I think we can all learn something from David Bowie. Bowie, the other-worldly musician who broke pop and rock boundaries with his creative musicianship, nonconformity, striking visuals and a genre-spanning persona he christened Ziggy Stardust, died of cancer Sunday aged 69.
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“David Bowie has pulled off his complex task with consummate style, with some great rock & roll… with all the wit and passion required to give it sufficient dimension and with a deep sense of humanity that regularly emerges from behind the Star facade”.
Even his exit was an artistic statement.
The video begins with Bowie lying in a hospital bed, and ends with him disappearing into a wardrobe.
The work can be seen in a new light by the revelation of how ill he was when he created it, with lyrics including “Look up here, I’m in heaven, I’ve got scars that can’t be seen”.
Perhaps Bowie’s most iconic song, which introduced his most famous character, Ziggy Stardust, a being from outer space who brings hope to the young people of the Earth through the radio. “The songs are all about mortality”, O’Leary said. He released his last album Blackstar on January 8, 2016. He gave no interviews in his last decade, and kept his 18-month cancer fight private.
In addition to thanking her for her kind words, Bowie told the 14-year-old in his reply that he’d been waiting for some feedback from American listeners, and that while he’d received reviews from Billboard and Cash Box, their critiques “rarely reflect the opinions of the public”.
The bodysuit ultimately proved confining. Bowie was also known for his fantastic collaborations throughout his career, and he worked with John Lennon on “Fame”. “My heart is with his loved ones today”.
He was soft-spoken with a very British politeness in our only meeting, a 2002 interview where he allowed himself a brief flash of pride. “For me, frankly, as an artist, that’s the most satisfying thing for the ego”, Bowie said.
There are many artists that become stars overnight, though flame out quickly because they could only harness that creativity for a short burst.
While Bowie can be faulted over his treatment of the mentally troubled he was right about possessing a good sense of humor. Kurt Cobain covered “The Man Who Sold the World” with Nirvana. Another one of his definitive songs was Under Pressure, recorded with Queen; Vanilla Ice would years later infamously use the song’s hook for his smash hit Ice Ice Baby.
Personally, two recordings from 1977 will always stick out.
“Only Bowie will face death and art this way”.
The culture clash made it an immediate classic – the World War II era crooner with one of rock’s wildest personalities. Yet neither man looked down upon the other. I made my first movie last week.
That same fall, Bowie released “Heroes” from his sessions with Eno.
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Having gone two years without a hit, Bowie got back into orbit with this theatrical and often freakish song which has been described as “a cross between a Broadway musical and a Salvador Dali painting”. It’s a moment of majesty that never fails provoke chills. “I thought to myself, ‘This one’s a keeper'”.
