jmtorres: David Bowie licks Mick Ronson's guitar. Put your ray gun to my head (bowie)
jmtorres ([personal profile] jmtorres) wrote2005-06-10 09:08 pm

Who (starman)

So I'm watching Doctor Who '05 episode 4, Aliens of London, and I just caught the most adorable thing in the background.

The Doctor is Bowie's Starman.

As the Doctor ducks out of Rose's mum's apartment, claiming the scene is just too human for him, you can hear some music playing in the background, from inside. I was certain I could recognize it but I didn't get it until the dialogue ended and I heard just enough of a "lalala, lala, lala" to realize it was David Bowie's "Starman."

Bwah.

Rewound the scene, played at maximum volume (as Ziggy Stardust was intended to be--check the packaging) and I could make out the chorus under the dialogue.

Starting from 14:30--there's non-diegetic soundtrack music before that as the Doctor slips out, but it drops off when Rose follows and asks where he thinks he's going.

14:37, you can hear a bit of "rock'n'roll, lotta soul, he said" which is from the first verse, about halfway through. Lessee...

14:37 rock'n'roll, lotta soul, he said Doctor: History just happened and they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top up cards [? can't tell] for half price.
14:39 Then the loud sound did seem to fa-a-ade Doctor: [cont'd] I'm off on a wander, that's all.
Rose: Right, there's a spaceship on the Thames and you're just... wandering.
Doctor: Nothing do to with me!
14:44 Came back like a slow voice on a wave of pha-a-ase Doctor: [cont'd] It's not an invasion, that was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, column of smoke, everything. Perfect!
14:50 That weren't no D.J., that was hazy cosmic jive Rose: So...?
Doctor: So maybe this is it! First contact!
14:54 [bridge, which is incidentally rising] Doctor [cont'd] The day mankind officially comes into contact with an alien race. I'm not interfering,
14:59 There's a starman waiting in the sky Doctor: [cont'd] 'cause you've got to handle this on your own. That's when the human race finally grows up.
15:03 He'd like to come and meet us Doctor: [cont'd] Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay.
15:05 But he thinks he'd blow our minds Doctor: [cont'd] Now you can expand!
15:08 There's a starman
waiting in the sky
Doctor: [cont'd] You don't need me. Go and celebrate history. Spend some time with your mum.
Rose: Promise you won't disappear?
15:13 He's told us not to blow it
'Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me--
[Doctor looks vaguely guilty for a moment, then smiles and pats down his coat, pulling out key]
15:18 Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie
Doctor: Tell you what. TARDIS key. 'Bout time you had one. See you later! [takes off as Rose smiles down at key in her hand]

So not an accident. At all. *G* Lotta soul to the everyday humanness the Doctor complains about (ironic, considering what he says about ordinary lives in later episodes); wandering off as fading out; discussing the crash for hazy cosmic jive (and it weren't no crash, it was something else, too, which he suspected!); the Doctor as the Starman, waiting, not interfering; lyrics about blowing our minds as he's talking about the human race coming of age and "expand[ing]"; the Doctor is the Starman a second time, wanting to wait in the wings while Rose has her family time; but then he's the one who nearly blows it there, the dork; and Rose as the child being let to boogie with the TARDIS.

I am a happy Bowie fanatic.

[identity profile] speshope.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
That is... so cool.

[identity profile] jmtorres.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
Isn't it? Someone in sound is a very silly monkey :-)

[identity profile] speshope.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
*giggles* Silly and AWESOME.

[identity profile] jmtorres.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
Yes. *grins*
copracat: dreamwidth vera (Default)

[personal profile] copracat 2005-06-11 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
That is immensely cool, thanks for working it out!

They're 'dodgy top up cards' - phone cards, I think.

[identity profile] jmtorres.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
*grins* Thank you! I'd never've worked that out on my own.
scribblemoose: image of moose with pen and paper (Default)

[personal profile] scribblemoose 2005-06-11 08:00 am (UTC)(link)
Top up cards = how Brits pay for pay-as-you-go mobile phones. There's a fine old black market in fraudulent ones that fool your sim card into thinking you've paid when you haven't.

And yes. I squeeed over this one, too. ^_^

[identity profile] jmtorres.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 08:04 am (UTC)(link)
How very naughty!

*grins*

[identity profile] warinbabylon.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 11:29 am (UTC)(link)
Great analogies there. :D

[identity profile] sindeniirelle.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 03:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I completely missed that while I was watching the episode, thanks so much for pointing it out because, like the others have said, it's very cool :)

[identity profile] jmtorres.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
*grins*

[identity profile] jmtorres.livejournal.com 2005-06-11 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I completely missed that while I was watching the episode,

It was *way* subtle. *G*

[identity profile] delurker.livejournal.com 2005-06-27 12:49 pm (UTC)(link)
I missed that, but it's way cool. Thanks for sharing. :)
Also, it occurred to me that I should friend you to keep up with the Dragaera ficathon, so I have.

[identity profile] jmtorres.livejournal.com 2005-06-27 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh. At some point, when I get my act together, there will be a comm.

And an archive.

Possibly a mailing list.

Oh, fannish infrastructure.