The David Bowie Thread

[ReRushed]

What was is it about him that has affected us so? I'm at a loss.

He pointed out that it is okay to be different.

 

It was a lot more than that for me.. He wasn't any more odd than Alice Cooper back then. I never even considered him different, or Alice odd. That's just the way things were back then. Nothing surprised us much.

Even your parents?

 

Bowie changed with the times, but always hung out on the borders of what was considered normal or proper. I really think he helped his audience and fans express themselves and feel confident, especially if his fans felt different or marginalized.

[ReRushed]

How long have he and Iman been married now?

The early 1990s. 91 or 92?

[Lorraine]

What was is it about him that has affected us so? I'm at a loss.

He pointed out that it is okay to be different.

 

It was a lot more than that for me.. He wasn't any more odd than Alice Cooper back then. I never even considered him different, or Alice odd. That's just the way things were back then. Nothing surprised us much.

Even your parents?

 

Bowie changed with the times, but always hung out on the borders of what was considered normal or proper. I really think he helped his audience and fans express themselves and feel confident, especially if his fans felt different or marginalized.

 

My parents were born during WWI and had no idea who sang the music I listened to.

 

The only time I remember either one making a comment is the day my brother brought home from work the first 45 released by The Beatles. It had their picture on it, and we (my mother and I) laughed at their long hair.

 

My father just went out and bought me headphones so he wouldn't have to listen to the "noise" I listened to.

[Blue J]

How long have he and Iman been married now?

The early 1990s. 91 or 92?

 

I wondered that too; honestly, I didn't know if they still were or not.

 

I believe it was definitely '92...this is maybe kind of odd, but I remember exactly where I was when I heard they'd gotten married.

[Lorraine]

They've been married for 24 years. If you google "David Bowie and Iman", you will see tributes already.

[Lorraine]

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/david-bowies-wife-iman-posts-heartbreaking-photos-struggle-quotes-w161387

 

"Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory"

[custom55]

I was lucky to see The Spiders from Mars tour in NYC / Radio City back in 1973. :codger: David was just incredible. I also saw the Diamond Dogs tour at Radio City a year later.

 

Thanks for the memories David.

 

[Turbine Freight]

People in England will remember this clip all too well. When Bowie put his arm around Ronson all the papers went ballistic the next morning.

 

[The Cat 3]

The news of David Bowie passing hit me like a sucker punch.

 

I was in the kitchen this morning and my wife came down stairs and asked, "are you ok?"

 

I just burst into tears almost unable to get the words out to tell her that David had just died.

 

I have a beautiful framed print of David from 1976 in the room where my music, books, computer, etc. are.

 

I just keep staring at it in disbelief...he was larger than life on one hand and just as fragile as you and I on the other.

 

I am so very sad over this, my heart is truly broken.

 

I wrote earlier, that it is like I've lost a friend who I've known my entire life.

 

I have literally been a fan of his music my entire life.

 

I know you know what I mean when I say that people come and go through different seasons of your life but there are certain constants.

 

David's music was one of those constants on so many levels.

 

I'm such a outsider and his music is a reassurance that it is ok to be different, even to the point of being a bit out of touch with the norm.

 

I thanked God today a number of times for the gift of his music in my life and for how it has spoken to me over the years.

 

My prayers go out to his family, his friends and to my fellow fans.

 

I've stolen one of his phrases a few years back.

 

It was so silly, but it really stuck with me.

 

I saw an interview with him where he said that he has a "catch all" phrase for any emotion he's experiencing.

 

He explained the phrase, "I'm as angry as a cat's whiskers!" or "I'm as happy as a cat's whiskers".

 

He went on to say, playfully, "see, it'll work for any emotion".

 

Today, I am as sad as a cat's whiskers.

[The Cat 3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah07pbw1xws&index=4&list=PLhf-8fjwNCpLrQx6u8uNCJQOftiSTlCoP

[The Cat 3]

Last year I wrote in the music thread about his song, "Conversation Piece" being almost biographical to my own experience.

 

How could someone I've never met speak so clearly as to how I feel most days?

 

The lyrics are...

 

I took this walk to ease my mind

To find out what's gnawing at me

And wouldn't think to look at me

That I've spent a lot of time in education

All seems so long ago

 

I'm a thinker, not a talker

I've no-one to talk to, anyway

I can't see the road

For the rain in my eyes

 

I live above the grocers store

Owned by an Austrian

He often calls me down to eat

And he jokes about his broken English

Tries to be a friend to me

 

But for all my years of reading conversation

I stand without a word to say

I can't see the bridge

For the rain in my eyes

 

And the world is full of life

Full of folk who don't know me

And they walk in twos or threes or more

While the light that shines above the grocer's store

Investigates my face so rudely

 

And my essays lying scattered on the floor

Fulfill their needs just by being there

And my hands shake, my head hurts

My voice sticks inside my throat

I'm invisible and dumb and no one will recall me

And I can't see the water through the tears in my eyes

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFBGnl0jlGw　

[New Digital Man]

Not been a good start to the year for music, first Lemmy and now Bowie, very sad! Edited January 11, 2016 by New Digital Man

[Turbine Freight]

The news of David Bowie passing hit me like a sucker punch.

 

I was in the kitchen this morning and my wife came down stairs and asked, "are you ok?"

 

I just burst into tears almost unable to get the words out to tell her that David had just died.

 

I have a beautiful framed print of David from 1976 in the room where my music, books, computer, etc. are.

 

I just keep staring at it in disbelief...he was larger than life on one hand and just as fragile as you and I on the other.

 

I am so very sad over this, my heart is truly broken.

 

I wrote earlier, that it is like I've lost a friend who I've known my entire life.

 

I have literally been a fan of his music my entire life.

 

I know you know what I mean when I say that people come and go through different seasons of your life but there are certain constants.

 

David's music was one of those constants on so many levels.

 

I'm such a outsider and his music is a reassurance that it is ok to be different, even to the point of being a bit out of touch with the norm.

 

I thanked God today a number of times for the gift of his music in my life and for how it has spoken to me over the years.

 

My prayers go out to his family, his friends and to my fellow fans.

 

I've stolen one of his phrases a few years back.

 

It was so silly, but it really stuck with me.

 

I saw an interview with him where he said that he has a "catch all" phrase for any emotion he's experiencing.

 

He explained the phrase, "I'm as angry as a cat's whiskers!" or "I'm as happy as a cat's whiskers".

 

He went on to say, playfully, "see, it'll work for any emotion".

 

Today, I am as sad as a cat's whiskers.

 

"So softly, a super God dies..."

 

David Bowie - The Supermen.

[Inthend]

What was is it about him that has affected us so? I'm at a loss.

He was able to bring the noblest emotions to the surface. He dazzled with his passion and courage, and charmed with wit and inner humility.

[Lorraine]

What was is it about him that has affected us so? I'm at a loss.

He was able to bring the noblest emotions to the surface. He dazzled with his passion and courage, and charmed with wit and inner humility.

 

I only knew bits and pieces about his personal life - Angie and Iman - and little else. So, it must have been something else for me. Or, again, it might just be that I did grow up with him and now he's gone. And at both high and low points of my life, there was a Bowie song there somewhere in the background.

[HemiBeers]

Flea rocking some new ink.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAacQqiGtyp/

 

I don't share his passion for Bowie, but I admire his sentiment.

[djflex]

I guess one memory that always stuck out to me were his early SNL appearances. Many of us can recall just how out there those were. I remember seeing them going, what in the world is this. It truly was something to see.

 

I think the first album i owned was ziggy, but cant remember for sure.

 

My favorite songs are cat people (putting out fire) and TVC 15 .

 

I guess Im not as huge a fan as many on here but a fan still.

 

I always thought to myself here is an artist who does what he feels. Never scared to buck the trend and try something different.

 

 

As i said in my first post, thanks for the memories man

[Tombstone Mountain]

What was is it about him that has affected us so? I'm at a loss.

 

Ok Lorraine, if you need some pointers here ya go.

 

As we mourn for David Bowie, what keeps coming to mind is the huge impact he had on our times, anticipating and, often, helping to shape its twists and turns through the past few decades. He got to the "unknown" first.

 

Here are eight ways Bowie influenced popular culture:

 

1. As a gender bender: At a time when homosexuality was still, mostly, illegal, Bowie publicly embraced the idea of a fluid sexuality. As he came to public prominence in the 1970s, he'd wear dresses on stage, proclaim himself gay, flirt openly with guitarist Mick Ronson in a legendary British TV performance of the song "Starman." All of it helped pave the way for a culture that became ever more accepting of non-traditional sex roles. This can't be understated. It was a HUGE deal, to borrow from Donald Trump.

 

2. As a genre bender: Not only did Bowie make music in an astonishing range of styles, but he made compelling music in all of them. His catalog includes everything from singer-songwriter gems ("Changes," "Life on Mars") to grinding, guitar-led rock ("Suffragette City," "Rebel Rebel") to soul ("Young Americans") to funk ("Fame") to post-Cold War anthems ("Heroes," "Station to Station"). And when he needed to make hits, he turned out "Let's Dance" and helped shape the sound of the 1980s. "To me it seems so intentional and so well done that I don't think the word 'poser' fits," said Michael Darling, chief curator of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, the only U.S. home for the "David Bowie Is" museum show. "It's so strategic and smart in a way that is very Warholian." In this way, one can see how Queen was heavily influenced by Bowie. They share that common thread.

 

3. As a crossover artist: Before settling into rock 'n' roll, Bowie tried his hand at, among other things, mime. And he would keep experimenting, playing a convincing space alien in Nicolas Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" and the title character in the Broadway play "The Elephant Man". He wasn't the first to move from popular music into film and theater, of course, but he was one of the most effective, even as he said he lacked the discipline to do more than dabble in acting. "It really kind of connects up to bigger ideas about a signature style and how that's maybe an old fashioned notion," Darling said. "This idea of multiple personalities, multiple ways of perception, really is one of the most defining radical aspects of late 20th century culture."

 

4. As a performance artist: There was always an aspect to Bowie's art that was beyond the music, from the theatricality of his costumes and the stage sets he designed to the way he tried on and shed personas. To see this in action, look up the clip of Bowie on "Saturday Night Live" in 1979. There are the songs, yes, stellar versions of "The Man Who Sold the World," "Boys Keep Swinging" and "TVC15," but there are also the remarkable performances, including cabaret artist Klaus Nomi as a backup singer, a pink toy poodle with an embedded TV screen, and Bowie in a giant puppet costume and another that necessitated him being lifted into place on the stage.

 

5. As a music video pioneer: Before there was even an outlet for them, Bowie was seeing that short films were made of his songs. MTV began life by playing the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," and that works, lyrically, but the better choice might have been, say, Bowie's film of his first hit, 1969's "Space Oddity." "From the very beginning he pushed it and took advantage of it in a way other artists didn't," Darling said.

 

6. As a fashion icon: He was more striking-looking than handsome, but Bowie's angularity, in facial structure and wire-thin body, helped him wear clothes well. And did he ever do so, taking stages in a cotton-candy-colored jumpsuit or in the iconic, wide-legged jumpsuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto, Bowie's partner in one of the 1970s most potent designer-model collaborations.

 

7. As an archivist: The "David Bowie Is" show smashed attendance records, drawing 193,000 visitors in just under four months to Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art in 2014. (The show is now in Groninger, the Netherlands.) Beyond a compelling life story and great integration of music into the museum experience, what made that show work was that Bowie kept just about everything, from a cocaine spoon that was part of his mid-1970s drug troubles to apartment keys from the Berlin years later that decade that helped him find solid ground again. It included the letter in which David Jones formally takes the name David Bowie, as well as costume after outrageous costume. It brought to mind, I wrote at the time of the MCA show, "the hippest lost episode of 'Hoarders' you could ever experience."

 

8. As a planner of his own death: People were puzzling out the meaning of the album Bowie released Friday, "Blackstar," on his 69th birthday (a birthday he shares with Elvis Presley, by the way). But looking at the video now for its first song, "Lazarus," is a haunting experience, and one last coup by the master showman. He's on a hospital bed with bandages around his face and buttons for eyes; he's writing frenetically; he's singing "Look up here, I'm in heaven."

 

Dude was bigger than life. But to top it all off, he was incredible in the studio. His music was so deep, yet simple. He painted in the corners of our collective headphones.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Tombstone Mountain

[Lorraine]

Never scared to buck the trend and try something different.

 

Earlier I thought the same thing thinking how much like Rush he was. Always doing something different and never staying the same for long.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

My two person acoustic band is preparing to play at our school's "coffee house jam" next month, and I brought it up to my bandmate today that we might replace one of our current songs with Space Oddity, which I think is my favorite Bowie song. Decided to learn it on guitar today; fun to play. Very poignant lyrics, seems perfectly applicable to both traveling beyond the reach of the Earth and traveling beyond the reach of this life. If I were more emotional about these things it definitely would've made me cry today.

 

Just thought that might be an interesting thing to say.

[djflex]

Never scared to buck the trend and try something different.

 

Earlier I thought the same thing thinking how much like Rush he was. Always doing something different and never staying the same for long.

 

Yes, it was great because he never seemed like he did anything for commercial success. Even when he kinda went commercial , lol.

He just did what suited him

[Lorraine]

What was is it about him that has affected us so? I'm at a loss.

 

Ok Lorraine, if you need some pointers here ya go.

 

As we mourn for David Bowie, what keeps coming to mind is the huge impact he had on our times, anticipating and, often, helping to shape its twists and turns through the past few decades. He got to the "unknown" first.

 

Here are eight ways Bowie influenced popular culture:

 

1. As a gender bender: At a time when homosexuality was still, mostly, illegal, Bowie publicly embraced the idea of a fluid sexuality. As he came to public prominence in the 1970s, he'd wear dresses on stage, proclaim himself gay, flirt openly with guitarist Mick Ronson in a legendary British TV performance of the song "Starman." All of it helped pave the way for a culture that became ever more accepting of non-traditional sex roles. This can't be understated. It was a HUGE deal, to borrow from Donald Trump.

 

2. As a genre bender: Not only did Bowie make music in an astonishing range of styles, but he made compelling music in all of them. His catalog includes everything from singer-songwriter gems ("Changes," "Life on Mars") to grinding, guitar-led rock ("Suffragette City," "Rebel Rebel") to soul ("Young Americans") to funk ("Fame") to post-Cold War anthems ("Heroes," "Station to Station"). And when he needed to make hits, he turned out "Let's Dance" and helped shape the sound of the 1980s. "To me it seems so intentional and so well done that I don't think the word 'poser' fits," said Michael Darling, chief curator of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, the only U.S. home for the "David Bowie Is" museum show. "It's so strategic and smart in a way that is very Warholian." In this way, one can see how Queen was heavily influenced by Bowie. They share that common thread.

 

3. As a crossover artist: Before settling into rock 'n' roll, Bowie tried his hand at, among other things, mime. And he would keep experimenting, playing a convincing space alien in Nicolas Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" and the title character in the Broadway play "The Elephant Man". He wasn't the first to move from popular music into film and theater, of course, but he was one of the most effective, even as he said he lacked the discipline to do more than dabble in acting. "It really kind of connects up to bigger ideas about a signature style and how that's maybe an old fashioned notion," Darling said. "This idea of multiple personalities, multiple ways of perception, really is one of the most defining radical aspects of late 20th century culture."

 

4. As a performance artist: There was always an aspect to Bowie's art that was beyond the music, from the theatricality of his costumes and the stage sets he designed to the way he tried on and shed personas. To see this in action, look up the clip of Bowie on "Saturday Night Live" in 1979. There are the songs, yes, stellar versions of "The Man Who Sold the World," "Boys Keep Swinging" and "TVC15," but there are also the remarkable performances, including cabaret artist Klaus Nomi as a backup singer, a pink toy poodle with an embedded TV screen, and Bowie in a giant puppet costume and another that necessitated him being lifted into place on the stage.

 

5. As a music video pioneer: Before there was even an outlet for them, Bowie was seeing that short films were made of his songs. MTV began life by playing the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," and that works, lyrically, but the better choice might have been, say, Bowie's film of his first hit, 1969's "Space Oddity." "From the very beginning he pushed it and took advantage of it in a way other artists didn't," Darling said.

 

6. As a fashion icon: He was more striking-looking than handsome, but Bowie's angularity, in facial structure and wire-thin body, helped him wear clothes well. And did he ever do so, taking stages in a cotton-candy-colored jumpsuit or in the iconic, wide-legged jumpsuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto, Bowie's partner in one of the 1970s most potent designer-model collaborations.

 

7. As an archivist: The "David Bowie Is" show smashed attendance records, drawing 193,000 visitors in just under four months to Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art in 2014. (The show is now in Groninger, the Netherlands.) Beyond a compelling life story and great integration of music into the museum experience, what made that show work was that Bowie kept just about everything, from a cocaine spoon that was part of his mid-1970s drug troubles to apartment keys from the Berlin years later that decade that helped him find solid ground again. It included the letter in which David Jones formally takes the name David Bowie, as well as costume after outrageous costume. It brought to mind, I wrote at the time of the MCA show, "the hippest lost episode of 'Hoarders' you could ever experience."

 

8. As a planner of his own death: People were puzzling out the meaning of the album Bowie released Friday, "Blackstar," on his 69th birthday (a birthday he shares with Elvis Presley, by the way). But looking at the video now for its first song, "Lazarus," is a haunting experience, and one last coup by the master showman. He's on a hospital bed with bandages around his face and buttons for eyes; he's writing frenetically; he's singing "Look up here, I'm in heaven."

 

Dude was bigger than life. But to top it all off, he was incredible in the studio. His music was so deep, yet simple. He painted in the corners of our collective headphones.

 

 

That just shows you how great he actually was because you didn't need to know (and I didn't until just reading your post now) any of what you have posted to be able to know there was something unique about him. It came through in the music.

[Lorraine]

My two person acoustic band is preparing to play at our school's "coffee house jam" next month, and I brought it up to my bandmate today that we might replace one of our current songs with Space Oddity, which I think is my favorite Bowie song. Decided to learn it on guitar today; fun to play. Very poignant lyrics, seems perfectly applicable to both traveling beyond the reach of the Earth and traveling beyond the reach of this life. If I were more emotional about these things it definitely would've made me cry today.

 

Just thought that might be an interesting thing to say.

 

Take your protein pills and you'll be alright. ;)

[Tombstone Mountain]

What was is it about him that has affected us so? I'm at a loss.

 

Ok Lorraine, if you need some pointers here ya go.

 

As we mourn for David Bowie, what keeps coming to mind is the huge impact he had on our times, anticipating and, often, helping to shape its twists and turns through the past few decades. He got to the "unknown" first.

 

Here are eight ways Bowie influenced popular culture:

 

1. As a gender bender: At a time when homosexuality was still, mostly, illegal, Bowie publicly embraced the idea of a fluid sexuality. As he came to public prominence in the 1970s, he'd wear dresses on stage, proclaim himself gay, flirt openly with guitarist Mick Ronson in a legendary British TV performance of the song "Starman." All of it helped pave the way for a culture that became ever more accepting of non-traditional sex roles. This can't be understated. It was a HUGE deal, to borrow from Donald Trump.

 

2. As a genre bender: Not only did Bowie make music in an astonishing range of styles, but he made compelling music in all of them. His catalog includes everything from singer-songwriter gems ("Changes," "Life on Mars") to grinding, guitar-led rock ("Suffragette City," "Rebel Rebel") to soul ("Young Americans") to funk ("Fame") to post-Cold War anthems ("Heroes," "Station to Station"). And when he needed to make hits, he turned out "Let's Dance" and helped shape the sound of the 1980s. "To me it seems so intentional and so well done that I don't think the word 'poser' fits," said Michael Darling, chief curator of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, the only U.S. home for the "David Bowie Is" museum show. "It's so strategic and smart in a way that is very Warholian." In this way, one can see how Queen was heavily influenced by Bowie. They share that common thread.

 

3. As a crossover artist: Before settling into rock 'n' roll, Bowie tried his hand at, among other things, mime. And he would keep experimenting, playing a convincing space alien in Nicolas Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" and the title character in the Broadway play "The Elephant Man". He wasn't the first to move from popular music into film and theater, of course, but he was one of the most effective, even as he said he lacked the discipline to do more than dabble in acting. "It really kind of connects up to bigger ideas about a signature style and how that's maybe an old fashioned notion," Darling said. "This idea of multiple personalities, multiple ways of perception, really is one of the most defining radical aspects of late 20th century culture."

 

4. As a performance artist: There was always an aspect to Bowie's art that was beyond the music, from the theatricality of his costumes and the stage sets he designed to the way he tried on and shed personas. To see this in action, look up the clip of Bowie on "Saturday Night Live" in 1979. There are the songs, yes, stellar versions of "The Man Who Sold the World," "Boys Keep Swinging" and "TVC15," but there are also the remarkable performances, including cabaret artist Klaus Nomi as a backup singer, a pink toy poodle with an embedded TV screen, and Bowie in a giant puppet costume and another that necessitated him being lifted into place on the stage.

 

5. As a music video pioneer: Before there was even an outlet for them, Bowie was seeing that short films were made of his songs. MTV began life by playing the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," and that works, lyrically, but the better choice might have been, say, Bowie's film of his first hit, 1969's "Space Oddity." "From the very beginning he pushed it and took advantage of it in a way other artists didn't," Darling said.

 

6. As a fashion icon: He was more striking-looking than handsome, but Bowie's angularity, in facial structure and wire-thin body, helped him wear clothes well. And did he ever do so, taking stages in a cotton-candy-colored jumpsuit or in the iconic, wide-legged jumpsuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto, Bowie's partner in one of the 1970s most potent designer-model collaborations.

 

7. As an archivist: The "David Bowie Is" show smashed attendance records, drawing 193,000 visitors in just under four months to Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art in 2014. (The show is now in Groninger, the Netherlands.) Beyond a compelling life story and great integration of music into the museum experience, what made that show work was that Bowie kept just about everything, from a cocaine spoon that was part of his mid-1970s drug troubles to apartment keys from the Berlin years later that decade that helped him find solid ground again. It included the letter in which David Jones formally takes the name David Bowie, as well as costume after outrageous costume. It brought to mind, I wrote at the time of the MCA show, "the hippest lost episode of 'Hoarders' you could ever experience."

 

8. As a planner of his own death: People were puzzling out the meaning of the album Bowie released Friday, "Blackstar," on his 69th birthday (a birthday he shares with Elvis Presley, by the way). But looking at the video now for its first song, "Lazarus," is a haunting experience, and one last coup by the master showman. He's on a hospital bed with bandages around his face and buttons for eyes; he's writing frenetically; he's singing "Look up here, I'm in heaven."

 

Dude was bigger than life. But to top it all off, he was incredible in the studio. His music was so deep, yet simple. He painted in the corners of our collective headphones.

 

 

That just shows you how great he actually was because you didn't need to know (and I didn't until just reading your post now) any of what you have posted to be able to know there was something unique about him. It came through in the music.

Like Stanley Kubrick, he helped change the "form" of the art. Real genius at work...in all phases. Nothing happened by accident in his music

[WorkingAllTheTime]

What was is it about him that has affected us so? I'm at a loss.

 

Ok Lorraine, if you need some pointers here ya go.

 

As we mourn for David Bowie, what keeps coming to mind is the huge impact he had on our times, anticipating and, often, helping to shape its twists and turns through the past few decades. He got to the "unknown" first.

 

Here are eight ways Bowie influenced popular culture:

 

1. As a gender bender: At a time when homosexuality was still, mostly, illegal, Bowie publicly embraced the idea of a fluid sexuality. As he came to public prominence in the 1970s, he'd wear dresses on stage, proclaim himself gay, flirt openly with guitarist Mick Ronson in a legendary British TV performance of the song "Starman." All of it helped pave the way for a culture that became ever more accepting of non-traditional sex roles. This can't be understated. It was a HUGE deal, to borrow from Donald Trump.

 

2. As a genre bender: Not only did Bowie make music in an astonishing range of styles, but he made compelling music in all of them. His catalog includes everything from singer-songwriter gems ("Changes," "Life on Mars") to grinding, guitar-led rock ("Suffragette City," "Rebel Rebel") to soul ("Young Americans") to funk ("Fame") to post-Cold War anthems ("Heroes," "Station to Station"). And when he needed to make hits, he turned out "Let's Dance" and helped shape the sound of the 1980s. "To me it seems so intentional and so well done that I don't think the word 'poser' fits," said Michael Darling, chief curator of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, the only U.S. home for the "David Bowie Is" museum show. "It's so strategic and smart in a way that is very Warholian." In this way, one can see how Queen was heavily influenced by Bowie. They share that common thread.

 

3. As a crossover artist: Before settling into rock 'n' roll, Bowie tried his hand at, among other things, mime. And he would keep experimenting, playing a convincing space alien in Nicolas Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" and the title character in the Broadway play "The Elephant Man". He wasn't the first to move from popular music into film and theater, of course, but he was one of the most effective, even as he said he lacked the discipline to do more than dabble in acting. "It really kind of connects up to bigger ideas about a signature style and how that's maybe an old fashioned notion," Darling said. "This idea of multiple personalities, multiple ways of perception, really is one of the most defining radical aspects of late 20th century culture."

 

4. As a performance artist: There was always an aspect to Bowie's art that was beyond the music, from the theatricality of his costumes and the stage sets he designed to the way he tried on and shed personas. To see this in action, look up the clip of Bowie on "Saturday Night Live" in 1979. There are the songs, yes, stellar versions of "The Man Who Sold the World," "Boys Keep Swinging" and "TVC15," but there are also the remarkable performances, including cabaret artist Klaus Nomi as a backup singer, a pink toy poodle with an embedded TV screen, and Bowie in a giant puppet costume and another that necessitated him being lifted into place on the stage.

 

5. As a music video pioneer: Before there was even an outlet for them, Bowie was seeing that short films were made of his songs. MTV began life by playing the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," and that works, lyrically, but the better choice might have been, say, Bowie's film of his first hit, 1969's "Space Oddity." "From the very beginning he pushed it and took advantage of it in a way other artists didn't," Darling said.

 

6. As a fashion icon: He was more striking-looking than handsome, but Bowie's angularity, in facial structure and wire-thin body, helped him wear clothes well. And did he ever do so, taking stages in a cotton-candy-colored jumpsuit or in the iconic, wide-legged jumpsuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto, Bowie's partner in one of the 1970s most potent designer-model collaborations.

 

7. As an archivist: The "David Bowie Is" show smashed attendance records, drawing 193,000 visitors in just under four months to Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art in 2014. (The show is now in Groninger, the Netherlands.) Beyond a compelling life story and great integration of music into the museum experience, what made that show work was that Bowie kept just about everything, from a cocaine spoon that was part of his mid-1970s drug troubles to apartment keys from the Berlin years later that decade that helped him find solid ground again. It included the letter in which David Jones formally takes the name David Bowie, as well as costume after outrageous costume. It brought to mind, I wrote at the time of the MCA show, "the hippest lost episode of 'Hoarders' you could ever experience."

 

8. As a planner of his own death: People were puzzling out the meaning of the album Bowie released Friday, "Blackstar," on his 69th birthday (a birthday he shares with Elvis Presley, by the way). But looking at the video now for its first song, "Lazarus," is a haunting experience, and one last coup by the master showman. He's on a hospital bed with bandages around his face and buttons for eyes; he's writing frenetically; he's singing "Look up here, I'm in heaven."

 

Dude was bigger than life. But to top it all off, he was incredible in the studio. His music was so deep, yet simple. He painted in the corners of our collective headphones.

 

Love this. Spot on. An icon in so many ways.

 

To me, he made the concepts of art and fashion approachable. He had a dignity and, obviously, an artistry about him that, at the same time, did not appear stuffy or entirely weird or pretentious. He always struck me as the type of man who would be comfortable visiting with pretty much any person, who would never make a person feel out of place or lacking in some way, yet who would draw you in with his own intelligence and creativity.

 

I think his music had the same qualities. It was definitely above the typical rock/pop fray in terms of content, but always still approachable in its style.

 

I would also suggest that he and Lemmy were, interestingly, two sides of the same coin. Both men lived their lives and careers their way, without worry of judgement, yet still found an adoring audience that appreciated them.