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January is a tough month for people whose lives were impacted by David Bowie and his music. He was born on January 8th, 1947 and died sixty-nine years later on January 10th, 2016. To commemorate both, I thought I’d make him the subject of this week’s question:
Why does David Bowie matter to you?
I know that’s a bit of a broad question, but if he does, I expect you will have a lot to say on the subject. As for me, I recently wrote a bit about how my own life and work has been influenced by his art: “An Artist’s Rule: Be Like David Bowie…or Die Trying".
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My friends and I would drive around NYC at night in our early twenties listening to "Heroes" and other Bowie songs that made us feel young, quirky, free, and... infinite. When he passed, I was living in Los Angeles, and after months of not speaking, we suddenly had a lively text thread about our time "Bowie-ing" in the city. I have always loved his music and I wish I could go back in time and see him live.
I was living in LA at the time, too. I remember people gathering around his star on the Walk of Fame, leaving mementos behind. But also, the look on people's faces in record shops, flipping through his work, talking with each other about it. Such a strange day.
Truly!!! I remember the Walk of Fame mementos. I think the 1 yr anniversary of his death I saw a double feature of one of his concert films and Labyrinth at The Egyptian.
Let’s Dance is the song my wife and I chose to enter our wedding.
Now to elaborate, I think around my early teens I understood that there was a deeper level of craft around rock and pop. David Bowie was so ahead to its time, his art in many formats (music, writing, cinema, acting) is very different from everything you stumbled upon.
He showed us a unique way of being and living through his many personages.
Absolutely. I never think I'm listening to a song from a particular period of time from him. They seem to slip backward and forward, so that old songs feel futuristic and new songs feel like throwbacks. Very strange effect. Also, "Let's Dance" is a great choice for an entrance song!
January 10th matters to me because it's a personal death-iversary for me. My father died who was also a musician, composer and conductor. I wrote about him on my own page, if that's of interest (don't know the form for dropping links in others posts but it seems rude hahaha). I felt wrecked when Bowie died for that same reason, a powerful musician, composer and big thinker taken from us. I spent hours with my kid showing him Bowie's music. He had foresight and vision.
Thank you for leading me to the story about your father. You'll find that I am a sucker for dead parent stories, so they always hit me hard. I hope your kid is enjoying Bowie (and his genetic heritage)!
He was one of the most unique figures in the history of music, a chameleon who followed his own artistic and business instincts rather than follow anyone else's. Every step on his musical journey is a reflection of that integrity.
The song "Kooks"
It's a good reason.
My friends and I would drive around NYC at night in our early twenties listening to "Heroes" and other Bowie songs that made us feel young, quirky, free, and... infinite. When he passed, I was living in Los Angeles, and after months of not speaking, we suddenly had a lively text thread about our time "Bowie-ing" in the city. I have always loved his music and I wish I could go back in time and see him live.
I was living in LA at the time, too. I remember people gathering around his star on the Walk of Fame, leaving mementos behind. But also, the look on people's faces in record shops, flipping through his work, talking with each other about it. Such a strange day.
Truly!!! I remember the Walk of Fame mementos. I think the 1 yr anniversary of his death I saw a double feature of one of his concert films and Labyrinth at The Egyptian.
Let’s Dance is the song my wife and I chose to enter our wedding.
Now to elaborate, I think around my early teens I understood that there was a deeper level of craft around rock and pop. David Bowie was so ahead to its time, his art in many formats (music, writing, cinema, acting) is very different from everything you stumbled upon.
He showed us a unique way of being and living through his many personages.
Absolutely. I never think I'm listening to a song from a particular period of time from him. They seem to slip backward and forward, so that old songs feel futuristic and new songs feel like throwbacks. Very strange effect. Also, "Let's Dance" is a great choice for an entrance song!
Haha yes! Thank you. Congrats on the DB series!
Thanks for reading!
January 10th matters to me because it's a personal death-iversary for me. My father died who was also a musician, composer and conductor. I wrote about him on my own page, if that's of interest (don't know the form for dropping links in others posts but it seems rude hahaha). I felt wrecked when Bowie died for that same reason, a powerful musician, composer and big thinker taken from us. I spent hours with my kid showing him Bowie's music. He had foresight and vision.
Thank you for leading me to the story about your father. You'll find that I am a sucker for dead parent stories, so they always hit me hard. I hope your kid is enjoying Bowie (and his genetic heritage)!
He was one of the most unique figures in the history of music, a chameleon who followed his own artistic and business instincts rather than follow anyone else's. Every step on his musical journey is a reflection of that integrity.
Agreed, David!