David Bowie, seen to the left in the sexiest role he ever played, in the wonderful
movie Labryinth! Does anyone else wish they would make a more-adult version without all the silly puppets? I don't mean like porn - get your minds out of the gutter! I just think there are some interesting and deep ideas expressed in that movie that become lost behind the puppets... But anyway, that's not what this post it about at any rate!
David Bowie has been rocking for a very, very long time. He started with his first band (the Konrads) in 1962 at age 15. His first hit was in 1969, "Space Oddity."
Just today (January 8, 2013), Bowie announced his 30th studio release, The Next Day, scheduled for release in March (8th in Australia, 11th everywhere else BUT the US, where it will be released on the 12th). I don't have anywhere near all of his music in my collection, but according to my Windows Media Players counter, I have 24.3 hours worth of Bowie music in my collection: more than any other single artist! He has done all kinds of crazy things during the course of his career, and I mostly did this post so I can share some of the pictures I found when I did a search earlier today.
While Bowie has been rocking for a very long time, he's a relatively recent addition to my musical favorites. I didn't much care for him when I first heard his stuff in high school (back in his "Blue Jean" and "Modern Love" era in the 1980s), but his music slowly grew on me. According to my husband, who is a huge David Bowie fan, this is normal. Dmitry says he has hated every single Bowie album when he first heard it, and it wasn't until the 3rd time he listened to any given one of them that he started to like them.
Heathen had recently been released during our one visit up north to visit my family, and I still remember listening to that album over and over as I drove, with a white-knuckled grip, over the Beartooth mountains from Wyoming into Montana.
I think, historically, David Bowie is best known for his glam era and his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. What a difference between then and the present! He is also an acknowledged bisexual, and had tended toward the androgynous over the years, which I really admire. In fact, I sometimes find myself missing his glam era, because the makeup really accentuated his gorgeous facial bone structure. But I could say that of most bands; I just love glam rock style.
Because David Bowie has done so much experimentation with styles and music and his own personal lifestyle, there is no single type or style of music that really applies to him, which is part of why I'm finding I enjoy him so much as I listen to more of his music. Just listening to his music through the ages is a sort of microcosm of all my favorite types and styles of music!
David Bowie, here's to you, to the many decades of terrific music, and to all that is left to come!
Gotye in the film clip "you didnt have to cut me off.." reminds me of David Bowie in his make-up faze. Love the Labrynth and anything by the puppet master Jim Henson. Cool, I may have to listen to some of his music now.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the movie Velvet Goldmine? It's sort of Bowie without Bowie.
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't, but I've heard of it. I'll see if I can find a copy to watch sometime.
DeleteSomehow I missed this post on my favorite legendary icon.
ReplyDeleteReally great post Katy. I'm so into Bowie I did not 1 podcast tribute but 2 (only one's up though).
My favorite stuff by Bowie is probly considered his weirdest: Low and Heroes, though I'm a big fan of his Ziggy Stardust period and Scary Monsters too.
I've never even heard his last 4 or 5 albums but after hearing what you had to say about a couple of them (of which my friend Lawrence Grover aka Greek electronic music artist, Boc Scadet, said he liked the same albums as you), I'll have to check them out.
I'm not sure if I read you rt on one comment though. I LOVE the puppets in Labyrinth (& Dark Crystal) and wasn't sure if you did too?...though it's obvious you love the movie. I think a modern version of it could be good but I'm not sure how you would replace David Bowie or Jim Henson's creatures.
Love this post! --
michael fierce
Labyrinth as it is works, and is a great movie. What I meant is that I'd like to have a live-action, all-human sort of version of it, a more mature version, that explores the aspects of the Goblin King's search for someone to love him, and the girl's search for her own power, if that makes sense. As it is, it's more of a kid's movie and doesn't explore those themes the way I would like to have seen them explored. And there is not any person I can think of who could really replace Bowie in it - that movie is what changed my opinion of him altogether. :-)
DeleteDmitry also recommended Low and Heroes; I have both of them. Heathen is the one I'm most familiar with because of that trip to Montana during which we played it over and over, so that's why I know it better than most of his other stuff.
If you and / or Dmitry are ever interested, please check out my David Bowie 'Low' tribute podcast you can find on this pg, called 'Low Broken Radio':
ReplyDeletehttp://musicaphenomena.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-02-12T04:55:00-08:00&max-results=7
I spent weeks on putting it together which probly seems redonkulous but it was worth it and many of the covers are exclusive and I vocal coached on one of the contributions. --
fierce
If I'm still awake when he wakes up, I'll be sure to play it for him! thanks for the link!
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