January 11, 2016

"But for these two fashion queens, David Bowie’s entire existence was a celebration of oddness..."

"... a seven-decade manifesto that taught us not only that we didn’t have to be normal if it didn’t suit us, but that the pursuit of abnormalcy in one’s life can be an aesthetic, philosophical and most importantly, moral choice with true value and rewards...."

Tom & Lorenzo celebrate David Bowie... with lots of photographs, emphasis on fashion/costume.

The last photo is most transcendent, with the send off: "Don’t rest in peace. The universe deserves better. Keep going, Space Oddity."

20 comments:

traditionalguy said...

Bowie was a showman in the best tradition of a men with the courage to create a show that touches us. P T Bowie.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Vagina envy

Lewis Wetzel said...

I've heard that Bowie was a very normal kid who purposely constructed this David Bowie personality. David Bowie the celebrity was something more than an act and less than authentic. I've heard similar stories about Joan Jett. She was utterly normal, boring as a teenager, and then, one day, she purposely created rock-n-roll Joan Jett. Fame is weird.
But when I read sentiments like Tom & Lorenzo's, I think of all the kids who ended up addicted to drugs, or killed because they joined an underground they couldn't handle, or ended up as middle-aged losers with their glory days decades behind them. We can't all be fabulous, or nothing would be fabulous. There is something snide and snobbish about Tom and Lorenzo's celebration of Bowie's life choice.
Maybe the doctors who tried to save Bowie deserve a little praise?

Etienne said...

69 is old age. He might have lived longer if he never smoked, but why suffer?

MayBee said...

I got to see the Bowie exhibit last year, and he was such an interesting artist.
Terry, you are correct he created David Bowie, partially to seek out fame and partially because he was a creative man who just needed to create. And create he did.
He fought drugs and he fought demons, and became a family man who seemed to live a pretty normal life with Iman and their daughter. Admirable, I think.
An enormous talent, an enormous talent for reinvention, and he's left us too soon.

Nonapod said...

Lemmy, Bowie... I the icons of my youth would stop dying so quickly. Who's next? Alice Cooper? Tony Iommi? Iggy Pop?

Dude1394 said...

I saw bowie in a small venue 2K people when he was just coming up, blew me away. That costume in the photo was the most dramatic part in the show. He comes out, has it on and then two backstage folks grab it and rip it off him. Really neat back then and he was not anything that I had ever seen before.

Sebastian said...

"that the pursuit of abnormalcy in one’s life can be an aesthetic, philosophical and most importantly, moral choice with true value" I guess it "can," in the abstract, but what is that value? Why would the pursuit of the abnormal as such contain "true" value, regardless of the normalcy one deviates from or the content of the abormalcy pursued?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Well, ok, wait, I get Bowie and he will be missed, but now T&L have me a bit confused.

I thought I was supposed to believe that there wasn't anything abnormal or strange about being, say, flamboyantly homosexual, and it was rude to even notice that such things were out of the ordinary. Now T&L are stating in pretty clear terms that Bowie's combination of weirdness and fame/acclaim made it easier for abnormal/strange/rare people to embrace their true selves and feel comfortable being odd. That means, though, that we all acknowledge their oddness (oddity!) and as I said I was pretty sure just doing that was enough to get one branded a homophobe/bigot/hater these days. Did that change?

Obviously it's wrong to heap scorn on people just because they're different. The prevailing leftist line lately has been that even NOTICING those (very apparent) differences is itself an act of violence and the height of bigotry. That never seemed logical nor wise to me, but that's where we are. T&L's line seems inconsistent, in that sense, but maybe things changed and no one told me.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

I agree with Terry. Bowie may have been the center of a celebration of oddness, but I don't think he really wanted to be that strange. He did that to garner attention early in his career, and then mostly abandoned the more outrageous styles of dress and behavior, while still retaining a sometimes-dapper fashion sense, saving the more outré looks for some of his movie roles.

CWJ said...

Bowie always managed to surprise me, and always in a good way.

William said...

He was so very strange and different that it didn't appear the ordinary rules of aging and mortality were applicable to his case. But you can only transcend so many things......As a businessman, he was very successful. After Paul Mc Cartney he was the second wealthiest music star.......if his persona was all just an act, it speaks to his creativity as an artist. I thought he was authentically weird. If it was an act, then that makes him more of an artist....... He had a couple of songs I liked, but I wouldn't consider myself a fan. He was a landmark, but on a route I never took.

M Jordan said...

Never really got the David Bowie thing but I did like "Ground Control to Major Tom."

Great song and nicely used in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."

eddie willers said...

We can't all be fabulous

But we can be Heroes.

Alex said...

Was never a huge fan, liked Space Oddity in small doses. Just not my cup of tea.

lgv said...

A creative mind at work. But, he was far more normal in real life than most people expected. Catch his acting in "Into the Night". There were a dozen great cameos in that very entertaining movie.

Anthony said...

I like his stuff but not enough to buy any of his albums. I did tape Let's Dance once though. I dunno, he just didn't float my boat all that much. I'm rather liking KEXP's all-Bowie day today though.

I am surprised he lasted this long, due to all the drugs and smoking, so I wasn't at all shocked at the news.

Alex said...

Don't really care for his music, but his acting turn as Pontius Pilate in "The Last Temptation of Christ" was masterfully subtle.

mikee said...

Was Bowie haram?

Paul Snively said...

"I am surprised he lasted this long, due to all the drugs and smoking..."

Bowie has been interviewed with frank comments about getting clean and sober, and how he shouldn't have survived when so many of his friends didn't. I'm a sucker for a good redemption story, so that, and his collaboration with Jim Henson on "Labyrinth," will always endear him to me. Speaking of "Labyrinth," check out his material from the commentaries—he has a very interesting conception of who "Jareth" is, and is very much aware of what kind of threat Jareth is supposed to pose to Sarah as far as Brian Froud (conceptual designer) and Terry Jones (screenwriter) are concerned, which he conveys with good humor in the commentaries and the perfect blend of menace and bored/wounded/put-upon fantasy wish-fulfillment figure in the film.

I also really appreciated his Nikola Tesla in "The Prestige."

And his cameo in "Zoolander."

And his discovering Stevie Ray Vaughan and giving him the lead on "Let's Dance."

Oh, hell. I think I'm just saying I miss him already.