Remembering David Bowie 1947-2016

It was a Christmas morning back in the seventies. I must have been 8 years old or so. I can't really remember what my presents were but remember on of my sister's presents. It was David Bowie's album "Aladdin Sane." Bowie in silhouette on the cover with a red and blue lightning bolt on his face. Lightning bolds became one of my sister's favorite symbols but I have no idea if it was because of Bowie or not.

David Bowie's death was a huge shock to me. It was that I was the mega-fan but that he was , without, one of the greatest contributors and influences to contemporary music. Lyle Greenfield's words on Shoot reflect my thoughts and feelings about Bowie, "

Yet, like millions of my fellow humans, I was stunned and saddend by the news of his death. When some one, or thing, has made an indelible imprint on your consciousness, that imprint remains until death do you part. When the physical body is gone, we are reminded again of our mortality, even as the imprint stays on.

David Bowie was a Showman, Innovator and Visionary

Ironically, Bowie's duet with Bing Crosby on the television special Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas in 1977 was my next exposure to Bowie. The song was "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" and is available on YouTube.

I didn't begin listening to Bowie until MTV came on the air. It was the video for "Ashes to Ashes" that made me a Bowie fan. In the seventies the U.S. was still putting me into space and the dream that we would live on the moon and travel into the stars was strong in me. I hoped that soon, one day too I would go to the moon.

Ashes to Ashes, along with Space Oddity, captivated me. I was drawn in byt the Major Tom character. The video for Ashes to Ashes a mix of color, black and white, with Bowie in the Pierrot costume, a sad clown in search of love from Italian origin. Bowie in white face in a loose blouse with frilled collar and tiny hat sang this ode to childhood and spacemen.

Major Tom was the subject of another new wave song, "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Peter Schilling. The video was popular and also in high rotation on MTV.

Probably what I consider to be my most favorite song is the duet of Bowie and Queen, "Under Pressure" from the Queen album Hot Space I wasn't a full-fledged Queen fan yet. I thought their music was to artsy, not enough rock. Later in life I learned to appreciate Freddie Mercury and Queen in the manner they deserve to be. Of course, this is the song that Vanilla Ice famously sampled, and infamously denied was the same on late night television.

In the eights Bowie came out a handful of songs that also were in heavy rotation on MTV, "Let's Dance," "Modern Love," and "China Girl" all from the album Let's Dance. I kinda avoided these songs since they were extremely pop-ish. These days, though, I love to hear those tunes.

It was my girl friend in college that brought me back to Bowie. She was a extreme fan and listened to him al the time. In the nineties seventies music has become popular again. Especially the glam stuff. Bowie was played every where we hung out. I remember buying her the Sound + Vision 4 CD box set. It was a lot of money at the time, but she deserved it.

Bowie went on to do more music through out the nighties and 2000s. One notable collaboration with Brian Eno and Trent Reznor entitled, "I'm Afraid of Americans." The song is about the American corporate take-over.

Bowie's final album, Blackstar, was released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday. He died two days later from liver cancer.

David Bowie's Acting Career

IMDB lists 42 movie credits as an actor. Some of my personal favorites are the vampire movie, The Hunger, the goth Muppet movie, Labyrinth, and the mind bending spaceman in The Man Who Fell to Earth. He is also credited with 493 soundtrack credits. And around 400 credits in film total.

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