the bowie thread

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droid

Well-known member
Not sure Id characterise his first relationship with Angie as evidence of 'responsibility'. They had about as open a marriage imaginable. It was probably all over by '75 at the latest and despite her erratic behaviour I think its fair to say that his treatment for her wasn't the best - he went for long periods without even speaking to her, using his staff to screen her and going so far as to stay in hotels when they were both in London at the same time.

His most callous moment I think was his treatment of Ronson and the Spiders, dumping them Neil Young fashion right at the height of the bands popularity. Ronson was extremely bitter about it, though they did reconcile a few years later. Ronson went on to play with Dylan, who took him on tour and then refused to let him play.

Also the near constant coke induced paranoia that led him to take Laurent Thibault, off the production credits for Low.

All in all though, considering his fame and wealth, the amount of drugs he took and the length of his career, the list of grievances seems pretty short.
 
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petergunn

plywood violin
droid said:
Also seen some dismissals of the praise for Bowie as 'rockist', which may be true in terms of Bowie coming from that world, but also completely false in the sense that Bowie, almost singlehandedly destroyed the concept of authenticity in music - the very foundation of rockism.

Critchley:
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This is very true... I def had a period in my late teens where I didn't respect Bowie as much as someone like John Lennon or Ray Davies, precisely bc I detected a lack of emotional commitment on his part, that he "didn't mean it, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan"...
 
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Beast of Burden
This is getting weird, you know. It's just David Bowie. He got down on his knees and recited the Lord's Prayer at Freddie Mercury's tribute concert.
 
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droid

Well-known member
craner said:
This is getting weird, you know. It's just David Bowie. He got down on his knees and recited the Lord's Prayer at Freddie Mercury's tribute concert.
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And really, who could take that seriously?

Aesthetically, apart from the catastrophe of 'never let me down', his worst mistake has to have been that godawful union jack coat.
 
Leo

Leo

Well-known member
yeah, droid, i probably shouldn't have included angie in that "commitment" reference but did only because they were together a long time by rock-star standards. seems like the relationship with iman was better.
 
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Beast of Burden
This mass Bowie grief epidemic is a good example of Retromania, though I suspect that critique is currently off limits.
 
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droid

Well-known member
I imagine when Bush dies there will be something similar.

I dont think its hard to understand really. The man was a genius and he connected on a deep personal level with millions of people. He was also a gateway to a myriad of other worlds and influences and an icon of otherness.
 
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droid

Well-known member
In a way I suppose - in that fandom itself is a type of worship. Bowie amassed a huge amount of fans and also became a cultural icon in the process, so even those who weren't huge fans could appreciate him - and his death on a symbolic level.
 
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droid

Well-known member
I was into metal when I first heard Bowie at age 13. 2 years later I had Low & Heroes on constant repeat on my walkman. The following year it was Eno, ambient, Aphex twin & tricky. 3 years later I got into jungle and was playing Kraftwerk, SAW 1 & 2 and Music for films (amongst others) on pirate radio every Sunday at 6AM on Pirate radio.

Without Bowie I wouldn't be here.
 
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droid

Well-known member
craner said:
Not all that different from Lady Di, then?
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I was never one to sneer at other peoples grief, no matter how baffling it seemed to me, but the thing that puzzled me about then was that people were mourning someone with whom they had absolutely no personal connection - an abstract idea, a symbol alone.
 
Leo

Leo

Well-known member
oh geez...what's wrong with feeling bad because an artist who's work was meaningful to you has died? sure, some fans go overboard but i don't think it's actually sneer-worthy.

also, kate bush's death would compare at all. she's loved in the uk but not on a global level like bowie, and her artistic output and influence doesn't compare.
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
droid said:
I was never one to sneer at other peoples grief, no matter how baffling it seemed to me, but the thing that puzzled me about then was that people were mourning someone with whom they had absolutely no personal connection - an abstract idea, a symbol alone.
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It is puzzling, but it's also fascinating. A sort of mass hysterical contagion. No small element of self-regard involved, but I think a lot of people were genuinely upset.

I wonder if the magnification of celebrity culture has something to do with this; this exaggeration of significance in life renders the death significant too.

Watching 'Brooklyn' last night, I was struck by how much personal connection you can be induced to feel even for completely fictional characters. As detached as we can be, we are also mentally primed to connect and empathise with others. Actually, the celebrity culture often hairpin turns between the two extremes - e.g. Amy Winehouse, who people were delighted to sneer at in life, and who suddenly became a tragic figure when she died for precisely the same audience.

Then, too, I think there's something enjoyable about grieving, something cathartic, which you can particularly enjoy when the person who you're grieving about doesn't have any connection to you IRL.

TBH, my feelings of sadness re: Bowie ARE irrational, insofar as I never followed his music when he was alive, and the fact that he's dead doesn't really effect my life in any way. Still, I do feel sad about it.

The same went for Michael Jackson, but even more so. The state he was in long before he died made him this figure of fun, even if you acknowledged the tragic aspects of his life. But when he died I DID feel sad - the tragic aspects of his life seemed to sharpen in focus. The music acquired this extra emotional layer. His most beautiful songs became more beautiful, more poised between joy and grief.
 
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