I’ve never posted in a celebrity’s tribute thread before, but this one got to me.
I’ve been thinking of that joyous hopeful montage in The Martian all morning set to the music of Starman.
Shit, one of my great dreams was that I might see him in concert some time: the new albums gave me some hope that it might come to pass some time.
He gave me the soundtrack of my life. The last two albums were the only physical CDs I’ve bought in five years.
Will miss you Ziggy.
Mick Jagger’s birthday isn’t until July. There’s plenty of time for someone else to beat him to the next one in this pattern. (Lemmy and DB both died within days of their birthdays.)
The current top comment on youtube nails it:
Wow.
Rest in peace.
Ashes to Ashes was the first music video that impressed me deeply. To this day, I consider it one of the greatest achievements of the medium. The effects are a bit dated but the hieratic imagery is as strong and troubling as it was 35 years ago.
I was too young to remember his name in 1980 but the release of Let’s Dance three years later was presented as a big event. That, I do remember. From then on, Bowie was a familiar name although it took me until late 1994 to really listen to his back catalogue, prompted by the discovery of Life on Mars one night around 2 a.m. after a party (me, 3-4 friends and one of our literature lecturers listening to this song over and over and over, mesmerized). I bought a greatest hits collection the following day in a record shop near Oxford Street, then spent the rest of the decade exploring the deep cuts from his discography from Space Oddity to Black Tie White Noise. *Outside * was the first album that came out after I had more or less caught up with his earlier output.
I had stopped listening to his music regularly after 2000 but I kept more or less in touch with his new stuff, of which there’s been very little since 2003.
I heard the news today in the car. I was surprised but, judging from the way the radio host announced it - with a very long introduction - I had already guessed that a major star was gone. And then I remembered that I had thought he didn’t look too well in Blackstar. I chalked it up to his being nearly 70 but now, I understand that it was something else.
And he’ll never be 70…
Just seeing this. Wow. Such an important and wonderful artist.
Wow.
Oh, this was so shocking to hear this morning. I had no idea he was ill.
RIP Mr Bowie.
Really sad news. Will have to watch “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and have a quiet drink. A beautiful soul was lost to the world…true artist.
All, please refrain from quoting excessive amounts of lyrics. Quote some and link to the rest.
RIP David Bowie.
I heard the news upon waking this morning.
Before today, I’d never cried over a celebrity death.
Damn, I have to be careful what I write.
In the recent thread about Wayne Rogers’ death I mentioned that I went to work at a company where I worked with a Christopher Lee and a Wayne Rogers. Then that more famous Christopher Lee died (and Christopher Lee is the one who told me about it). Then the actor Wayne Rogers died. I quipped in my post that at least David Bowie was still OK (I know, but don’t work with, a guy named David Bowie).
And now, of course, that more famous Bowie has died.
At least I don’t know anyone else who shares a name with a celebrity.
In response to Northern Piper, Both Bowies were still alive when I wrote that, although I didn’t know that one had been fighting cancer for a year and a half.
I came to say this. I was eleven in 1981, when this thing called MTV appeared out of nowhere on our cable TV. The “Ashes to Ashes” video (and song) haunted and captivated me – I could tell even at that age that this was a creative artist of multiple media. Only in subsequent years did I discover the range of that creative talent over a lifetime of projects.
I will admit that I didn’t have any real appreciation for Bowie until far too late in my life. First through playing Rock Band, and then through my wife’s love of his music. But appreciate him, I do. And I was stunned when I hopped in the car this morning and heard the news on NPR.
This feels like a tremendous loss. I’m listening to the “Best of Bowie” album at my desk now.
Back before Christmas I was in a store with my sister and some Christmas music was playing. She said “This is my favorite Christmas song.” I was having trouble hearing it and asked her what it was. It was Bing and Bowie’s “Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth”. And she’s right. Even though I generally can’t stand most versions of LDB, I really like that one.
I had a few Bowie albums in college but always felt like I should have more. RIP Mr Bowie, you will be missed.
I’m surprised he was so young. He’s been active in the music business for so long, that it seemed to me that he was older.
RIP.
Planet earth is blue.
RIP
I was never a big fan but I know how much he meant to so very many people.
I’m sincerely sorry for your loss.
And there’s nothing we can do.
Hard. My first real college girlfriend and I binge listened to Ziggy Stardust over the course of a year-long relationship that was emotional and silly and as dramatic as those types of love can be. His songs anchored that period of my life - I can touch the CD or see the cover online and flash through the songs and those emotions.
And Heroes. Talk about a song that transports, layer after layer as it builds. I have needed that song at times. Not many songs occupy that space for me.
So much.
Indeed.
I am wearing red shoes and I am so much sadder than is reasonable 
Over the weekend VH1 Classics or somesuch played hours of his stuff, from a block of videos to an old Story Tellers and the documentary Ziggy Stardust. At first I thought “cool”, than I panicked, thinking"oh my god, he didn’t die did he?" and then I remembered his birthday had been the day before, and I heaved a sigh of relief :smack:
Do you suppose someone at VH1 knew something? I didn’t see anything mentioned about it being a birthday tribute. Actually there was no host or anything, just hours of great footage of a legend.
Wow. Oh man.
RIP