the Goblin King is Dead! Jen Pohler

The Goblin King is Dead!

   The Goblin King is dead but who was he really? To many a musical icon but he was so much more. Born David Jones, Bowie gave us more than 50 years of iconic entertainment, but what are some of the lesser known tidbits about Bowie?

·        Born as David Jones he had trouble marketing himself as David or Davy Jones because of Davy Jones from the Monkees

·        He was known for having two different colored eyes although they were both the same color just his pupils were different sizes giving him them a unique effect.

·        He chose the name Bowie after the popular American knife

·        He did not consider himself primarily a musician. He spoke of this in a 1998 interview with Charlie Rose. He believed he used music as a way to express himself but said he “[didn’t] think he was very accomplished at it.”

·        To some he is a rapist and a child molester due to his involvement with a young groupie by the name of Sable Starr. Sable was one of the first known as Baby Groupies.

·        He was not just the Goblin King but the king of reinventing himself with alter egos like Ziggy Stardust and Major Tom among others.

 Whatever role he may play for his fans and followers there are a few who knew just David Jones the father and husband. In rare fashion for anyone in the spotlight, especially someone of such unique stature as Bowie, he had a long lasting marriage to Iman whom he married in 1992. They had one child together Alexandra and he one son Duncan, with his prior wife.  With an artistic legacy left behind as large as his perhaps his biggest accomplishment will be that he was able to be such a huge shining star and still keep his personal life personal and have such a “normal” life. Even in his darkest days as cancer was slowly taking him away he continued to hold on to what was private to him and yet still used music to express his final message. His last work was his new album “BlackStar” with the song “Lazarus” being the first song released along with what is now a haunting video. With lines like “I have nothing left to lose”and “I’m so high it makes my brain whirl” it is clear that he was speaking to us one final time before his big exit. Whatever your take is on David Bowie it is clear he will be always a pop culture icon and a fascinating character.

Blurred Lines: David Bowie and the Advent of “Blue-Eyed Soul” by Allison Miller

For the younger generation, David Bowie may be more of an historic icon than a singer who will be missed. You know, someone you’ve heard of that’s pretty cool – like Frank Sinatra or John Lennon.

I am fairly sure, however, that the hip and the cool - and maybe even not-so-hip and cool - have heard of Robin Thicke.

Not long ago his crossover hit Blurred Lines was all the rage and was as controversial as it was popular. He even did a throwback performance on the 2014 Grammy’s with quintessential crossover band Chicago, a well-known staple of great music (in my humble opinion) that continues to play in heavy rotation on my iPod.

Thicke’s success was a continuation of the popularity and acceptance of white artists, often British, who create music that sounds just like rhythm and blues (R&B). It has been affectionately dubbed “blue-eyed soul.”

This notion of blurring the lines between who was actually putting out music I liked – a white artist or a black artist - was part of the soundtrack of my youth and quite the game changer.

It was nothing for my friends and I to utter a stunned, “Say what?!” when we discovered that it was a white artist who was crankin’ out a driving beat underpinned by a thumpin’ baseline.

Some perceived 80’s dance staples like Bowie’s Let’s Dance and Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust as an encroachment on “real music” and the Black artists who often went unrecognized and uncelebrated.

YouTube video – Let’s Dance by David Bowie

Similarly, soul music purists were nervous that these artists would “steal” what was considered “ours” and gain the notoriety and financial reward that often eluded soul music pioneers of old.

But alas, African American couldn’t help themselves.

In an article for NBC news.com ('Plastic Soul': David Bowie's Legacy and Impact on Black Artists), writer Mashaun D. Simon notes that Atlanta DJ Sir Daniel said Bowie had a standing relationship with the black community. According to Daniel, Bowie’s “...’blue-eyed soul’ delivered music…on a gritty and soulful level that resonated with African Americans."

Daniel goes on to say that, "David Bowie, and many other British musicians, arrived on American shores with a deep passion for R&B and Gospel music. In particular, David would make his 'glam-rock' music, but would also jam with Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and others to edify his love of Black American music."

Like most young people, my high school friends and I were open to whatever made sense to us and whatever sounded good. We embraced blurry blue-eyed soul like it was the real deal and even tolerated traditional R&B bands such as Earth, Wind and Fire and Gladys Knight and the Pips when they had to reinvent their sound to stay alive in the ever-changing musical landscape of the 80’s.

I was blessed to have a mom who studied music at New York University in the 50's when very few African Americans roamed those hallowed halls and when jazz greats like Horace Silver and Miles Davis as well as the Hollywood musical were king. I spent many a Sunday afternoon watching West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, and Singing in the Rain and was taught that that was undeniably real music. You can imagine her outrage and eye-rolling at loud techno beats and very little lyrical creativity blaring through my stereo speakers during my high school years.

But I had to school her.

Real music is in the ear of the beholder and the good stuff always lasts.

The outpouring of love for and appreciation of David Bowie in his passing is proof positive.

Attributions:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/plastic-soul-david-bowie-s-legacy-impact-black-artists-n494241

R.I.P. Mr. Lawrence- the Death of a Rock 'N Roll Polymath

18th century food philosopher Jean Anthelme Brillat-Severin, famously enjoined epicures, "When gourmandise becomes gluttony, voracity or debauchery, it loses its name and attributes, falling into the hands of the moralist who will treat it by advice, or the medical man who will treat it by remedy."


David Bowie, rock music's grand iman of glitz mixed with an indefinable serene austerity, passed January 10th, 2016. He canalized the excesses of his epoch with a disciplined talent for reinvention and motion. Bowie WAS excess, debauchery, elegance, and art. Unapologetic and forever on display, Bowie's cultural iconography traipsed comingled worlds in entertainment. He was a Levi-Strauss Structuralist for the 70s and 80s, tapping into the archetypes of identity and being, all within a world gone mad...




Few singers reached as many fans for as long, as intensely, or as fungibly as David Bowie did in all his incarnations, God rest his soul. An inveterate persona, he drove music, style, theatre, and consciousness in wonderful, absurd and contemplative directions. But what fewer appreciate are his considerable contributions to film.

Labyrinth, 1988

Bowie's additions to the cultural lexicon are numerous and cult-like. He cut a figure unlike Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, or Roger Daltry. Whereas their additions to film (Performance, Man with the Golden Arm, Lisztomania) were temporary salutes to the tawdry phantasms of gangster life in Britain, drug addiction, and lusty-biopic-about-bête-noir-composers-from-Hungary, respectively, one had the feeling that these were ego pieces, handpicked for cultural fetish value.


Not so with Bowie.

playing Warhol in Basquiat, 1996

His roles were notations in post-modernism. Bowie's character studies involved isolated eclectics, at odds with the worlds around them, played with an elan and direction that he channels. They were often quasi-mystical figures (Labryinth, Warhol, Twin Peaks franchise) imbued with preternatural abilities that clarified the protagonist of the film's mission. There was an onscreen evolution going on in his films, but the ones evolving were the other characters. Bowie was the enigma-cum-Rosetta Stone.

Fire Walk With Me, 1992


Bowie's characters were "wild cards," and added weight, complexity, and depth to the movie's narratives. IMDb lists Bowie with 40 acting roles, FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR SOUNTRACK credits, and 3 production credits. He acted in jarring, often unnerving films that poked into the social and universal conscience: The Man Who Fell to Earth,  Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Hunger, Absolute Beginners, The Last Temptation of Christ, Zoolander...




What Bowie brought was a familiar face that we just didn't know much about. If we acted like we understood Bowie's instincts, well, we were just kidding ourselves. We can smell talent when we see it, and we get synesthesia when we have a prolonged dose of David Bowie.




He was a talent that comes by once, maybe twice in a generation. He was a helluva singer, a curious actor, and a throwback to a time when the most talented minds tackled the problems of their era. Think Georg Lichtenburg in the 1700s or William James in the 19th and 20th century in America. These were men who did it all, and did it well. Bowie was one of them. 

Who The Hell Is David Bowie?

On January 10 of 2016, the music world took a tragic hit as the report of David Bowie death hit the stands. It was soon revealed that he had lost his battle to liver cancer, a battle he held in secret from the public which is extremely hard to do in this day and age of modern technology. To me, it appears he played the fame game with much class and dignity as one can hope to achieve for his time period.
So with that said and done after hearing about his death from a friend, apparently I crossed an unmarked line when I asked, "Who the hell is David Bowie anyway?"

"............................."

Chaos. That is the only way I can describe the reaction from this apparently offensive remark.
"Seriously, David Bowie! How the Hell, DO YOU NOT know who David Bowie is?!? He was a game changer to the rock business, he challenged stereotypes, he is an inspiration to all!"
After a brief intro to the life that is Mr. Bowie's and an apology for my ignorance of all that is awesome according to said friend, I tried to go to someone a little less bias to get an opinion by going to someone who was actually alive when he was at his peak. My mother. Personally, I don't even know why I tried because I already took a guess at her answer. You see, as a 21-year-old, the furthest I usually go back for music is the 1990s thanks to my siblings influence in my musical taste, if I go any further it is because my mother or a friend introduces it to me. So, as expected, my mother's reaction was literally "Who the heck is this David Bowman?" Kinda easy to tell who raised me, right?
My efforts were not all in vain, for I did get another opinion. While I was talking to her, I thought I was just hearing a weird echo of his music I had turned on to try to form my own opinion of him, turns out my father was playing the same song as he mourned the loss of this man. Clearly, he was just, if not more, biased as my friend but since he was alive at that time I thought just asking him was enough. Upon so, I also appeared to have startled him. Well, my mother and I. He gave us both lists of what songs we should listen to. He was also confused for a second why my mother never heard of him till he remembered the fact that my father's music choice was unusual for his location at the time of Bowie's peak. My parents being from Guatemala, David was on the radio from time to time, but he wasn't my mother's choice in music taste. She preferred her singers to be singing the same language as her native tongue while my father liked foreign rock music, something I would pick up from him when I got older.

After listening to the list, I came to a conclusion that at first most people take as a little offensive, but if anything but that. I listened as long as I could to Bowie before I made my decision.

I hated it.

 Before you toss a frying pan at me and spam this with angry comments let me just say why. The thing is no matter what song it is, I couldn't get the image of my father or some guy around his age either listening to this at an older bar or this being on a karaoke playlist. Not only that but just the lyrics themselves bothered me they seem rather cheesy and just seemed to lack effort. Like making words up as he went along. But then I took a second to analyze the situation and wonder "who the hell is this guy?"  That is when the hammer hit the nail. The reason why I disliked him so much is because  his music is now considered a classic, and I rarely listen to classics, the closest being  from Spice Girls since that is my high school's theme song and even that isn't far back at all. He has multiple awards, some I hadn't even heard of beforehand. Hell, if I was as famous, I wouldn't care what I said either. But being a classic would definitely explain the bar scene, like who wouldn't want to listen to something they enjoyed while drinking a beer. Growing up without Bowie was not much of a loss  but rather as a gain because I would have never been able to appreciate him had I been any younger upon discovering him. In the end, what I did have to acknowledge is that he definitely broke many stereotypes and he definitely made a unique mark in this world. David Bowie is truly a unique star that will be missed from earth, space and definitely mars.

S.Oliva
         

The World Loses a Rock n' Roll & Fashion Pioneer

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes,

Turn and face the strange,

Ch-ch-changes..."

Never one to shy away from being different, David Bowie was legendary for embracing the weird. He allowed this mentality to influence his flamboyant fashion choices and music styles, leading to an immensely successful career spanning over four decades.

You might be asking yourself, so who is David Bowie? Well, he’s only one of the biggest rock music icons and fashion trailblazers of our time. 

Have you been living under a rock?

---

The ultimate envelope pusher, Bowie was never one to shy away from experimenting -- musically, sexually, or stylistically. He embraced being strange and impressively different and used this tactic to reinvent himself. Rarely do we find a star who is so successful in embracing change in a way that keeps him familiar. It was easy for fans and collaborators to admire him and his unique persona. He challenged his fans to embrace the weird and they were all too willing to oblige. His success in reinvention kept everyone guessing and as a result has influenced thousands. Simply, he was unlike anyone else. 

http://variety.com/2016/music/news/david-bowie-dead-69-artistic-force-appreciation-1201676855/

The ever-creative genius, Bowie showed a talent for music early on in life. In 1962 at age 15, he had formed his own band and by 1969, his first big hit “Space Oddity” was released in the U.K. Shortly after, in 1973 it was released in the United States to an overwhelmingly positive reaction. The release of the song not only showcased Bowie’s talent for music, but also for timing. “Space Oddity” was released just before the Apollo 11 mission put men on the moon. This timing was huge in tying a significant moment in our history to Bowie’s music. “Space Oddity” is still today considered by many to be his most popular and most successful song (and it is impressively catchy). As a result, he skyrocketed (pardon the pun) to fame in the 1970s. His music became immensely popular and he quickly became a Rock n’ Roll pioneer. The psychedelic culture of the ‘70s allowed Bowie to embrace his flamboyant side to pursue an ever-evolving persona. 

 

While in 2016, we may have referred to him as “edgy” or even “emo,” in the 1970s it was all about being psychedelic. Bowie was famous for challenging the norms of sexuality. He embraced his flamboyant side and pursued wild style choices and refused to define himself. He became famous for blurring the lines of sexuality, as well as music. He was the original
“edgy” Rock n’ Roller. 

Bowie was best known for his success in rock music, fashion, musical theatre and film, just to name a few. He collaborated with a wide range of musicians, from Queen to Nine Inch Nails to jazz musicians. He has influenced a wide range of singers and songwriters, from Lady Gaga to Madonna to even Kanye West. In his forty-year career, Bowie sold over 140 million records worldwide and his music has stemmed generations. 

Not many musicians can say they had a career that spanned as long as his, let alone one that achieved so much success. Bowie earned his well-deserved place in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, earning him the title of rock music icon. He was very well respected by all who knew him as well as his fans.

We wish to say thank you Mr. Bowie, for “ch-ch-ch-chang”[ing] all of us with your precious talent. We will forever cherish your creativity and influence on our culture. 

http://www.tagthebird.com/us/tweet/7197686 

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/arts/music/david-bowie-dies-at-69.html?_r=0

Bowie, Hip Hop and SWAG

SWAG - Before Kanye, Young Thug and CeeLo Green, there was Bowie. Arguably, the father of Adrogenistic fashion, Bowie set the stage for modern Hip Hop artists to express their (dare I say) feminine side. Sure, Bowie is known for his Glam Rock/Art Pop music, but what else is there? His life off stage was just as influential and colorful as his music, specifically; he took gender bending fashion to a whole new level....the result?

Kanye West

 Hip Hop’s good guy gone bad...gone fashion designer (raised eyebrow)... gone androgynous.  But before Kanye adorned his first skirt and produced music hits “You Don’t Know My Name” for Alicia Keys and Rihanna’s hit “B*tch Better Have My Money" - there was Bowie

Young Thug

Jeffrey Lamar Williams aka Young Thug is all (awe) too comfortable shopping in the women’s department. Young Thug is BIG into wearing LITTLE dresses – as well as chart topping hits like“Power” and “Best Friend". But before Mr. Thug slid into his first mini dress - there was Bowie

 

CeeLo Green

The iconic singer/rapper of “Forget You” and “Bad Mutha” seems to walk the walk…I mean, how else could he pull this look off without believing in his hit songs’ namesake? But before he was a judge on T.V’s The Voice and bore a "promish" style dress for a photo op- there was Bowie

  

THE ONE

Bowie is a highly decorated musical icon (Space Oddity, Let's Dance, Young Americans, etc) - I get it. Yet, when I think of Bowie, his music is not the first thing that comes to mind. I think of his appearance. From floral dresses to second skin skinny jeans - Bowie was revolutionary in what hip hop slang would refer to as "do you" mentality. I mean, the amount of scrutiny he faced (as perhaps the world's first popular cross dresser) is unfathomable, and yet, he did it and he did it well - so much so, that he unknowingly gave permission for "hard-core" hip hop artists to wear a dress and still keep their manhood - swag.

David Bowie

Bowie.net

When learning the news of David Bowie’s passing, the first thing I thought of was the New Zealand novelty band, Flight of the Concords. Do you know them? It’s a fictional band featured in a TV show of the same name. It’s quirky and weird. In one episode, Jermaine (played by Jermaine Clement) dresses up as David Bowie during a dream sequence to talk to the other band-mate, Brett.

This is what popped into my head when I thought of David Bowie. The fantastic, revolutionary musician – and I thought of a weird little TV show.

Although, I suppose it was memorable.

Via Tumbler

In my defense, I am a product of the late 80’s and 90’s – a time when Bowie was experimenting with New Wave music and unique sounds that did not always land on the radio. I didn’t really know of Bowie or his music. But I did know Nirvana and I know “The Man Who Sold the World,” which the band covered in 1994.

I am learning, though, that I may have been a huge Bowie fan and I just didn’t realize it. “Changes,” “Young Americans,” and “Let’s Dance!” All of these are songs I have loved for years – I just did not know who sang them. This wildly talented guy was everywhere. He spans generations and did so seamlessly.

~~~~~~~~

David Bowie died peacefully just two days after his birthday and the release of his last album. And just last month, Bowie achieved a life-long dream of taking his talents to the theater. His musical, Lazerus just began its off-Broadway run. Incredible accomplishments for someone who has been in the music industry for over four decades. However, more so, considering he was privately battling cancer.

In 1969, Bowie burst onto the music scene with “Space Oddity” – a song most of us should at least recognize when we hear it. You know, “Major Tom to Ground Control…”? Three years went by without much from the artist. And in 1972, Bowie re-emerged as Ziggy Stardust, an extraterrestrial sent to be a messenger of hope to humans. This alter ego launched Bowie to stardom. With his androgonous appearance, fans and critics alike couldn’t help but take notice.

Bowie is a Hall of Fame legend largely due to his experimentation and courage. You cannot possibility come up with a genre of music for this man – he was topping charts with funk, punk, rock, jazz, soul. He dabbled in New Wave music. He has collaborated with all of the greats: Pete Townsend, Queen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tina Turner and Iggy Popp. He has starred in movies, probably most notably Labyrinth in 1986. All of this while constantly pushing the envelope of the “norm” without trepidation.

Did you know, however, that Bowie was a technology-aficionado? He was selling his album online in 1996. He sold 300,000 albums. Online. In 1996. His Earthlings concert was “cybercast” in 1997. We still had dial-up in 1997! And in 1998, Bowie.net was launched – a high-speed internet service – so people could actually watch the cybercasts of his shows in better quality. Bowie.net was available until 2006, when it was shut down. All that time people could have their email be BowieFan@Bowie.net – or something like that. Cutting edge on all fronts.

It is a sad time for us – even us 80’s and 90’s kids. His songs were the soundtrack of our lives and we didn’t even realize it.  

"There's a starman waiting in the sky"

Photo from Cleveland.com

People die. But if we are lucky, a few, like David Bowie, will share their talents with us before they go. Singer, song-writer, actor, and musical influencer, Bowie lost his battle with liver cancer on January 10, just days after his 69th birthday and the release of his latest album entitled Blackstar.   After hearing the sad news, his long-time friend and colleague Elton John posted on Facebook "I am still in shock. Never saw it coming. My deepest condolences to Iman and the family.  An amazing life.  An amazing career."

Indeed, the news of Bowie’s death was totally unexpected. How in an era of instant information dissemination did his fans not know about his illness? 

I was in high school when I first heard David Bowie’s music.  NASA had recently launched Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, when the local radio stations started playing Bowie’s song Space Oddity.   The eerie lyrics and haunting melody combined with Bowie’s unique voice captivated listeners who had just witnessed science fiction come to life when astronauts walked on the moon in July 1969.

But you don’t have to be a Bowie fan to be familiar with his music. His Little Drummer Boy duet with Bing Crosby is part of nearly every radio station’s Christmas playlist and his song Starman is on the sound track of the Oscar-nominated Ridley Scott film, The Martian. Not surprisingly, Bowie is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, class of 1996.

 

 

David Byrne of the Talking Heads inducted David Bowie into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ( from You Tube) 

 

 

Costume photos from Cleveland.com

I will always remember my first visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum back in 1998 when I got to see some Bowie memorabilia that is part of the permanent collection.  One of my favorite exhibits (then and when I visited again in 2009) is a collection of stage costumes worn by legendary performers.  The display includes the eccentric and androgynous jumpsuit worn by Ziggy Stardust, Bowie’s alter ego for many years. With his outrageous clothes, outlandish make-up, and bizarre hairstyles, Bowie pioneered what became known as glam rock, and along with artists like Elton John, he was a major influence for groups such as Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, and Culture Club.   

Never static, Bowie adopted several other stage personas during his more than forty years of entertaining.  The costume collection at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes several other tour costumes, including the outfit he wore on stage during his A Reality Tour in 2003.  The display symbolizes the artistry Bowie brought to the stage in his performances and can be appreciated by both die-hard fans and neophytes. 

“Bowie didn’t just alter the sound of rock; he shaped the way it looked, and he expanded what it could achieve as a medium. In doing so, he inspired millions.” - Greg Harris, Rock Hall Blog

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH

The curators at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with a group of music critics and historians have compiled a list of some of the most significant rock and roll songs ever recorded.  They believe that these songs best exemplify  the development of rock music over the years.  While the complete list covers myriad artists, four of the songs on the list were composed by David Bowie. They are:

• Changes
• Fame
• Space Oddity
• Ziggy Stardust

In addition to his epic music career, Bowie appeared in several motion pictures including The Hunger, The Labyrinth, and Zoolander.   According to WWMX Radio, in 1985, he was offered a role as a villain in A View to a Kill but turned it down saying “I didn't want to spend five months watching my stunt double fall off cliffs."  His movie roles earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In spite of his prolific body of work,  Bowie only had two songs that reached the number one spot on the charts in the US - Fame in 1975 and Let’s Dance in 1983.  David Bowie made music a little more special for the world,  so instead of mourning our loss, we should celebrate the contributions he made to the evolution of rock and roll.  Rock on, Starman!