It’s quite difficult to believe, really. I watched The Dick
Cavett Show tonight. And, Bowie with his orange
hair and crocked teeth … awkward.
shy. weird. … reminded me of myself and so many people I
know who never quite fit into the molds life presents to us as acceptable. This person reminded us all that it was OK to be different. It was ok to have red hair and crocket teeth and to dress differently everyone else. It was ok to be a nerd to and to want to read and to be a musician.
Today, in honor of his passing, I asked my friends and loved
ones on social media to do something different.
To do something they didn’t feel confident doing. To do something brave. To step outside their normal lives and do
something… STRANGE. This man who was a
huge part of my musical life, changed pop music, as we know it, greatly
influencing what we know as mainstream music today.
I did this because...
-I remember being a little girl and running around in
circles in my parents’ living room singing “All the Mad Men”;
-I remember, around the same time, watching a
home-recorded-VHS of the Bing Cosby & David Bowie compilation for "Little Drummer Boy" and telling my mother
it was my favorite Christmas song I’d ever heard;
-I remember watching “Labyrinth” a hundred times as a
teenager and trying to understand my obsession with a terrible Goblin King
chasing babies because he wasn’t a good person… and yet…;
-I remember watching “Labyrinth” a hundred times more…
-I remember when my Grampa told me his secret code name during WWII was Davey Jones and how relieved he was when he came home and could use his real name again - He, of course, didn't know this was David Bowie's given name and why it mattered even more to me;
-I remember considering the cover of "The Man Who Sold the World" and wondering about a man being dressed
as a woman and what that meant to so many people around the world;
-I remember hearing the Nirvana cover of "The Man Who Sold the World"and
understanding why that kid in my class wore that Nirvana t-shirt;
-I remember when The Wallflowers covered "Heroes" and I couldn't believe it;
-I remember being almost 30 and finding out I was going to
become a mama… and David Bowie releasing his second to last album the same day
I made this discovery;
-I remember discovering my daughter's name is the same as a song he released before he was famous and I didn't even know it until we'd already named her;
-I remember reading Morrissey’s autobiography and understanding
the influence of David Bowie on his music and really understanding his
influence on our modern music;
-I remember the day he died.
And my husband said, “I am sorry for your loss” the moment I was
awake. I had no idea what he was talking
about because no one knew David Bowie was sick… and I didn’t believe my husband when he told me David Bowie was no
longer alive. I didn't believe I would never be able to see him perform.
“Imagine yourself at
60…” That’s what Dick Cavett asked David Bowie on
his show. Dick
Cavett asked David Bowie to imagine the Beatles with someone there to hold up
their guitars and really imagine himself at 60. Of course
David Bowie imagined himself at 60. Of course he planned his own story of his
death by writing and recording an album during his last 18 months on this
earth. Of course he passed away two days after the release of this
album. Of course he spent the last year of his life making music - simply
another example of his ability to always push boundaries and be bigger than
life itself. I feel stupid for being so
sad about it. But I'm f'n sad. I can't believe he pulled it off... and yet...
of course he did.
Of course he did.
He’s David Bowie.
