David Bowie sadly passed away on Sunday aged 69, after 18 months battling liver cancer. His death came mere days after the release of his latest album, Blackstar. The album is a harrowing final gift from Bowie, a dramatically darker tone than his earlier works; but this comes as no surprise, as throughout his career Bowie was a master of reinvention, with a wide variety of musical styles (and garish costumes).
Eerily, one of the tracks on Bowie’s latest album, Lazarus, begins with the line “Look up here, I’m in heaven…”, whilst the music video shows him lying in a hospital bed, dressed as his latest character. Quite what the character is meant to be, I’m not certain, but it involves bandages and buttons, and is somewhat disturbing. He goes on to sing lines including “I’m in danger”, whilst towards the end he thrusts his arms wide and sings “Just like that bluebird, I’ll be free”, before retreating into a cupboard, never to be seen again. One could only wish that were a cupboard to Narnia.
The song seems incredibly prophetic, but is likely a musical account of the pain and suffering he has experienced, not just in the last 18 months, but through his whole career, since the early days in the 1960s, which saw several failed attempts at achieving commercial success under names such as Davy Jones and Jim Bowie. Thankfully, unlike in the video, he died surrounded by loved ones, and not with a sinister and disheveled-looking man hiding under his bed.
As with the death of Michael Jackson in 2009, the world has reacted dramatically to the death of Bowie; his latest album is assumed to soar to Number 1 in the UK, surpassing Adele’s 25, while more worryingly many Twitter users paid tribute by mistaking him for British DJ David Zowie, who quickly assured people he was still alive. Quite how the two could be confused is more a mystery to me than the purpose of the epileptic rabbit impressions found in Blackstar’s music video.
Broadcasters were also quick to pay homage to him, with both BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4 rescheduling programming to show documentary tributes to the life of Bowie on Monday evening. There will no doubt be a continuous stream of media for many months to come following the passing of such a musical legend; hopefully without a live séance conducted by Derek Acorah, who apparently summoned the spirit of Michael Jackson to an Irish house in the “worst single hour of television in 2009”, to quote the Guardian, and appeared to emotionally scar the fans present even further.
David Bowie had an impact on many people’s lives, from those who were fans in his early days to children who grew up having seen Labyrinth and having the irritatingly catchy Magic Dance stuck in their heads for weeks after watching. Regardless of musical taste, it is a small minority who haven’t heard of Bowie, or encountered some of his work, and it’s unlikely that his legacy will ever be forgotten. However, for the time being, we can only hope that, true to the lyrics of Lazarus, he’s in heaven, and not sitting in a tin can, far above the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYMCLz5PQVw
words JAKE MELLOR