. Maybe Duncan was itching to pick up a guitar and start strumming and his refusal to learn was his way of rebelling. Its a wonder he didn't become a bank manager!
'Moon' is the story of Sam Bell, a astronaut, who is on a three year contract to harvest hellium 3, a fuel used on Earth. Bell is alone on the Lunar Station and begins to suffer from lack of human contact. Towards the end of his three year stint he has an accident and in the aftermath he begins to doubt his sanity, his true identity and his employers motives. Bells sole mission becomes how to get back to Earth and the family he has left behind.
There is a website that gives you your divine Buddhist name. All you have to do is enter your name in the search engine and then, in a matter of seconds, it comes up with a divine name, and, if you should request, a random one. Mine names are 'Boy Realisation Demon' (divine) and 'Queen Moon Disparaging' (random). Mmm. Think I'll stick with the one on my birth certificate. After all what's in a name?
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
There is a website that gives you your divine Buddhist name. All you have to do is enter your name in the search engine and then, in a matter of seconds, it comes up with a divine name, and, if you should request, a random one. Mine names are 'Boy Realisation Demon' (divine) and 'Queen Moon Disparaging' (random). Mmm. Think I'll stick with the one on my birth certificate. After all what's in a name?
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
Shakespeare 'Romeo and Juliet' 1600
No comments:
Post a Comment