David Bowie!
I was driving home, centre lane, peak hour traffic. Nearly caused an accident.
For me, this is bigger than Lennon.
shemademedothis and I are sitting here trying to not sound trite, or cliched, trying to make sense of it all... The new album, the burst of creativity and reinvention and then this news.
None of this seems right.
Wow, I am shocked. I did not know he was sick. So sad. I thought he was just starting a new period of creativity.
Was his illness public knowledge? This was a shock when my radio went on at 6 a.m. It was the first thing I heard with the top of the hour newscast.
A big loss to the world of music and the arts.
An incredible visionary and unpredictable musical chameleon. One of a kind in every way. His final album just came out the other day and is intense. RIP.
Amazing the extent of the reaction. He really was a phenomenon. But in typical Bowie fashion he had the last word and wrote his own epitaph:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-JqH1M4Ya8
I, too, woke up this morning and it's the first thing I heard. I met him and Iman back in 1991 at a Bill Clinton rally in the Meadowlands . My sister and I, along with a couple of friends, were volunteering and working as "security". When he and Iman walked into the area, I heard someone (my sister) scream "HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!" The whole place burst out in laughter and he couldn't have been nicer, coming over to speak with us. They wound up sitting in front of us, and we watched them throughout the event holding each others' hands, hugging, just being terribly in love. This one hit me hard, and his passing is a great loss to his family and the world.
I was in the car driving some of my son's college age friends on Saturday, and "Young Americans" came on the radio. One of the boys cried out, "This song got me through finals!"
I replied, "This song got me though finals." When it first came out.
mlj said:
Very sad. I remember him singing Heroes at the concert in NY after 9/11.
Just thinking about the opening of that concert for heroes where he sang Simon & Garfunkel's "America" with nothing but a toy keyboard playing it as a polka still brings tears to eyes. One of the most powerful moments I've ever seen.
Mentioned on Facebook this morning that I was lucky enough to see him twice. Once on the Reality tour and again at Summerstage when he came out during Arcade Fire's encore and he sang of theirs and they sang one of his. What an amazing life that man had.
I went to college with his son Duncan (very smart, cool, low key kid). David and Iman attended our graduation ceremony...and we were all in awe of having David and Iman at our little college in Ohio. RIP.
With the possible exception of John Cale, Bowie was the person I have seen the most in concert. Starting with the tour after Low.
Just finished reading an NYT article about the tributes in Brixton and online and noted this quote:
The musician and rapper Kanye West lauded Mr. Bowie’s boldness and courage: “David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime,” he wrote on Twitter.
Decided I needed to hear some Bowie and pulled out my "Ziggy" LP. I had forgotten what the sign above him on the cover says: K. West.
Not really magic, but a guy who liked to watch "The Uncle Floyd Show" with John Lennon might have enjoyed that quirk of coincidence.
Thanks & R.I.P., Starman...
-s.
https://www.facebook.com/PBSDigitalStudios/videos/942241129146946/
soda said:
Thanks & R.I.P., Starman...
-s.
https://www.facebook.com/PBSDigitalStudios/videos/942241129146946/
This touching response to that Facebook post deserves a cheer: "Thank you making it OK to be as weird as you want."
"I watched the ripples change in size, but never leave their streams of warm impermanence."
Maybe only Dylan from the rock era wrote more lines that seem apropos at a time like this.
I can't find a video, but he once did a very funny small part on the HBO's sitcom, "Dream On."
His music (and other arts) never drew me in. I now must make a concerted effort to understand why people I respect liked his work so much.
Not to say this in a flip way, but among rock stars he was by far the best actor. He was always someone you had to pay attention to.
tom said:
Not to say this in a flip way, but among rock stars he was by far the best actor. He was always someone you had to pay attention to.
If you ever get a chance to see Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, stop whatever you're doing and see it. It is a beautiful, harrowing and poignant film and Bowie, alongside Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano and Tom Conti are amazing in it. Easily Bowie's finest performance.
ridski said:
tom said:
Not to say this in a flip way, but among rock stars he was by far the best actor. He was always someone you had to pay attention to.
If you ever get a chance to see Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, stop whatever you're doing and see it. It is a beautiful, harrowing and poignant film and Bowie, alongside Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano and Tom Conti are amazing in it. Easily Bowie's finest performance.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, sorry, that movie was the most painful I've ever watched. I saw it at an industry screening and it seemed to go on and on and on endlessly. I finally walked out, which I only did once before in my movie-viewing life. I LOVE his music, but that movie....... 
Includes a vintage video of "Young Americans" with Sanborn on sax and Vandross on backing vocals.
I have to say, it's OK to not 'get' the fuss, not feel the magic. I'm that way about a lot of iconic music - I know the music, the stories behind the legends responsible, I recognise the opening riffs, but I'm not branded into eternal fandom. I wouldn't have classed myself as a Bowie fan the way I adored Queen and Freddie Mercury, for example, but it's way too soon to say goodbye to this amazing talent and creative spark... And I cannot imagine the gaping hole in the universe his family is trying to deal with.
Tom, try watching Labyrinth again, and see how David inhabits that role. I remember reading somewhere (fairly recently) he was involved in designing his costumes and sets, as well as the performance. Then go and look at Once Upon a Time and Rumpelstiltskin and see if they're not related.
I just heard! I'm speechless!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-11/david-bowie-dies-after-cancer-battle-aged-69/7081962