Sunday, January 17, 2016

Bowie And The Week That Was

Last week was not a good week for me. I hope this one's better.

7:01am Monday 10 January 2016:  Q-107 wakes me every day at 7:01am.  "The music world is in mourning.  Rock legend David Bowie has died of throat cancer at age 69 at his home in Brixton," says Rick Derringer, Q's morning man.

Huh?  Really?  I think I'm dreaming.  I turn over, mumble something to my wife, Karen.  It's true though.  David Bowie had died --- and the world is in mourning.  

I think it was Darwin who said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change."

And Bowie was the most adaptable there was - no matter what his persona, he was always recognizable.  His voice, and message, was always his own.  And I love that.

His last offering, Blackstar,both enigmatic and exploratory was released on his 69th birthday.  Only the Thin White Duke could have the chutzpah to do that, as he lay dying.  I know he knew his days were numbered.   He was Major Tom, afterall.   The only Major Tom that ever was. 

His innumerable songs were about being an outsider, a misfit, an alien, an astronaut, a crazy man - the list goes on.  His music was rock, jazz, punk and even cabaret.  His music was all his own. Completely adaptable, he continually morphed his persona, inspiring Madonna and Lady Gaga.  He was as influential in Japanese Fashion as he was in Philadelphia Funk and German Electronica.  He also collaborated with classical composer Philip Glass, who based two symphonies on David's albums, Low and Heroes.  

His anthem, (in my opinion) was Changes from his 1971 (I was 5 at the time) offering, Hunky Dory,  ... "Turn and face the strange/ Ch-ch-changes/ Oh, look out you rock and rollers/ Pretty soon now, you're gonna get older."

He was a major influence on Nirvana who chose to sing The Man Who Sold The World in its brief set for the 1993 MTV Unplugged in New York set.  His Under Pressure collaboration with glam-rock icon-band Queen supplied the deadly base line for the 1990 Vanilla Ice hit, Ice Ice Baby

He spent several years in Berlin, creating.  Hanging.  And befriending Mott The Hoople, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.   He was relentless in his own re-invention. He was married for more than 20 years to supermodel, Iman.  In the 70's he succumbed to drug issues, mostly cocaine and in 1973, he suddenly announced his retirement - though it was the retirement of Ziggy Stardust, not of Mr. Bowie.  Whew!

It was the mythical album Ziggy Stardust, who made David into a major rock star.  It was also a blow to his head in the late 60's that caused David's left pupil to be permanently dilated.  

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996,  he did not attend the ceremony, asking Madonna to accept the award on his behalf.  She recounted the Bowie concert that she once went to that changed her life. David Byrne, who inducted Bowie said "Like all rock and roll, it was visionary, it was tasteless, it was glamorous, it was perverse, it was fun, it was crass, it was sexy and it was confusing".  

Byrne's correct and this is exactly what made The Thin White Duke the Thin White Duke.

Listen so some excellent remixes of Bowie's hits here https://soundcloud.com/djmarc7/sets/r-i-p-ziggy

Chris Hadfield performed Space Oddity on the International Space Station in 2013, said it best in a tweet last week, "Ashes to ashes,, dust to stardust, Your brilliance inspired us all.  Goodbye Starman."

Goodbye David.  The end. 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Well written Johnny! Favourite Bowie song is 'Five Years". By the way, never ever thought John Sacke would quote Charles Darwin!!! Welcome to my world.
Len