Life on Mars – My Singing Debut!

Ziggy Stardust at the National Arts Club

I was honored to be granted membership to the National Arts Club in May, and this has opened up many new opportunities for friendship and creativity. One surprising outcome was the subject of this blog entry. I was chatting with another member in May, and we happened to talk about how we both like dressing as David Bowie occasionally. As you may recall, I have been at a few stellar events dressed as Bowie! The Orpheum Theater and the New York Marathon, as well as the Halloween Parade and the Pride Parade.

How it all began

My fellow NAC member, the painter David Krueger, mentioned that there would be a talent show for new members, and we decided to do a Bowie duet at the show. I started taking singing lessons, picking up on the singing dream I’d long held dear but abandoned in my twenties, when it was clear I was a better writer than a singer. Nonetheless, it felt great to be singing again, and I found a fantastically skilled, supportive teacher in Hannah Reimann, close by in the West Village.

I began to learn a few Bowie songs, and wanted to sing Life on Mars for the performance since I already had the blue suit. David liked the song too, but decided not to join me onstage after all. So I proceeded on my own. But this never would have happened without him, and for that I am eternally grateful!

Life on Mars

Little did I know that Life on Mars is a very challenging song for someone like me (an untrained newbie) to sing, partly because of the chord changes, and partly because of the speed of the lines in the chorus. There is very little chance to pause and reshape my mouth and throat for the high notes. It takes muscle memory and skill to make quick transitions, which I haven’t developed yet. I honestly had no idea that it would be so challenging to learn to sing just one song. I thought 4 months would be plenty of time. Easy peasy! haha

It also takes a long time to learn to consistently control the voice. Though I could get the notes just right in rehearsal, this doesn’t translate into glorious singing under the pressure of a live performance! Another aspect that was hard for me to learn was to really project my voice out to the audience. Like most people, I normally sing alone at home (or in the car), and what I am listening to is the sound of my voice inside my head. Where it really sounds great—powerful, tuneful, resonant! Hannah kept instructing me to imagine the sound reaching an audience in the distance, but when I sang louder it didn’t sound right inside my head.

The day of the show

On the day of the performance, I over-rehearsed in the morning. A rookie mistake! Hannah had very generously agreed to be my pianist for the performance, and even found a Mick Ronson-like glam outfit to wear. She and I had a short warm-up and rehearsal at the Club right before I went on. I realized to my dismay that my vocal chords were strained and sounded weak. Achhh. (German sound of disapproval and disgust.) As Hannah and I walked through the hallways and galleries and up the stairs to the main parlor, I was literally shaking. Total fight-or-flight response mode! Not a good thing for the vocal chords, as I am sure they were as tense as piano wire.

Taking the stage (the carpet, really)

Luckily, a number of dear friends were in the audience to support my debut, and their smiling faces helped me find the courage to sing the first notes. I had planned some simple choreography as well, and my costume was the Nazz. So I just jumped in and did it, and made it through to the end.

I felt a weird combination of conflicting feelings and sensations all happening at once. I felt afraid. I was exhilarated. I could feel the nerves thrumming along the skin of my arms, and I was remembering when to switch the mic from one hand to the other. I was recalling Hannah’s instructions on lifting the soft palate in preparation for “Mars.” I felt humiliated when some of the notes were wrong. I was looking at the audience (some of the time) to see how they were responding, and seeing a mixture of enjoyment and boredom. And I loved being there and performing. LOVED IT!!

What I learned

It was a great learning to watch and listen to the recording of the performance (see below). I realized what Hannah had been telling me all along. I need to reach out and connect with the audience, overcoming my shyness about singing. This is something I’ve read that Bowie also had to do, early in his career. He wanted to write songs and create music, not go on stage, but he ended up singing in front of an audience (and becoming a legendary performer) because other people weren’t playing his music.

And of course I also learned that it will take many years of perseverance to learn to sing well. Who knows if I will ever make it in this lifetime!

But I continue to be inspired by David Bowie—the most lovable, creative genius earthling—and will keep learning and hopefully improving as time goes on. I am working on letting more of a powerful sound come forth. Stay tuned for my next performance!

For your viewing pleasure

I created three versions of the video of my singing debut, for audiences on different platforms and with different levels of interest in watching me sing. Really, one minute is all I feel I can ask of anyone who is not a member of my family!

Video footage recorded by Andrea Thurlow and Dusty Berke.

Square for Instagram

This one is under 1 minute (timed for an Instagram feed), and square to display well in Instagram.

Short YouTube Version Captures Highlights

This is the length for my Another New York Love Affair art project, where each video is usually under two minutes. It captures the feel of the event, with behind-the-scenes warm-up and a flash on the audience at the beginning.

Full Length

This is the full length of the song. It’s my singing debut, and my Mom might want to see the whole thing!