The media are in overdrive this morning at the death of David Bowie.
I am unmoved.
I bought his album 'The Man Who Sold the World' when it first came out and considered it far ahead of its time. He was booked to play in Edinburgh that night but I managed to avoid him, I suspect the £1:50 entrance fee put me off. His next, 'Ziggy Stardust,' was OK but not as powerful as 'The Man...' at its launch. Both were enjoyed at the time and Bowie was among the top stars of his day but then he trailed off somewhat. Always a wee bit not right in the head he ended the 'Ziggy' period and went off the rails as far as I can remember. Listening again to 'The Man Who Sold the World' I find I cannot recollect any of the songs bar the signature one and while this album appeared so far ahead of its time now appears dead and lifeless, indeed somewhat dated. This reaction has not happened for me with the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Cream or many others I wonder if that is Bowie or just me?
Most lost interest when his 'gay' life appeared at the beginning of the 'Glam Rock' period and then his music took on the 80's empty sham style that pervaded the era. Fancy hairstyles and absurd fashion dominated while music was all show and shallowness which fitted the decade.
Music has got worse since!
Bowie took to acting and various other activities while I was too busy having a life and working for to keep a roof over my head. His life no longer interested and his music when it appeared was dire. He always struck me as someone not quite all there possibly chasing something that he could never find. People tend to call this 'inventive' but all too often it was desperation it seems to me.
Now he has died after suffering from a horrible disease and the media who have ignored him now lather themselves in a frenzy! Hour after hour his music, mostly the dreadful 80's stuff, has been played at each and every opportunity. Let me remind folks he was not as important as they make him out to be.
5 comments:
I am very saddened to hear of Bowie's passing. When it broke on the news here late yesterday afternoon I couldn't believie it and immediately rang Randall, my ex. We both love Bowie. We saw him life in concert in his "Serious Moonlight" tour in the mid-Eighties and it was a spectacular concert. Bowie was spectacular - mesmerising.
His death has moved me greatly. He was unique. He was intelligent. He was extremely talented and way ahead of his time. He was a true artist in many forms.
I wish I'd been one of the fortunate who saw him on the Broadway stage in the role of "The Elephant Man". I only say brief segments of it via TV coverage. He did the whole play sitting in a bathtub in the centre of the stage. He wore no stage make-up in his 157 performances; and he received high praise for his acting in the part. A lot of it, I imagine, was drawn from his mime abilities, which he'd learned earlier on in his career when he was studying avant-garde theatre etc.
Yes...I am moved by Bowie's death...
RIP David Bowie...
I wasn't a fan, as such, but David Bowie's passing is sad news. I was going to get Queen Bitch played as the first song at my wedding last year but the present Mrs Smith objected...
Songwriters are high on my list of people that I admire and respect. Even though there were only a few songs of his that I really liked, I found him interesting and feel a real sadness at his passing.
If you get the chance, you should see if you can see the movie, "The Prestige". He only had a small role in that film but somehow he was good in it, maybe because the subject matter was magic.
I know the name...but not his music...
It would seem that you do not acknowledge the wisdom to not speaking ill of the dead. No, I was not a fan of most of his music, but the size of his bank account certainly indicated that a great many considered his contributions to be very valuable. At one time, he was the richest entertainer by far in the music business.
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