THERE’S A STARMAN WAITING IN THE SKY …

[defrog]

David Bowie is gone. And it hurts.

Which is saying something, because I don’t usually get that emotional over celebrity deaths, even when I’m a fan of their work. But when a co-worker broke the news to me after lunch, I found myself getting teary-eyed at various points for the rest of the day.

Obviously I’m a fan, so that’s part of it. Bowie is one of those music artists who has always been around in my lifetime and – during that time – consistently releasing new music that still seemed relevant, if only because Bowie was constantly changing not with the times so much as ahead of them. (Yes, the 80s weren’t good to Bowie, but they weren’t really good to anyone whose career started in the 60s or early 70s. And Let's Dance is a better album than you may remember.) 

But part of the shock comes from the fact that Bowie had just staged one of the great music comebacks with 2013’s The Next Day after ten years out of the public eye, during which fans speculated that he was too sick to perform. And up to the release of last week’s Blackstar, he seemed so invigorated and alive – only he was dying, and fans suspected nothing.

It’s kind of a typical Bowie sleight-of-hand – as if it was all part of his latest artistic statement. Which, according to Tony Visconti, is exactly what it was – a parting gift from a man who knew his time was almost up and was determined to make art out of it.

Much has been made of the video for “Lazarus” (which is also a song from the off-Broadway musical Bowie co-wrote which has been playing since last month) being an intentional farewell message. I’d add that it’s a masterstroke because the title suggests (to me) that he wasn’t just saying goodbye, but adding, “I’ll be back” – as if he’s just gone back to his home planet for an extended holiday.

Which is possible.



Anyway.

You’ve seen, read and heard all the tributes and his life story by now. It’s true. All of it. And where it’s not true, it doesn’t matter. “David Bowie” was always a persona – or a series of personas – for David Jones, and that’s close enough to the truth for me.

Here’s a few extra personalized nuggets:

1. The first Bowie song I remember hearing (and knowing it was David Bowie) was “Fame”.

2. Growing up, I knew his songs via the radio, MTV videos and SNL appearances, but I didn’t really get into Bowie’s back catalog until I was in the military and had the cashflow to buy lots of records. The first ones I bought were Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs. To this day they're my two favorite Bowie albums.

3. I never did get to see him perform live. I did have a copy of his Glass Spider concert video on VHS at some point, but that’s not really a good example.

4. I did get to see his museum exhibit, David Bowie Is, in Chicago in 2014. I was glad I went at the time. I’m even more glad now.

5. This is my office cubicle, now.



I put the pics up there last month. I got them from Mojo, who did a cover story on the new album + the story of making Scary Monsters.

Well, I could go on. But I’ll stop here. It’s sad that Bowie’s gone, but it’s great that he went out on a high note. (Or so I’m assuming. I bought a copy of Blackstar this afternoon during my lunch break. I’m pretty sure I’ll like it.)

Ashes to ashes,

This is dF