Hallo Spaceboy (I), 2012

Hallo Spaceboy (II), 2012

Hallo Spaceboy (III), 2012

Well, it’s David Bowie week here at The Future Is Papier Mâché, so I thought I’d kick things off with something a little different. For me, a lot of Bowie’s work is about identity and representation, hence the masks. And he’s always been interested in what the future, holds and what could be more futuristic than dressing the family up in Bacofoil?

Hallo Spaceboy is the sixth track on Bowie’s 1995 album, 1. Outside. The track was later remixed by The Pet Shop Boys and released as a single, but for me the original’s driving neo-industrial, drum and bass rhythm and lack of real melody is the better version. The album it’s taken from is a standout in his late career – preposterously pretentious (I like), amusical (in places), and lyrically Burroughsian.