By EMILY ROBINSON
Bowie fans are in for a treat tomorrow night as singer Jeff Duff presents his own interpretation of David Bowie’s songs in a two-hour show at North Geelong’s Sphinx Hotel.
Duff, who believes his life has been “parallel” to Bowie’s, described Bowie Unzipped as a “full on extravaganza”.
“It’s theatrical, musical and unpredictable,” he said.
The band also features guitarist Jak Housden, from The Whitlams, along with keyboard player Glenn Rhodes and drummer-percussionist Jess Ciampa.
In the ’90s Duff was often told he was “tall, thin and looked like Bowie from a distance,” so he and his band members created the Ziggy show, he said.
“It’s a 10-piece ensemble, so we started a smaller version, Bowie Unzipped and have been doing it for two and a half years,” Duff said.
“In the unzipped thing there’s a bit more leeway to misbehave.”
Duff said the term “unzipped” allowed the songs to be “exposed a little more than they would normally be”.
Asked whether he tried to impersonate Bowie’s performance, Duff said he “wouldn’t try and impersonate anybody”.
“I couldn’t even impersonate myself – if I did the Wiggles I’d probably sound like a death metal band,” Duff laughed.
Duff knew Bowie personally and believed the star’s death hit him “harder than anybody else in Australia”.
“He was my next door neighbour in Sydney from 1983 to 1992. We had coffee occasionally, he kept pretty low key in Sydney.
“It’s an honour for me to perform his songs.”
Duff dedicated his newly released tell-all memoir, This Will Explain Everything, to Bowie.
“The day after he died I had a concert in my diary I had to do. I went on stage and decided I would read out the dedication – I got half way through and bawled my eyes out.”
The singer and cabaret performer had chosen to “live a solo life” so his music had priority, he said.
“It’s probably pretty selfish but I just figure my life is about me.
“I’ve been arrested on stage for wardrobe malfunctions – I’ve been pretty naughty.
“I don’t know what happens to me on stage, I turn into a monster.
“I still dress like a lunatic off stage. Molly Meldrum wrote the forward in my book and said the first time he saw me I was wearing a wedding dress – that’s just normal, it’s what I’ve always done.”
Asked his favourite Bowie song to perform, Duff said he enjoyed Lazarus.
“It’s an emotional song, he must have foreseen his own demise.
“We cover all the big hits like Let’s Dance, Space Oddity, and China Girl too.
“Usually the audience go wild. Even in conservative halls people get up and start dancing.”
Even Duff was unable to predict how his shows would unfold.
“No-one can contain me.”
As Bowie said: “I don’t know where I’m going from here but I promise it won’t be boring”.
