The Man Who Sold the World (exactly what it needed)

The Man Who Sold the World

David Bowie was an artist in every sense of the word

          David Bowie’s legacy had long been sealed as one of the most influential artists of the last 50 years. He passed away last weekend at the age of 69 after an 18 month battle with cancer. Case and point to his impact? Here we sit, publishing blogs with affirmations to the Starman’s influence a mere days after his passing on to the next galaxy and the great beyond.

          Before I became versed in classic rock and roll, I was a grunge loving, flannel shirt wearing punk with a propensity for power chords and all things Nirvana. When they performed for MTV’s Unplugged series they played a number of songs not their own (much to the dismay of the MTV brass) that would go on to be classics. One of these that would become immortalized that night was a cover of David Bowie's ”The Man Who Sold the World.”

 

          At the point of hearing/seeing it, I instantly knew I liked it… the words, the melody, the imagery, and that bassline… oh man that bassline. What I didn’t know then was that my heroes hadn’t changed it very much from the original version and that the song remained a David Bowie song as he had intended it. This was my accidental entrée into David Bowie’s music.

          Fast forward a few years and I became immersed in all things classic rock and roll. It was then that I truly came to appreciate Bowie for the artistic visionary and unique performer and songwriter he was. He was audacious and creative, both inspired and inspiring. He was a trendsetter with regards to fashion, glam rock, art, songwriting, acting, and created the idea of a concept album.

          He was ahead of his time as a voice that challenged accepted gender role norms and societal stereotypes with relation to sex and sexuality. Ever the flamboyant performer with his orange hair as Ziggy Stardust, he showed that a man with makeup and a vinyl silver jumpsuit on wasn’t necessarily a homosexual like many would have concluded. Quite the opposite, he was twice married to women and has a son named Duncan. He described himself in a later interview as a “closet Heterosexual” despite reporting in the promotional run up to Ziggy Stardust that he was gay and then later bi-sexual.

Bowie applying his "Ziggy Stardust" makeup

          I find it interesting that he was not LGBT himself, but rather a straight man who closely identified with that movement very early on. Regardless of sexual orientation, we now have many people who are champions of equal rights causes. A majority of Americans have supported legislation legalizing gay marriage, but David Bowie was advocating on the behalf of LGBT community way before it was fashionable or the cool thing to do. Aside from being a trendsetter, it makes him a true champion of that cause in my opinion. I couldn’t think of a better way to eulogize him in some small way on my blog then to say that he was on the side of love and equality far before it was cool, easy, or popular. Musical and artistic contributions aside, this was a big part of his legacy that deserves mention.

          Dance, pop, new wave, punk… the man was influential and he would often change ahead of the times. Metamorphosis, evolution, and changes were central themes in his work. Once in 1983, he openly challenged MTV VJ Mark Goodman on air about the stations refusal to play videos by popular and successful black artists. I think it’s fair to say he was a trailblazer in this regard as well. He could always evoke a reaction and had an innate sense of what was cool, what was edgy, and most importantly, what was right. I always thought “The Man Who Sold the World” was about a guy literally or figuratively selling the world, but as I reflect today, I realize that David Bowie, the artistic visionary and trendsetter was the man who chose what the world would sell.