Bowie Anniversary
Discussion
I expect his reputation will continue to grow and grow with time.
I'm nearly 50, so, as a kid listening to chart music from the end of the 70s through the 80s, you could easily see his regular adaptation to changing pop music style as being a bit uncool and commercial, but with the benefit of hindsight that utterly missed the point.
Most pop is exploitative bilge that's just riding the wave of fashion. Wildly popular for an instant and then immediately forgotten. But that doesn't mean that all pop is dross nor that being genuinely interested in and wanting to explore and play with people's fickle, ephemeral tastes and interests is an unworthy endeavour.
He was a constantly curious, exploring artist in much the same way as most serious, creative, driven and ambitious thinkers are. Not everything they try succeeds nor necessarily chimes with you, but if someone isn't a fool and is making an honest and committed effort to produce something of value it is always worth taking the time to try to appreciate what they're up to. If you don't get it, that's down to you, not them.
Compared to when I was a kid or a young adult, when spending ten quid on an LP or CD was a real barrier to access to recordings, today's steaming services are a staggering resource. Being able to listen to someone like Bowie's entire back catalogue at the click of a button is an amazing privilege and we're crazy if we don't take advantage of it to explore what these glorious loons were up to.
In fact I might make a New Years Resolution to listen to the studio albums of every major recording artist who drops dead in 2021. That'd take the edge off a Niel Young, Pete Townshend or Robert Plant popping their clogs and allow me to wish a long life to Kanye West with some sincerity, even though I'll grudgingly admit even he might be worth listening to given I know some yoof who aren't complete morons who seem to value his output. He still seems like a massive bellend, but we should always remain open minded and give people the benefit of the doubt. How magnanimous of me!
I'm nearly 50, so, as a kid listening to chart music from the end of the 70s through the 80s, you could easily see his regular adaptation to changing pop music style as being a bit uncool and commercial, but with the benefit of hindsight that utterly missed the point.
Most pop is exploitative bilge that's just riding the wave of fashion. Wildly popular for an instant and then immediately forgotten. But that doesn't mean that all pop is dross nor that being genuinely interested in and wanting to explore and play with people's fickle, ephemeral tastes and interests is an unworthy endeavour.
He was a constantly curious, exploring artist in much the same way as most serious, creative, driven and ambitious thinkers are. Not everything they try succeeds nor necessarily chimes with you, but if someone isn't a fool and is making an honest and committed effort to produce something of value it is always worth taking the time to try to appreciate what they're up to. If you don't get it, that's down to you, not them.
Compared to when I was a kid or a young adult, when spending ten quid on an LP or CD was a real barrier to access to recordings, today's steaming services are a staggering resource. Being able to listen to someone like Bowie's entire back catalogue at the click of a button is an amazing privilege and we're crazy if we don't take advantage of it to explore what these glorious loons were up to.
In fact I might make a New Years Resolution to listen to the studio albums of every major recording artist who drops dead in 2021. That'd take the edge off a Niel Young, Pete Townshend or Robert Plant popping their clogs and allow me to wish a long life to Kanye West with some sincerity, even though I'll grudgingly admit even he might be worth listening to given I know some yoof who aren't complete morons who seem to value his output. He still seems like a massive bellend, but we should always remain open minded and give people the benefit of the doubt. How magnanimous of me!
I have vivid memories of seeing David Bowie on the Ziggy Stardust tour (Taunton ABC) when I was sixteen.
His ability to change and be ahead of others marked him out. Always superb music.
6 Music playing lots of Bowie this week-end. My manager just Teams called me halfway through Lauren Laverne's Desert Island Disco which had the volume full blast.
His ability to change and be ahead of others marked him out. Always superb music.
6 Music playing lots of Bowie this week-end. My manager just Teams called me halfway through Lauren Laverne's Desert Island Disco which had the volume full blast.
ATG said:
I expect his reputation will continue to grow and grow with time.
I'm nearly 50, so, as a kid listening to chart music from the end of the 70s through the 80s, you could easily see his regular adaptation to changing pop music style as being a bit uncool and commercial, but with the benefit of hindsight that utterly missed the point.
Most pop is exploitative bilge that's just riding the wave of fashion. Wildly popular for an instant and then immediately forgotten. But that doesn't mean that all pop is dross nor that being genuinely interested in and wanting to explore and play with people's fickle, ephemeral tastes and interests is an unworthy endeavour.
He was a constantly curious, exploring artist in much the same way as most serious, creative, driven and ambitious thinkers are. Not everything they try succeeds nor necessarily chimes with you, but if someone isn't a fool and is making an honest and committed effort to produce something of value it is always worth taking the time to try to appreciate what they're up to. If you don't get it, that's down to you, not them.
Compared to when I was a kid or a young adult, when spending ten quid on an LP or CD was a real barrier to access to recordings, today's steaming services are a staggering resource. Being able to listen to someone like Bowie's entire back catalogue at the click of a button is an amazing privilege and we're crazy if we don't take advantage of it to explore what these glorious loons were up to.
In fact I might make a New Years Resolution to listen to the studio albums of every major recording artist who drops dead in 2021. That'd take the edge off a Niel Young, Pete Townshend or Robert Plant popping their clogs and allow me to wish a long life to Kanye West with some sincerity, even though I'll grudgingly admit even he might be worth listening to given I know some yoof who aren't complete morons who seem to value his output. He still seems like a massive bellend, but we should always remain open minded and give people the benefit of the doubt. How magnanimous of me!
Excellent summary. But five years... bloody hell, time is flying by (sadly not so much the most of 2020, which feels like three years long!). Five years ago I was in Tenerife for my 50th, and Bowie died on my birthday.I'm nearly 50, so, as a kid listening to chart music from the end of the 70s through the 80s, you could easily see his regular adaptation to changing pop music style as being a bit uncool and commercial, but with the benefit of hindsight that utterly missed the point.
Most pop is exploitative bilge that's just riding the wave of fashion. Wildly popular for an instant and then immediately forgotten. But that doesn't mean that all pop is dross nor that being genuinely interested in and wanting to explore and play with people's fickle, ephemeral tastes and interests is an unworthy endeavour.
He was a constantly curious, exploring artist in much the same way as most serious, creative, driven and ambitious thinkers are. Not everything they try succeeds nor necessarily chimes with you, but if someone isn't a fool and is making an honest and committed effort to produce something of value it is always worth taking the time to try to appreciate what they're up to. If you don't get it, that's down to you, not them.
Compared to when I was a kid or a young adult, when spending ten quid on an LP or CD was a real barrier to access to recordings, today's steaming services are a staggering resource. Being able to listen to someone like Bowie's entire back catalogue at the click of a button is an amazing privilege and we're crazy if we don't take advantage of it to explore what these glorious loons were up to.
In fact I might make a New Years Resolution to listen to the studio albums of every major recording artist who drops dead in 2021. That'd take the edge off a Niel Young, Pete Townshend or Robert Plant popping their clogs and allow me to wish a long life to Kanye West with some sincerity, even though I'll grudgingly admit even he might be worth listening to given I know some yoof who aren't complete morons who seem to value his output. He still seems like a massive bellend, but we should always remain open minded and give people the benefit of the doubt. How magnanimous of me!
On the subject of buying albums for a tenner, I wonder if we valued it more because of that. That thrill of buying the album, getting it home, carefully taking the inner sleeve from the album cover, then the vinyl itself out. Looking for blemishes and trying to figure out the longest and most intricate tracks from the different patterns on the vinyl. That first hit of the needle on the recording, and getting absorbed in the sounds whilst devouring the sleeves (I always loved the early Roxy Music covers). The artistic creation was the whole, audially and visually.
Downloading and hitting 'play' on a digital device just isn't the same, even though the music is. Bowie had it all - a true artist.
Chicken Chaser said:
That time has flown by, never would have thought that was 5 years ago. Scary. I'm going to homeschool my 6 year old this weekend on some of his back catalogue. It might not resonate with such young ears but it's worth a go!
Do it. My four year old daughter loves Bowie. Someone bought her a kid’s book about him a little while ago and she loved it and has been fascinated by him since then. Currently watching a documentary on bbc4 about the last 5 years of his life, which obviously includes Blackstar which I think is an absolute masterpiece.
I’ve got this picture of him which I bought without working out where to put it so it’s been hung in our lounge ‘temporarily’ for the past 2 years.
J.R.B. said:
I’ve got this picture of him which I bought without working out where to put it so it’s been hung in our lounge ‘temporarily’ for the past 2 years.
That's a great pic, where did you get that?
I have this on my study wall, along with a framed Aladdin Sane flash and also a photo MrsC took of the ZS phone box in Heddon St where someone had propped a photo of him alongside it, 5 years ago. MrsC also bought me the mask, it's an actual imprint of his face aged 36, when he was filming The Hunger, not a sculpture.
CAPP0 said:
That's a great pic, where did you get that?
I have this on my study wall, along with a framed Aladdin Sane flash and also a photo MrsC took of the ZS phone box in Heddon St where someone had propped a photo of him alongside it, 5 years ago. MrsC also bought me the mask, it's an actual imprint of his face aged 36, when he was filming The Hunger, not a sculpture.
It’s by an artist called Temper. He’s a graffiti artist so the original was done in spray paint! I got it from a gallery in Birmingham. Without looking at it I think this was from a run of 75 prints. I have this on my study wall, along with a framed Aladdin Sane flash and also a photo MrsC took of the ZS phone box in Heddon St where someone had propped a photo of him alongside it, 5 years ago. MrsC also bought me the mask, it's an actual imprint of his face aged 36, when he was filming The Hunger, not a sculpture.
That mask is a cool thing to have!
J.R.B. said:
It’s by an artist called Temper. He’s a graffiti artist so the original was done in spray paint! I got it from a gallery in Birmingham. Without looking at it I think this was from a run of 75 prints.
That mask is a cool thing to have!
I had a search but yes it looks like it's unavailable everywhere (and no reproductions that I can find).That mask is a cool thing to have!
MrsC is a fairly accomplished artist herself so she's going to have a go at it for me! I'll post the results if it comes out well!
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