David Bowie

Pencil Portrait by Antonio Bosano.

David Bowie Pencil Portrait
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Last update: 27/05/17

On June 25, 2004, David Bowie collapsed backstage after a show in Germany, and had to undergo emergency heart surgery. “I tell you what, though, I won’t be writing a song about this one,” he joked, following the angioplasty. “I can’t wait to be fully recovered and get back to work again.”

Nevertheless, Major Tom WAS joking, for all that lay ahead was a re-prioritisation of his life and family values; the Thin White Duke not resurfacing artistically until 2013. The next two years would be filled with work, and a growing awareness of his own mortality.

Following its March 2013 release, Bowie’s album The Next Day,’ would be critically hailed as a reaffirmation of his diverse musical talent. I received my copy from my youngest daughter as a Father’s Day present, and unfortunately I’ve spent time ever since trying to like it. Believe me when I say, for such an admirer of Bowie, I was perplexed by my reaction – so convincingly swayed had I been by the initial reviews before I even heard a single track. Nevertheless, the suspicion persists that too may reviewers were duped by the unexpected nature of the star’s low key return from a decade long self imposed retirement to actually listen to the music.

The promotional video for the album’s title track offended Christians worldwide. Its composite depiction of a Cardinal dancing with a bare-breasted woman, stigmata wounds erupting from Cotillard’s hands and an array of religious imagery including a figure who is indulging in self-flagellation, caused widespread uproar. On a personal level, I was merely offended because I saw no lasting merit in the song.

Perhaps the most accessible aspect of the album is its cover artwork. Whilst I’ve struggled to digest its musical content, I immediately grasped the graphic illustration of Bowie’s ‘weight of expectation’ and the problem of living up to one’s illustrious past. Nevertheless, in view of the album’s protracted two year gestation, the new sleeve in comparison – a white box superimposed on top of his classic ‘Heroes’ cover – looked slipshod. Whitewashing Bowie’s Berlin period did not bode well, and disconcertingly, I found myself fast-tracking through the first five numbers. For sure, throughout the fifteen year period to 2003, I had neither found the Thin White Duke’s songwriting oeuvre as accessible, or as groundbreaking, as the material issued during his creative peak period. Nevertheless, the publicity hype suggested a real return to form. In truth, convinced of his permanent retirement as a result of health scares, reviewers were simply thrilled to see him back, however low key the jumping off point for the album’s launch.

When Bowie died, I revisited the album again and this time – finally – some of the material resonated with me; “Where are we now?” (the taster single release which sent me scuttling back into my studio to produce a cover version), “Valentine’s Day,” and “I’d rather be high,” yet much still passed me by. Still, it’s a common fault to expect so much from our musical heroes, and I’m as guilty as the next man.

As he grew older, settling into New York domesticity with Iman and his family, it became obvious that his past was not a topic he wished to revisit in any great detail. His liberal sexual prowess had been legendary, seducing male and female lovers alike including a Playboy model, singer Nina Simone, Charlie Chaplin’s widow and a transsexual among others, sometimes ‘bisexually multi-timing’ his partners, as one ex described it. If he knew who and what he was, there was no clear indication for decades. In an interview with Jonathan Ross, he avoided answering the question of whether he was gay or bisexual, simply saying: ‘I just got my leg over a lot.’

Recommended listening

Hunky Dory (1971)

The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust a& the Spiders from Mars (1972)

http://www.5years.com/

A website dedicated to “all things Ziggy.”

Live: Santa Monica '72

In collecting circles, rarity value and quality can often become indistinguishable elements of musical hyperbole, but Santa Monica ’72 justifiably earns its reputation as a near peerless snapshot of an emerging star and a kick ass band on terrific form, far from home and still negotiating a pathway to stardom. Within eighteen months, Bowie would be huge Stateside, but for now this live show is the authentic sound of a cult act pushing hard for breakout success.

It’s impossible to overstate the musical contribution of Mick Ronson. Very much an equal partner at this stage, his blistering fretboard work keeps “Queen Bitch” and “John, I’m Only Dancing” raw and savage, whilst his guitar lines on “Moonage Daydream” prowl all over the song, thankfully distracting our attention from some off key backing vocals.

Not everything Bowie tries on Santa Monica works – the set drags after ‘Space Oddity’ – but the closing ‘magnificent seven’ up the ante, preserving for posterity, a ‘superstar incarnate’ close to the top of his game.

A major league bootleg release.

1. Intro 2. Hang On To Yourself 3. Ziggy Stardust 4. Changes 5. The Supermen 6. Life On Mars? 7. Five Years 8. Space Oddity 9. Andy Warhol 10. My Death 11. The Width Of A Circle 12. Queen Bitch 13. Moonage Daydream 14. John, Im Only Dancing 15. Waiting For The Man 16. The Jean Genie 17. Suffragette City 18. Rock \‘n\’ Roll Suicide

Aladdin Sane (1973)

Diamond Dogs (1972)

Young Americans (1975)

Station to Station (1976)

Low (1977)

Heroes (1977)

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)

Recommended reading

The Complete David Bowie (Nicholas Pegg) sixth edition 2011

Critically acclaimed in its previous editions, The Complete David Bowie is widely recognized as the foremost source of analysis and information on every facet of Bowie’s career. The A-Z of songs and the day-by-day dateline are the most complete ever published. From the 11-year-old’s skiffle performance at the 18th Bromley Scouts’ Summer Camp in 1958, to the emergence of the legendary lost album Toy in 2011, The Complete David Bowie discusses and dissects every last development in rock’s most fascinating career.

  • The Albums – detailed production history and analysis of every album from 1967 to the present day.
  • The Songs – hundreds of individual entries reveal the facts and anecdotes behind not just the famous recordings, but also the most obscure of unreleased rarities – from ‘Absolute Beginners’ to ‘Ziggy Stardust’, from ‘Abdulmajid’ to ‘Zion’.
  • The Tours – set-lists and histories of every live show.
  • The Actor – a complete guide to Bowie’s career on stage and screen.
  • Plus – the videos, the BBC radio sessions, the paintings, the Internet and much more.

The career of David Bowie has been one of the most colorful and intriguing in modern rock history. In his exhaustive volume, Nicholas Pegg chronicles the star’s every move – from his first appearance as balladeer Davy Jones in the 60s, and his spectacular, gender-bending debut in the 70s as Ziggy Stardust, which made him an international sensation, to his starring roles in films like ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’ and his more mature work on albums like ‘Zion.’ This definitive reference also includes a detailed production history and an analysis of all of Bowie’s albums, hundreds of entries with facts and anecdotes about all his songs, including unreleased rarities, and set lists and histories of every live show. Moving beyond his music, the book charts Bowie’s career on stage and screen, his videos, and more.

Surfing

Bowie Wonderworld

http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/