My OperaLife on Mars.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 12:30:38 AM
Vast eons ago I wrote a song called 'Life on Venus'. The first time we played it, which turned out to be the only time we played it, a guy came up to me and accused me of ripping of David Bowie's 'Life on Mars'.
This kinda displeased me since this was the first time I'd realised it. I wrote the song after seeing the first photographs of the surface of Venus, the music bore no resemblance to Bowie's tune, neither did the lyrics, and the rhythm was completely different. Apparently I was being accused of two-thirds-of-a-title theft, or maybe just writing a song about life on another planet, after all, no one's ever done that before.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of the situation it seems that Bowie has more clout with NASA than I have because they've just bunged off a rocket with a payload that's even now checking for life on Mars.
I just think that they're going an awful long way about it. This machine is digging into the surface of the planet looking for water crystals that may hold signs of life, then it's transferring them to a little laboratory on its back from whence it will attempt to divine signs of life, or former life.
I have a better idea. Find a dump somewhere and dredge up a couple of tons of food waste. Drop it onto the surface of Mars. Follow that with a couple of dozen cockroaches. One of two things will happen. Either the roaches will eat the trash and then go off in search of other kitchen waste and if they find any then there must be life on Mars, or the Martians will come tearing out to see who's tossing trash into their yard.
I did have a third theory that maybe the waste would come to life and colonise the planet, thus becoming life on Mars.
But that would just be ridiculous.
This kinda displeased me since this was the first time I'd realised it. I wrote the song after seeing the first photographs of the surface of Venus, the music bore no resemblance to Bowie's tune, neither did the lyrics, and the rhythm was completely different. Apparently I was being accused of two-thirds-of-a-title theft, or maybe just writing a song about life on another planet, after all, no one's ever done that before.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of the situation it seems that Bowie has more clout with NASA than I have because they've just bunged off a rocket with a payload that's even now checking for life on Mars.
I just think that they're going an awful long way about it. This machine is digging into the surface of the planet looking for water crystals that may hold signs of life, then it's transferring them to a little laboratory on its back from whence it will attempt to divine signs of life, or former life.
I have a better idea. Find a dump somewhere and dredge up a couple of tons of food waste. Drop it onto the surface of Mars. Follow that with a couple of dozen cockroaches. One of two things will happen. Either the roaches will eat the trash and then go off in search of other kitchen waste and if they find any then there must be life on Mars, or the Martians will come tearing out to see who's tossing trash into their yard.
I did have a third theory that maybe the waste would come to life and colonise the planet, thus becoming life on Mars.
But that would just be ridiculous.
CLOSED!Lee_in_FL # Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:58:51 AM
Love the ideas on determine whether life does or ever did exist on Mars...sounds a lot cheaper as well!
By the way, if that gentleman thinks you ripped off the title from Bowie, you may want to remind him that many have used that title. In addition to NASA and their "Looking for Life on Mars" project, "Life on Mars" is also a BAFTA and Emmy-winning British science fiction and police drama television series, Edmund Butt's musical scoring for "Life on Mars", Dexter Wansel's release of the song entitled "Life on Mars", Anggun's release of "Life on Mars", ...I'm sure I can find many other examples, but why waste the time (LOL)?
Deke # Wednesday, May 28, 2008 4:04:11 PM
...somewhere...
'Life on Earth'. There was a time when I could have written a cracker of a song with a title like that. If I'd thought of it. Where were you when I needed you?
Wakajawaka # Tuesday, June 17, 2008 6:30:16 PM
First time visitor to your blog!
Is there somewhere I can hear your 'Life On Mars' ?
Deke # Wednesday, June 18, 2008 11:12:11 AM
Unfortunately although we've been bootlegged (That was during our Zappa tribute years, I think it was Zappa rather than us that was being booted...) we've never recorded. Sometimes someone somewhere would set up a recorder just to check what we really sounded like, but that particular song was only played that one time, it wasn't even rehearsed, I just wrote down what everyone should play and we did it. I don't quite know how or why but it went perfectly. So perfectly that no one would believe me when I said it was the first time anyone anywhere had heard it.
And since that was its only performance I guess that audience got a comletely unique experience, even if they didn't like the song.