Remembering Bowie

Remembering Bowie

I was in England in the winter of 2013. That January, the news came as unexpectedly as being slapped with a pancake while getting a haircut: David Bowie was releasing a new album.

A single and its accompanying music video, the stark ballad “Where Are We Now,” was unceremoniously released online.

The shock was warranted; Bowie had been unofficially retired for 10 years, keeping the production of the song and the new album a total secret.

Bowie, an Englishman, quickly shot to the forefront of British media. As a longtime fan, it was incredible for me to witness how much his home country admired him and celebrated the news of his resurgence.

The newspapers, magazines and news stations all lit up, and it was almost surreal seeing a 66-year-old musician headlining national publications in a way usually reserved for trending pop stars. Clearly, the respect held for Bowie and his contribution to music was unanimous. It was a wonderful feeling witnessing the nationwide adoration of a musical pioneer.

David Bowie died Sunday at the age of 69. A mere two days after releasing his 25th album, “Blackstar,” his second since emerging from retirement. He succumbed to liver cancer.

With his loss, the entertainment world has lost a true titan, a man whose talent for innovation is nearly unrivaled in popular music. Not only that, but I and millions more have lost a personal hero.

In my knowledge of rock music, it seems easy to say that, next to The Beatles, David Bowie was the most influential artist in the latter half of the 20th Century. Thousands of artists spawned throughout the 80’s, 90’s, and beyond cite him as direct inspiration, whether in terms of songwriting, production, image or showmanship. Entire genres, from glam metal to new wave, wouldn’t exist without Bowie’s trailblazing.

No matter how much one enjoys his music, or his wildly disparate styles and personas, David Bowie will always garner respect.

Even myself, as a saddened fan, admit to not enjoying everything the man did. I have my favorite albums and the ones that don’t excite me much. In a career that spanned everything from folk to blues to techno to soul, a few missteps were bound to happen. Much of his music is for the mind, not the heart.

He had a knack for crafting a song so wondrous and fully-formed that it’s hard to imagine anyone actually writing it, instead feeling like a timeless anthem he’d just happened to hear and record. Songs like “Starman,” “Heroes,” and “Under Pressure” are some of the finest, most transcendent songs of our time.

The cliche is that Bowie was a chameleon, blending into different personalities and sounds effortlessly. But he rarely “blended.” Rather, he came to define certain sounds before moving onto the next.

Even his last two albums, 2013’s “The Next Day” and this year’s “Blackstar,” displayed he was still the master of art rock, the sound he’d perfected during his last decade. It’s sad we’ll never get to see his next move.

Like his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie seemed alien to us. He was nothing if not exotic. Like a crazed genius from another world, he gave us work both strange and wonderful. That’s what makes his death so… tragic. The fact that such a legend is, after all, still human and vulnerable, is a sad and sobering one.

The world has lost a visionary, but Bowie’s imprints will remain and endure. Whether you were a lifelong fan or a newcomer, whether you’ll always see him as the Goblin King in “Labyrinth” or as the robotic Thin White Duke, his rich legacy will always be there to enjoy. With 25 studio albums, you can dive in anywhere.

Rest in peace, Mr. David Bowie. Thank you for the music. The Starman is now back amongst the stars.

Mitchell Hanson

Columnist