bowiedownunder.com The David Bowie
Community of Australia and New
Zealand
James Malcolm
New
Zealand actor James Malcolm
played the role of Jack
Cellier's younger brother in
the film Merry
Christmas Mr Lawrence.
In the film, James sings the
song 'Ride, Ride, Ride'
written by Stephen McCurdy and
as featured on the soundtrack
album.
James Malcolm was 12 years old when he
played the film.
He remembers Bowie as:
"A very genuine, really nice guy.
On set, he helped me with my lines. We
spent a lot of time together.
He was a major part of my life.
For one pivotal scene in the movie,
he had to sing for Bowie. Malcolm was an
accomplished choir boy, but he still
felt anxious.
"Talk about nervous.
That was the last scene on set for
that movie.
It was pretty emotional for everyone."
The next year, Bowie invited Malcolm
to join him on stage at Western Springs
in Auckland for the Serious Moonlight
tour. He introduced Malcolm as his "New
Zealand brother" and they released a
dove together as a sign of peace.
"When I was on stage, it was a
completely euphoric feeling to be in
front of 80,000 people. At that moment
I knew I wanted to be like this guy."
The pair spent time together
backstage and talked about singing.
"He always took an interest in what I
was doing. There has never
been anyone like him as an artist. He
is a music God."
In later years, James has
pursued a career in music and
has released the album, Bleed for a
Reason.
As evident in the Merry
Christmas Mr Lawrence
movie, James had begun formal
singing at a very early age.
From the age of 6, he sang as
soprano in choirs and soon
became the leading boy soprano
in New Zealand.
Opportunities opened up in
theater and acting, and in more
recent times, James has
continued his love of music with
a repertoire of covers and
originals - playing gigs in
Auckland and throughout the
North Island.
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