David Bowie is 65 years old today.
I remember hearing the first lyric that ever made me actually cry, it came from Bowie.
"Though nothing, nothing can keep us together, we can beat them forever and ever, or we can be Heroes just for one day..."
Most anyone from the generation of baby boomers was touched by the art of the Man Who Sold the World. Bowie was a cultural icon and a sex symbol for rock in its prime. No other solo artist has built such a long lasting legacy in modern music. Even into his later years, Bowie is an enigma that all of the arts have looked to for inspiration.
Born on January 8, 1947 as David Robert Jones was the boy who would be king, the infamous David Bowie. He is has been one of the most influential artists over the last five decades. His works span the wide range of rock, jazz and pop, but he is arguably best known as an innovator of the classic glam rock style. Bowie is a giant among the seas of rock and roll limelight. We all owe something to the world of fashion, art, music and writing that he has created for a generation.
A quick synopsis of his career can be summed up, but not do justice to his legacy, but here goes nothing.
1962–68: Bowie did his foundational work with early bands the Konrads to the Riot Squad.
1969–73: Was his demonstrative work in psychedelic folk to glam rock that included Space Oddity, Hunky Dory and the ever classic fable that became Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
1974–76: Were the Diamond Dog years of soul, funk and the Thin White Duke. His work during this period is some of his crowning achievements. The Man Who Fell to Earth gains film acclaim for his acting career.
1976–79: With albums like Low in the Berlin era, Bowie became the eclectic artist most fans know him for. Heroes was an important single during this era also.
1980–89: Bowie propels from superstar to mega star with albums like Tonight, Scary Monsters and Let's Dance. The Title track for Let's Dance reaches number one. He appears in the Jim Henson film Labyrinth also.
1989–91: Tin Machine and Bowie take a dynamically different approach to his work. Although a dream team approach for a band, the lineup did not work as the democracy that Bowie hoped for, but the music is very cool.
1992–99: The electronica approach for this era is complimented by the collaboration of Bowie and Trent Reznor. Nine Inch Nails becomes a touring partner for this period also. I'm Afriad of Americans is a classic statement of the new direction his music has taken.
1999–present: The internet, remixing and collaborations with the new social media, are the hardware of the neoclassicist Bowie movement of today. Bowie achieves artistic awards and merits long deserved from his peer community. Bowie plays Nikola Tesla in the film The Prestige.
Blessings on this birthday number 65.
Your Arizona fans love you as much today as ever.
In the words of biographer Thomas Forget , "Because he has succeeded in so many different styles of music, it is almost impossible to find a popular artist today that has not been influenced by David Bowie."
David Bowie has been many characters on stage, in film and on the airwaves. He has been his own prophetic bard, a traveling minstrel always telling tales of his own life in his songs. As Ziggy once said so profoundly, "When the kids had killed the man, they had to break up the band."
Happy Birthday to Major Tom.
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