Born David Robert Jones, 8 January, 1947. He was a legendary singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor and accomplished artist whose extensive body of work in the over 5 decades in which he was publicly active, included 128 singles, 9 EP’s, including Lazarus the EP that was released a year following his death. He recorded 27 solo studio albums, two studio albums with his band Tin Machine and 11 live albums (not including bootlegs). He released over 400 songs in his career. Bowie sold over 140 million records worldwide (and is still selling). 14 albums since his death are still charting. His music has been scrutinised by wannabes and critics and mimicked by other musicians.
He composed for films and television with 752 credits to his name in soundtracks for films, TV and documentaries. He also appeared on hundreds of television shows and awards ceremonies.
Bowie also declared he was bisexual in an era in which it was illegal to commit homosexual acts. At the time, a public persona making such a bold statement gave others who were hiding in the closet, the courage to come out.
Not only was Bowie an artist in the broadest sense, he became a savvy businessman after a deal he’d struck with his business manager Tony DeFries at the beginning of his career, proved to be a costly mistake. Bowie became self-managed, later buying out DeFries for a tidy sum.
David Bowie had several ventures on the internet before many other musicians and he was the first musician to sell bonds based against his record catalogue. At one stage they fared better than British government bonds. He was the first artist to release a song that could be accessed on the net and the first to do interviews via email. Bowie once joked that he was a 'Sunday Futurist.'
Musician
Bowie had sax lessons as a teenager but taught himself to play piano, guitar, bass, drums, harmonica and the Japanese instrument Koto. He began his musical career in 1962 at the age of 15 with band called the Konrads. The King Bees, Manish Boys, Lower Third, The Buzz and The Riot followed. He was a struggling artist for the first ten years of his musical career. The first four albums as a solo artist were highly influenced by other bands and popular musicians. The Man who Sold the World clearly demonstrated Cream and T Rex influences. In Hunky Dory folk influences were evident. It wasn’t until he’d solidified his sound and vision that Bowie became a cultural phenomenon.
As he progressed, Bowie was an influencer due in most part to the radical changes he underwent in appearance and taste. Looking at the world around him, he saw what was bubbling beneath the surface artistically, politically and fashionably, took what was applicable and made it his own.
Bowie loved fashion and his chameleonic appearance changed with the times, going from sharp, mod to androgynous hippie, to avant garde alien as in Ziggy Stardust. In the early ’70’s, his theatrical live performances and exotic costumes, combined with solid rock and roll was unique. Thus, he paved the way for other artists to freely express themselves.
The Thin White Duke emerged during the mid 70’s when he explored funk. Bowie was the first white artist to appear on the popular Afro-American TV show, Soul Train. Despite the personal hardships he endured at this time, he still managed to create some of his best work. Fortunately, Bowie became aware that he was on a downward spiral and saved himself when he moved to West Berlin where he eschewed drugs and took responsibility for raising his son, Duncan.
In what is known as the Berlin Trilogy (Low, Heroes and Lodger) he experimented widely with electronica and pared down his sound and appearance.
The next decade began brilliantly with the album Scary Monsters and Super Creeps. Following this, when signed to EMI for his most commercially ambitious projects, if he was not on the crest of the wave, he was certainly riding it.
In the 1990’s Bowie formed the band Tin Machine with Reeves Gabrels which had its detractors. The ensuing solo albums were a mix of electronica and rock and roll. In 2003, Bowie faced a health crisis and as a result decided to stay home and live a normal life with his wife and daughter. His final live performance was in 2006 with Alicia Keys singing Changes at a fundraising event. By 2010 he was recording again. The album,The Next Day was released in 2013 to the surprise and delight of critics and fans. In 2014, feeling the pressure to record again, Bowie created the basis for what was to become his final album, Blackstar.
Bowie loved musicals and always wanted to write one. He got the chance to pen the theme song on 1986’s Absolute Beginners in which he also starred. However, it wasn’t until he was on death’s door that he finally had the opportunity to create the off-Broadway musical, Lazarus. The story continues on from the Man Who Fell To Earth and contains songs from his back catalogue, as well as new tracks which were featured on the posthumously released EP of the same name.
Some of Bowie’s songs have been covered by many different artists, from Barbra Streisand, to Marilyn Manson, Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The Eurythmics to name a few.
Bowie’s lyrics were open to interpretation, and as such were easily relatable. Listeners could find connections in their own ways. He had several producers over the years, most notably, Tony Visconti who has worked with Bowie more than any other. Trent Reznor and Brian Eno have also had a hand in helping Bowie experiment with sound. His songs were rich with bass, guitar and drums, overlaid with piano or keyboards and often punctuated with sax. He used strong harmonies and odd chord progressions which made the listener pay attention. Given his penchant for musicals, you can hear a theatrical sensibility in almost everything he created.
Films
Bowie’s filmography included 37 acting roles as both star and support. He was 19 when he studied mime with legendary British mime artist Lindsay Kemp who later helped him during the Ziggy Stardust tour.
Bowie had an outgoing, outspoken public persona which belied the quiet and shy person behind closed doors. The characters Bowie portrayed in movies tended to be outsiders. His first starring role was as a Martian in Nicolas Roeg’s ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’. His other roles included a vampire, Andy Warhol, Nikola Tesla, the Goblin King (in films) and the Elephant Man (on stage).
On a separate note, Bowie was the subject of 17 documentaries and filmed concerts. Featured as a guest on 12 other documentaries and produced 3 films.
Death and Legacy
On January 8th, 2016, his long awaited album Black Star was released to critical acclaim. Two days later, David Bowie died of cancer at the age of 69. No one but family and close friends knew he was dying and in the days that followed, fans worldwide were in shock.
Though Bowie inhabited many personas in his lifetime, the most iconic was that of Aladdin Sane: a skinny, pale androgynous person with a painted lightning bolt on his face, vibrant red hair and those startling eyes: one blue-green, one grey. His legacy involved more than his family, his art, films, stage performances or music. Many fans related to the sense of isolation as evidenced in his work. In it they found consolation and self acceptance of being ‘other’ or ‘different.’
There has never been and will never be anyone quite like David Bowie.
David Bowie Quotes: “I suppose for me as an artist it wasn’t always just about expressing my work…I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture I was living in.” And…“What I have, is a malevolent curiosity. That's what drives my need to write and what probably leads me to look at things a little askew.”
Kaz's Notes
In the attached video, I took parts of some of my fave songs from his studio albums as a solo artist. On several albums I had a difficult choice because I loved everything song. Wherever possible, the footage used is either the original music video, or failing that, live footage from later concerts and when all else failed, a clip showing Bowie’s acting talents whether in films or on stage. The choices in the video showcase the breadth and variety of his work. If you are unfamiliar with the material, I hope it arouses your curiosity. Please enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSNhvDE0x40
