ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ DAVID BOWIE PLAYLIST]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ DAVID BOWIE PLAYLIST]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
I think we’ve already covered my deep, unhealthy obsession with David Bowie. But for those who are either late to the program, or just plain forgot, here’s a quick overview. About two years I was part of a “book reading” circle, except we didn’t read books, we listened to records. Specifically, the life work of somebody, in the order they were released, one album a week. It was a great exercise as it was an opportunity for me to fill in the gaps when we did R.E.M., to cover the I’d-always-been-meaning-to-listen-to-’em-but-never-got-around-to-it-ness of P. J. Harvey and Talking Heads, and, of course, there was the schooling of others in the genius that was Pavement. But, really, the group peaked insanely early with our first candidate: David Bowie. Just a mind-bogglingly amazing output from 1970 (yeah, I’ll start with his third album “The Man Who Sold The World”) through 1983. It was an embarassment of riches to go through that list, even if we did have to suffer through “Pin Ups.”
So y’all know me, if I can get a Bowie reference in the grid, I’m putting it in there, dammit! And like a said a couple weeks back I was sort of surprised nobody’d ever clued STARMAN as the Bowie song. And I guess the reason for that one was that it wasnt’ really a hit in the states. (Although I seem to remember hearing it on WBCN when I was a kid, way back before that station went all corporate.) My bad. This misunderstanding of what was a hit and what wasn’t could have been easily complicated by the fact that two albums played all the time in my home when was a young ‘un were “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars” (featuring, what else? “Starman”) and “The Beatles.”
Sidebar. Will was getting a little cute a couple Monday puzzles ago when had the audacity to claim that “The Beatles” was, in fact, UNTITLED. C’mon! It’s frigging titled “The Beatles!” And he should know better as he loves that record! Even though that clue was not in one of my puzzles, that one’s gonna bother me for a while now.
Sidebar to the sidebar: in one of my puzzles Will changed a clue for ATARI claiming it was the company that made “Donkey Kong.” His logic was that Atari licensed the game for home rights. Now that one really bothered me considering pretty much every character in that game not only built but also blossomed throughout all of the Nintendo universe. Two more quick points on this sidebar to the sidebar: when I was a child I was convinced I was going to design video games. And, if you haven’t seen it yet, there’s a really entertaining documentary about competitive video gaming, specifically breaking the Donkey Kong world record, called “The King of Kong.” Well recommended.
So, anywway, where were we? Oh yeah. I think Rex pointed out in place of STARMAN, he had CHANGES (obviously a massive Bowie hit) and one of the other crossings kinda sorta worked for him. And at the time, it seemed like that might make for an interesting theme. So I wrote down “Bowie songs/CHANGES” in the moleskine and thought I’d get back to it. Thing was, a couple days later, I couldn’t remember exactly what I meant by the “/CHANGES” bit in the note. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changing Bowie songs, I suspect. I went with this gimmick instead.
Coming up you can look forward to puzzles called R.E.M. PLAYLIST, PAVEMENT PLAYLIST, and TALKING HEADS PLAYLIST. (Not really, unless you ask me kindly for them).
One small quibble about the clue “Non negation”. Actually if someone says “non” in French, and you beg to differ, you say “si” not “oui”.
I love doing puzzles where I have no idea what the theme answers are (but they end up being gettable) – adds an extra challenge!!
Oh my, Jan. The gimmick is eight classic Bowie songs back to back. Head on over to YouTube and give these babies a listen.
I woulda thrown in ASHES TO ASHES somewhere, but alas that one didn’t quite work.
I also had no clue as to the theme. so it was all crossings for me!
Let me be the first to post this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4zV4pJ8MwM
I would be up for an Unfair Summer Babe puzzle.
You still blew through it though…
Is it just me or does anybody else like the idea of Flight of the Conchords more than the show/skits/songs themselves?
{Sign outside a DIY barber shop?} = CUT YOUR HAIR HERE
Enjoyable puzzle. Thanks. My only quibbles: FROTH? Don’t they call this FOAM? Also: EWER. If I never see this in another grid…
Re future band-themed puzzles: Carcass? Altho the grid would have to be massive to accommodate, say, SWARMING VULGAR MASS OF INFECTED VIRULENCY.
Yeah, I sort of agree. I like Mel (the obsessed fan) and Dave but I can’t stand Murray (the band’s manager). I often just skip through to the songs instead of watching the whole show.
Carcass… dear God. While we’re here, how about a Slayer one? JESUS SAVES PIECE BY PIECE and MANDATORY SUICIDE RAINING BLOOD? Anybody?
Do a STEELY DAN PLAYLIST one of these days, and I might finally crack 7 min. on one of your puzzles…
Oh dear. Didn’t we already go over this a couple months ago and, gulp, most people on board detested Steely Dan? (Their loss, methinks) Well, if I made one, and it went over like “pfft” I could always “Do It Again.”
Detest Steely Dan? Only a fool would say that. Their loss, indeed…
As a fellow Bowie enthusiast, I enjoyed this puzzle very much !
Or terrible Slayer puns? “Adds salt and pepper in hell?” SEASONS IN THE ABYSS. “One who writes with a bent pen?” BEHIND THE CROOKED CROSS. Nevermind…
Just to clarify – I got that it would be Bowie songs; I’m just terrible at who-sings-what.
Major objection to CUME (WTF?) / CANEA (2xWTF). Never heard of either, and I teach college kids for a living, so CUME should have been in the air … somewhere around here. I get that it is short for “cumulative,” but … I’ve been in school or teaching school since I was three. Can’t recall hearing CUME, let alone seeing it.
Otherwise, cool
rp
Yeah… Totally Natick territory. (Sh)It happens.
used this term in high school, fwiw.
Upon reflection the entries would have to be something like FATHER TO A SISTER OF THOUGHT MUSSEL ROCK IS A HORSE IN TRANSITION
“Arthur leads his doubles team to victory at the family reunion”
ASHES TO ASHES WIN
Good God, that’s lame. Sorry.
Bowie’s an innovator and he’s definitely put out some great stuff, but for some reason just never clicked with me; I didn’t know a couple of the half-themes, so it did make for a heck of a challenge – that, and the HUNH / SEAANCHOR / GROH pileup was one big Martian spiderweb up there for me.
I like the playlist theme idea, though… that’s got some untapped potential.
Cool puzzle except for a few previously mentioned clues/answers…
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Crosswords” by BEQ… I can see it now! Sign me up.
That was a real gem themewise, like the Peter Gordon Alfred Hitchcock Double Features theme (with SABOTAGETHEBIRDS),
except this time I knew the component parts.
One crazy fact that Mayan’s thought the world would be coming to an end soon…
Down spot would be that bottom-middle, RESOLER crossing REOIL. CANEA I’d heard of from other crosswords, not CUME. TRANK was satisfying, remembered from ACM’s recent puzzle, otherwise would’ve been a big huh. For what its worth I got SWITCHES on Fri.
I think that PVC is not insulation, but the pipe material itself.
Detest Steely Dan?????? Their loss in Spades!!!
Im playing My Old School In my head as I type this.
Thanks dude.
Close: Those are the last four words in a title that’s coming out. Details shortly once the ink on the contract dries and the champagne hangover is kicked.
OTOH: I just started writing crosswords for Paste Magazine, and once they begin posting it on their site, I’ll send links to it then. So, in effect, more rock crosswords.
That RESOLER area sucked, but there comes a time when you have to go: the good outweighs the bad in this corner. Hopefully it didn’t alienate too much.
Glad you liked the theme, and I agree, it hasn’t been exhausted just yet. I once made a similar one for the Wall Street Journal called “iPod Playlists” with three band names clued straight. Like QUEEN PARLIAMENT CLASH and CARS POISON AIR SUPPLY.
Anyone who hates “My Old School” is lying.
Even with the big Martian spiderweb you still posted the best time. Showoff!
A legendarily micronutian debate occurred several years ago in the letters section of Tape Op magazine on the relative merits/soul-destroying qualities of the Dan. A reasonable facsimile of that debate can be experienced here, should you feel, like, so moved:
http://tinyurl.com/pk4uo9
Great news! Congrats! I like Paste.
I had never seen CUME in print until today. In the 70s at least, it was in use to mean cumulative grade point average. I don’t think we used the term GPA. I always assumed the spelling would be cum, just lopping off all those trailing letters.
Great puzzle, BEQ! But you knew that already. I’m a Bowie fan, but this one beat me up. Like others, CUME/CANEA had me at the “C”. I had to cheat. I also had trouble up there with EFFACED and MARLOWE, which would be OK with me had I not blanked on FAME, which likely would have helped tremendously. AZUSA/UZIS also wouldn’t fall, because I wanted “axes” so badly for the thriller props. I subtracted 4:52 from my actual time because of a phone call. Is there any way to stop the timer thingy when that happens? — jesser