R.I.P. David Bowie

When I was getting ready for work, I turned the TV on and headed down the hall to take a shower. I got about three steps and heard the anchor say, "...and we'll have more on the breaking news last night that David Bowie has lost his battle with cancer..." Pretty well stopped me in my tracks - was not something I expected to hear.

I listened to a lot of Bowie today. I was more than a casual fan, but something less than hardcore. I was surprised to realize how much his music is written over the soundtrack of my life. And I was taken aback at bit at - 40 years later - how vibrant and alive his music is. I've been a little shocked at how hard this has hit me - "Heroes" has been my favorite Bowie song since LiveAid (which I watched again tonight, cranked loud), and I can't get through it without choking up.

I was thinking today how, a) I'd love to learn "Ziggy"; and b) how frigging perfect is that guitar tone? There are so many things going on in his music, and it seems like there's never a wasted note. I've really come to appreciate that stuff as I've gotten older.

I was reminded of a story tonight as we listened to more in the car - Bowie said he was in a hotel in NY, and he heard someone playing the riff from "Rebel, Rebel". And they were playing it wrong. He said he finally couldn't take it any more, so he knocked on the door to the room - and it was John McEnroe.

I only had the pleasure to see Bowie once - it was the 1990 (?) tour with Adrian Belew, what he billed as the last tour for playing the hits. Fantastic show, only marred by the dingus next to us who insisted we couldn't be enjoying ourselves if we weren't dancing. But I have some videos - that'll do.

And funny? Gods yeah. I loved that Bowie had such a great sense of humor. One of my favorites...


I really wish Craig Ferguson was still on so I could hear him do his Bowie impression again.

RIP, David, and thank you.
 
I'm sitting in the car listening to him too...loud of course. ;) Very sad...it's kinda' hard to believe he's gone. I'm used to young rock stars ODing and things like that, but he seemed more...permanent. Sadly, none of us are. :(

I've been trying to learn a few of his songs too...I'll have to give them another shot.
 
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Sad news. I liked a lot of his music, and I feel for his family, his loved ones, and his fans. I'll always be grateful to David Bowie for the role he played in Stevie's career.

Goldtop Lloyd
 
I was never a massive fan. I've enjoyed some of his work. He was a brilliant artist that broke ground and had the intangible thing you can't put your finger on. I just had Lazarus pop up while listening to iTunes music. It was incredible. Stylistically, I loved it. He has that...I don't know what it is...in his voice. I'll definitely listen to this whole album.
 
Tony Visconti had said that Bowie recorded five demos the week before he died and that he was planning a new album.

And I totally get the thing about his voice. It's that indescribable quality - it's not that he's the best technical singer, but he had a way of getting you to feel what he was trying to get across. More of a throwback to the great singers of earlier eras than the more typical rock singers of his era.
 
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