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Peter Ormerod

@bowiegod.bsky.social
115 followers 78 following 536 posts

Author of David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and God, published by Bloomsbury. Also entertainments editor for Iconic Media Group. Also a bit too keen on porridge, toast, Swindon, Noel Edmonds etc

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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Thanks again to everyone who’s already bought my book, written a review, attended an event, sent me a message, posted about it online, told friends about it in person - whatever you’ve done to support it, I’m ever so grateful
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
And the third is in Warwickshire, at Stratford Literary Festival on Saturday October 31. V happy to be joined there by Alexander Larman - his superb Lazarus: The Second Coming of David Bowie focuses on Bowie’s career from the early 1990s onwards www.stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk/events/peter...
stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk
Peter Ormerod and Alexander Larman
Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival is an exciting mixture of debate, ideas, celebrity author events, workshops and humour. We run in Spring and Autumn.
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The second is in Somerset, at Wells Festival of Literature on Monday October 19 wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk/events/2026-...
wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
Peter Ormerod - David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and God | Wells Festival of Literature
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The first is in Yorkshire, at Ilkley Literature Festival on Saturday October 10. If you can’t get there, it will be streamed live www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/46-pe... www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/46-pe...
ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
46. Peter Ormerod: David Bowie – Life, Death and God - Ilkley Literature Festival
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I’m delighted to say I’ll be appearing at a few literary festivals this month. It would be lovely to see you if you can make it along to one or more of them - details coming up
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Ha, I remember thinking precisely that when I first heard it 30 years ago! Couldn't believe any '60s song genuinely sounded like this. Then the Toy version came along and seemed to miss the point
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I don't think Orwell ever bettered the work he did with Keith Harris to be honest
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A whole lotta TS Eliot, a helping of Waugh and a dash of Orwell - all in my latest piece about Bowie and, er, God bowiegod.substack.com/p/bowie-apoc...
bowiegod.substack.com
Bowie: Apocrypha & Miscellany, part 4
Time, divinity, TS Eliot and David Bowie. Plus: come and see me!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Is playing in European competitions some sort of punishment these days? From the way some people talk about it, perhaps it should be the bottom half of the table who are forced to play in Europe the following season, with the top half spared the hardship
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
DB *and* BoD! This is almost too much!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
You can feel the shock of the new!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Fascinated by this moment in typography: the revolution of 1958 when Cambridge University Society of Arts went from serif to sans, and in a big way. Of all the things I've found while clearing my mum's old house, this is (perhaps weirdly) one of my favourites
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I've been hoping to do an event with Alex for a while so very happy to have this opportunity!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Ha, pretty sure certain figures within the estate signed this off with a twinkle in their eye
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
It's partly down to players (lack of Carrick-style players since Carrick), partly culture. But Tuchel is exaggerating England's supposedly inherent problems with possession, and I think he's doing so as an excuse - his team and system weren't set up for possession.
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Iran were top 20 at the time. The France match followed a pattern in that tournament of overall good footballing performances (USA was stodgy though). Some matches (esp Croatia SF and Spain) were against superior midfields, but it's daft to say we can't ever keep possession
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
England saw out their semi-final win over Denmark in 2021 by keeping possession. Only Spain had more possession than England at the 2022 World Cup.
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Apart from anything else, Jonathan Meades is among Kieran Saint Leonard's many fans, which is one of the reasons I'd probably be going even if I wasn't taking part
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Really quite excited to be doing an event with the brilliant Kieran Saint Leonard in London on Tuesday next week, talking all things Bowie/occult/esoteric. It's going to be quite some night - do come along if you can www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/david-bowi...
eventbrite.co.uk
David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and God
Peter Ormerod x Kieran Saint Leonard in-conversation
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Worth it for the Evelyn Waugh/Thomas Merton collab info alone but it's clear that @helenbarrett.bsky.social's Beatlesy book will be excellent and mightily refreshing open.substack.com/pub/helenbar...
open.substack.com
My Beatles-adjacent reading list — part one
Illuminating books from the backwaters of Fab Four history
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Interesting - we had Look North and Yorkshire TV/Calendar in Chesterfield and I think these things do affect your orientation (Chesterfield certainly felt very northern after moving from Swindon). Swindon seemed to switch to the south east at some point when we were there in the 1980s!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Biggest question of course is whether Swindon is south west, south east or even south midlands (local accent and culture seemed more more south west to me but we had BBC South East and ITV Central). Liminal before it was fashionable.
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
I'd agree! I'd say Chester is borderline - it's pretty much level with Chesterfield, which I really don't think is the north (it is quite northern culturally though). The north begins somewhere between Chesterfield and Sheffield, or Chester and Wirral, I reckon.
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Been banging on about this for the best part of a decade but the world won't listen! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Why the VCR’s clunk-whirrrrr-kra-chump was the sound of freedom | Peter Ormerod
The death of the video recorder means we can never rewind to a simpler era when we controlled technology – before corporations used it to make us conform
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Snap (pretty much)!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Lovely to see my book in the Guardian's list of 70 Brilliant Books for the Summer! Thanks to those who compiled the list and those of you who've bought the book (and to @vendicepartners.bsky.social for letting me know about this) www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Blimey, thank you - hadn't spotted this!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Will be great
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
It was a pleasure to be interviewed by Mike Warwick of Do Radio about my book and a whole load of other things, including my childhood, Christianity, my slightly weird but lucky life as an opinion writer and all sorts really doradio.uk/where-to-nex...
doradio.uk
Where To Next – Do Radio
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Eliot's journals are well worth reading and it's great they're online georgeeliotarchive.org/journals/
georgeeliotarchive.org
George Eliot’s Journals · George Eliot Archive
The George Eliot Archive is an extensive resource for anyone studying the Victorian author George Eliot (the pen name of Mary Ann Evans), one of the most highly acclaimed novelists in Western literatu...
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
'I do not feel very confident that I can make anything satisfactory of Middlemarch. I have need to remember that other things which have been accomplished by me, were begun under the same cloud.' George Eliot, 1869
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Wondrous stuff from Branagh and co in The Tempest at the RSC www.warwickshireworld.com/news/the-tem...
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I mean, it's obviously not been written to delight the right! It's written in the Guardian by their architecture critic and he doesn't like the building very much
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Very happy to hear this - thanks very much Amber!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
New music by me! It's a pretty big electro kind of thing. Can't shake the C64 loading music influence but I'm actually quite happy about that peterormerod.bandcamp.com/track/surge
peterormerod.bandcamp.com
Surge, by Peter Ormerod
track by Peter Ormerod
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I love how Mat Osman's Who Do You Think You Are would be precisely the same as Richard Osman's Who Do You Think You Are. I know that's how families work but still
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Obviously the conversations around Bowie were astonishing - McCaslin was to Blackstar what Ronson was to Ziggy - but McCaslin's own work is fantastic too and deserves to be heard far and wide. Great to meet him and get my copy of his latest album signed. And he's v nice!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Pretty amazing to see and hear the great @donnymccaslin.bsky.social at @prestomusic.bsky.social in Leamington tonight. Aside from anything else, what a privilege to hear him play a tribute to Sonny Rollins on this day of days - his take on St Thomas was extraordinary youtu.be/v4DTR0I7xhA?...
youtu.be
Sonny Rollins - St. Thomas
YouTube video by BluesBeboper
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
New Bowie/God bits from me! Some pictures, some videos, a response to the thoughtful review in First Things and more besides open.substack.com/pub/bowiegod...
open.substack.com
Bowie: Apocrypha & Miscellany, part 3
Five paintings, one sculpture, confessions and a code
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Ah, thank you! Your partner has superb taste
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Hope you can make it www.also-festival.com/events/david...
also-festival.com
ALSO | 10-12 July 2026 | Warwickshire
Set in the heart of Warwickshire, ALSO is the award-winning festival where ideas run wild. Life-enhancing talks, big bands, clever comedy, long-table dinners, tastings, creative masterclasses, swimmin...
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Most pleased to be appearing at this year's Also Festival! It takes place in July in a lovely corner of Warwickshire, and is packed with fascinating talks and great food and music and whatnot and is, well, Quite a Thing. I'm much happier about all this than the photo suggests
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
And thank you, and also interested in your thoughts on the Storehouse!
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I think it's best to think of the David Bowie Centre as an archive with some items on display. The archive (esp, for me, the written stuff) and the chance to handle items is obvs tremendous - I know some have been disappointed with what's on display, but I don't think that's really the emphasis
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
As I understand it, it's officially his family, but I'm pretty sure Bill Zysblat is heavily involved. Warner Chappell owns the publishing rights but had to run permissions requests past the estate in my dealings with them
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Various reasons, but mostly a perceived lack of safeguards for vulnerable people. Here's the Royal College of Psychiatry's response to the bill www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-fea...
rcpsych.ac.uk
The RCPsych cannot support the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for England and Wales in its current form
The College is calling on MPs to consider serious concerns about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for England and Wales, ahead of the pivotal Commons Report stage debate and Third Reading.
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
They're neutral on the principle of assisted dying, but were opposed to this bill.
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
And I'm sure the supporters of the bill have the best of intentions too, but I think it's important that opponents of the bill aren't misrepresented.
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
It's worth mentioning that the bill was opposed by various Royal Colleges and disability campaigners
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Peter Ormerod @bowiegod.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Thank you. His estate can be quite protective when it comes to things like this so best keep it to ourselves
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