Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes through the Ages

Nancy Tabor

From the Heart

I come from an error where James Taylor and Carly Simon ruled the roost. One of my favorites of hers was on the flip side call “Hotcakes” which went something like this: “Hotcakes, round and round. Sizzle. Round and Round. Sizzle. Round and Round. Now Stop. Now Flip ‘em. Then the music would swell and you would get this very syncopated riff of “Do, Dah, Doo, Doo, Dah, Dah, Doo, Doo, Doo, Dah.” Well you get the drift.

What does this have to do with anything? Well two days ago David Bowie died and he was hot cakes to me. When you take a look at his “top 10 hits” both critically and commercially (Watchmojo.com), many trends appear that really pop.

There are 10 songs I could touch on here but I am only going to stay with five. I’m choosing them in order but picking the ones I think have the most to say about this very interesting singer.

On the golden countdown comes Number 10, “Golden Years,” this being one of the older songs on the list. He is at his most tame. His usually auburn hair is muted and while there’s no doubt you want to shake it to this one, it’s less raucous and more steeped in funk and soul.

Next, at Number 8. “Young Americans” rolls in with a classic 1970s Samba tune. Here the light is brighter, swirling in yellows and reds and the music picks up faster as you can’t help but move to the beat. Here Bowie makes magic with a group of rockin’ backup singers and band that in some ways upstage his performance but not quite because he still delivers.

At Number 7 is somewhat of a turning point for the singer, his song “Heroes” which comes out of the shadows and is painfully subdued for this playful singer. His outfit: all black. The set: all pale. The sound and movement: agonizingly comatose.

At Number 5, his most iconic tune hits the charts, “Changes.” The man who changes outfits and poses more times than he can count creates an upbeat but fiery persona, with his face and body blanketed in blood red flanked by a flashing electric bolt. This is to be remembered in his vault of breakout tunes. It should be remembered because it is very danceable with a pulse.

An outtake from Duffy’s photo shoot for the album cover of David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane” in 1973.

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/01/12/arts/12BOWIEREACTSUB/12BOWIEREACTSUB-blog427.jpg

And finally, last but not least at Number 1, Bowie’s strange but otherworldly number “Space Oddity” which was launched in 1969 with the Apollo 11 and a darling of both critics and audiences alike. Watchmojo.com calls this first hit “a mind blower”—his skeletal cheeks bathed in hot red light singing in a deadpan fashion about a macabre and compelling accidental occurrence which lives on today.

As the critic who compiled these tunes takes pains to point out that Bowie created some hits that were “to die for” and tempered them with punctuated guitar riffs, I quite agree that he was never to be matched in his hardened talents. Such is the incredibly sad and regretable  truth.

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.

Last but not Least

Book by kyo.a

When asked to describe yourself or to do a self-intro, the first question I usually ask is “who am I?” I know pretty, dorky but as an artist, the who is always the most important part of my subject of work. While it may seem simple, to me, it is a wide question because I believe everyone has his or her own story, each and every living thing is the main character, someone else’s side character, romantic interest or even an antagonist at times. So if I were to say who I am. I would simply be a statement of today, not of yesterday or tomorrow. But, if asking for a story, then I’ll make my own as brief as possible.

Guatemala 

My mother father and siblings are from Guatemala though I was born and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland. I had a decent childhood, not many complaints though my siblings say I have too many stories for my age. I should mention now that I have an older sister, who is happily married with wonderful kids down in Florida, and my brother who is the middle child. Growing up, it was really apparent that I was the late bloomer or special kid. One of the first sayings I learned was “ there are two types of people in the world, those who were born with common sense, and those who… well, they learn it through experience.” Unfortunately for my parents, only my older sister and brother realized that didn’t need to test out every idea to know if it was a bad idea.

I had an unnatural curiosity paired with ADHD,  speech impediment, and motor skills issues aka. the perfect recipe for getting the nicknames such as clutz, jinks or my sister’s favorite butter fingers. Don’t misunderstand, I actually liked the nicknames, it was kinda like a symbol of pride for me since it meant that I was unique, or, at least, people stopped comparing me to my siblings since they were typical straight A+ popular kids. Since there was a big age gap between us, I saw how being popular and trying to fit in seemed boring, uncomfortable, tiring, and rather bizarre. I mean, who would pay cash to look exactly like a trend when you can start your own. So from my siblings, I learned being unique is pretty awesome. 

So much so that I even changed the meaning behind  a nickname for my family. In Spanish, if called a sin verguenza, it’s pretty much the English version of being called shameful. However, the direct translation being  is shameless, now I should say I am horrible at speaking Spanish, thus, when asking my mom one day why she kept calling me that after one of my experiments, she explained how it was a bad thing but in my head, it sounded more like having pride in one’s actions so from then on I always remembered to say thank you after she says that. But that being said my childhood was filled with trying things way before others thought to. 

To explain these experiments, I should start with one of my firsts, I learned amateur magic tricks at the age of 4 like making things disappear, which is great on april fool’s, first day of 

class/ new job, or if you need an ice breaker. However, I do not advise trying a new trick while rollerblading down a hill, especially if you haven’t learned how to stop.  Sadly to say for my folks, it wasn’t my worst idea, though mysteriously I never ended up getting more than a scratch or two.

My parents entered me into catholic private schools starting in middle school to see if the individualized classes would help me since well, being easily distracted has its down faults. While I highly disliked the experience of being told I was too unique for my own good it provided me with chances to try things from the basics of multiple instruments to white water rafting. I have also gone zip lining, horseback riding, learned archery, and the classic girls scout cookies sales and traveled.  

Traveling and exploring cultures is one of my favorite things, because it always lets me see a part of people’s stories. So far I have seen the Vatican, Italy, Spain, France, Guatemala, and Canada. I have a lot of more places planned but only because I can’t simply get enough of adding to the pages of life’s story books. So now, with that somewhat brief intro I have a proposition. I have already shared part of my story, comment and let me know a part of yours.

Won't you be my Neighbor?

My brother and I attending our cousins wedding

Has 2 different shoes, will wear them

     To start off and familiarize you with who I am, my name is Christopher Matthew Beigel and I am the older of two boys, born and raised in northeast Baltimore City. My parents divorced when I was young but they remained close and gave us a normal, loving upbringing. My brother’s name is Alex and he is 3 ½ years younger than I am, the difference in age meant that growing up I was old enough to look after him but he was also old enough to do things like play wiffleball and street hockey, and to build skateboard and snowboard ramps with me. Our age difference meant that we never shared a middle or high school, which I considered fortunate as we were able to make our own way socially. Still, we ran amuck all around the neighborhood and no one had to tell us to go outside. No cell phone, no problem.

      

     I attended Catholic school for elementary and high school, with a trip to a Baltimore County middle school thrown in for good measure. My high school was a boys school called Calvert Hall that I resisted being a part of at the time but now look back fondly upon for the foundation they gave me, both educationally and as a young man. As grateful as I am, it was a challenge when my two best friends left the school successively in my sophomore and junior year. One would transfer and the other would pursue a GED, and as close as we were, that closeness that existed at school was harder to maintain without them there. If I could have told myself something then, it would have been, “take note self: this is just a taste of what it’s like to maintain relationships as an adult.”

     

    

Matt Stover showing me his new Super Bowl ring at work

By the time I dabbled in collegiate endeavors half heartedly for 2 years after high school, I felt as though I was ready to enter the workforce. I worked for several years in logistics, managing and ordering the catering alcohol inventory for a private club and event facility located in Baltimore County. After years of working hard, being reliable, and rising as far as I was able to, I recognized that I wasn’t being valued for my intellect the way I thought I should be. I decided to devote myself to furthering my education. I consider myself fortunate because a lot of people have commitments and obstacles that prevents them from returning to school. I resolved to make school my job and have since been focused on the task at hand in a much different way. I’ve had an almost professional approach to my courses that wouldn’t have been possible without my experience in the work world.

      

Sadie is our best good friend

     So that is a very brief overview of me, with a couple other high points worth mentioning. I am fortunate to be getting married this summer to my beautiful fiancé Hannah, and we have an awesome dog named Sadie. At heart, I am a fun loving guy, a jokester who is not afraid to be goofy or say what’s on his mind… I take after my Mom in that I love to cook and am sentimental. I love music and art in many forms, from sculpture to glassblowing, graffiti, and all points in between. I am a die-hard fan for the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens, I always have been and always will be. If you take one look at my Dad and my Grandfather in their team gear you will see, I come by it honestly. Exploring these things and current events are what my blog has to offer, so to quote Fred Rogers, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”

Hannah and I with our parents at brunch in December 2015

Hannah and I at Deep Creek Lake in 2014

Pohler Express - The quick story of me!

            

So it all began back in 1976 when I was the first born child of my biologicals; this would change several times over the course of my life stay tuned for that episode. I was basically hijacked by my grandparents by the time I was 4 and they raised me from then on. I was legally adopted or at least attempted to be adopted at age 9 but it was not completed until I was almost 14 because that would be too easy. My mom (grandmother) had a severe stroke just before I turned 15 and for the next four years I would be her primary caretaker. I attended a vocational high school so I was on the bus by 6:30 for my hour long bus ride and then after school I came home to take care of her and for a short period of time work a part time job as well. I graduated from high school as the senior class president and lived a fairly normal life for about the next year.

 My mom passed away not even a year after she watched me graduate. She had over 80 strokes over the course of those four years. I was quick to identify a stroke and learned how to balance being a teenager and her caretaker pretty well. Some people have asked me if I feel like I was robbed of my teen years etc. but I really don't. She took care of me when nobody else was and I learned from her that we do what we have to do to take care of the people we love. I also learned from her that family is about more than blood, it's about bonds and love. I had a rough two years after mom died. I was trying to figure out where I belonged in my family and in the world.  



 I started my first real job in April of 1997 and that is where my next chapter begins. I began working as a receptionist for a small medical equipment company. I had a really nice boyfriend who I had grown up with and life seemed complete for the time being. Then one day I was sitting at my desk looking out into the parking lot when a grey pickup truck with big tires pulled up. This guy jumps out with his leather jacket and dark hair. He removed his leather jacket and I could see his fresh new tattoo. He then preceded to replace his leather jacket with a uniform jacket for the medical equipment company I worked for. I often say it was the just like in the cheesy romantic comedies. I felt like I had stars in my eyes and found out what love at first sight was like. I broke things off shortly thereafter with my long time friend and current boyfriend so that I could pursue what was sure to be a whirlwind romance. It was just that; by June we were connected at the hip and couldn't be separated. I moved in with him after I was in a car accident and my car was totaled and we were going to work together. It wasn't long before our little family of three (he already had a daughter from a prior marriage, truth be told I fell in love with her first.) became a family of four. Everything was moving so quickly we could barely keep up and enjoy the moments. Before we knew it we were a family of five and we bought a home.

My prince charming had a castle full of little princesses and he was content with everything we had built together. There was just one thing I was missing and that was that we had never gotten married although we had been engaged for quite some time and talked about if for years. 

Then one day just as we had gotten used to the idea that our little girls were all becoming young ladies we were shocked to find out we were once again expanding. Family of five became family of six. With the news of the addition on the way we decided it was just time to make everything official and we got married in a private ceremony.

Shortly after our nuptials we found out that this time we were having a little prince and our kingdom became complete. 

Almost 20 years after I first met him and I still get stars in my eyes. I work two jobs and go to school while he builds a business to support our future and we do it all for our little kingdom. 

"All because two people fell in love"