It’s been a year today since we woke up to a world without David Bowie.
Although the 12 months since has been marked with the loss of many other world-class entertainers, nevertheless there is still a place marked in many a fan’s heart for that great cultural adventurer who made it not just acceptable, but positively aspirational to be an outsider during five decades of art.
We may not have David Bowie to guide us any more, but we remain the fortunate beneficies of his music, his art, his humour and unique worldview. Here’s just a taste...
1. Giving hope to introverts everywhere...
As an adolescent, I was painfully shy, withdrawn. I didn’t really have the nerve to sing my songs on stage, and nobody else was doing them. I decided to do them in disguise so that I didn’t have to actually go through the humiliation of going on stage and being myself.
2. Don’t overthink it...
What I do is I write mainly about very personal and rather lonely feelings, and I explore them in a different way each time. You know, what I do is not terribly intellectual. I’m a pop singer for Christ’s sake. As a person, I’m fairly uncomplicated.
3. All that posing masked the perfect tongue in cheek...
I re-invented my image so many times that I’m in denial that I was originally an overweight Korean woman.
4. Not all celebrities are created equal...
Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them.
5. We believe him...
I’m an instant star. Just add water and stir.
6. He’s not wrong...
I think Mick Jagger would be astounded and amazed if he realized that to many people he is not a sex symbol, but a mother image.
7. No one worked a Fedora like Mr Bowie...
I find only freedom in the realms of eccentricity.
8. Even for Bowie, eventually it was time to find happiness in normal stuff...
I never thought I would be such a family-oriented guy; I didn’t think that was part of my makeup. But somebody said that as you get older, you become the person you always should have been, and I feel that’s happening to me.
9. Long before many other highly-paid music execs really got a hold on this ‘internet business’, David Bowie predicted the end was nigh...
Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity. So it’s like, just take advantage of these last few years because none of this is ever going to happen again. You’d better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that’s really the only unique situation that’s going to be left.
10. It’s the circle of life...
The truth is of course is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.
11. Sad, but true...
As you get older, the questions come down to about two or three. How long? And what do I do with the time I’ve got left?
12. However, as ever, David Bowie was able to provide the perfect bon mot...
I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.
(With thanks to www.brainyquote.com)