David Bowie...

['bout now]

>

>

> Brixton boy, artist, dilettante, big feckin' ol'

> liar, Beckenham Arts Lab Proff, Tony Newley

> impersonator, Mott The Hoople saviour, Alien?,

> GLAM F@CKIN' GLAM 'N' GLAM AGAIN, Actor? Man Who

> Fell To Earth, Waffety-eyed long-haired div,

> Converter of me to Ziggy Stardust compulsive,

> Geezery sounding socialite, Discovering Life On

> Mars (FACT!), Best hairstyles, ever, just bloody

> ever, Berlin and all that, but not forgetting how

> to make a pop tune, Thin White Duke, William

> Burroughs, The Dame, being amused by being

> referred to as The Dame, Warhol, hole, hole,

> holes, The Elephant Man, Tin Machine, Marlboro

> Reds, Iggy saviour, still being a chum with George

> who hit him so hard he changed hs eye colour, the

> best mullet ever, The Laughing Gnome, Lodger

> Lazarus and I'll leave it there.

>

> I just know the world was better with him in it,

> and there'll be a permanent Bowie-shaped hole.

>

> See Ya.

Yes, yes, yes. Plus a big hand to the guy belting out Bowie standards at Oxford Circus tube this morning. Fair brought a lump to me throat.

[Otta]

It's funny. The man didn't release an album for 10 years between 2003 and 2013. Not once in that time did I hear anyone say it was like there was a giant hole in the world.

[sanity girl]

Otta Wrote:

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> It's funny. The man didn't release an album for 10

> years between 2003 and 2013. Not once in that time

> did I hear anyone say it was like there was a

> giant hole in the world.

Because we knew he was still out there. Doing things like this http://bbc.in/1RiA2nK

sorry I don't know how to embed the video, but if anyone can, please do!

[Otta]

That was very funny, but the point is the world is still exactly the same as it was on Sunday (well not really, some people are dead in Istanbul because of actual tragic stuff that's happened). I hate all this "the world just got a bit darker" bollocks, it makes me want to bash people around the head with a lamp.

[sanity girl]

But if he has meant something to you over a long period then it does feel like a personal loss. I have loved his music since I was 9 and it has been a big part of my life. I was taken aback by how I felt on Monday - I have never experienced that feeling of loss at the death of someone I don't know personally before.

[Otta]

But you still have his music, nothing has changed.

And I very much suspect Steveo is right, there will be future releases.

[Jeremy]

Bit of a cold analysis Otta... yes, people die in more tragic circumstances every day. But those who felt a connection with his music felt a connection with him.. so a sense of loss is inevitable.

As for me... I felt no genuine sadness as I never had that connection. Nevertheless, I greatly admire what he acheived and the way he went about his life.

[Louisa]

When anyone died it's a tragic loss to someone, and empathy surely pays a big part in sympathising for something we can all relate to. Again, never really got the whole Bowie music thing, but unlike the Beatles, he was a low key individualist who never really conformed to the main stream (apart from that wayward period of the 1980's). He was influential, but arguably not mainstream enough to impact upon the direction music went in long term.

Louisa.

[Otta]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Bit of a cold analysis Otta... yes, people die in

> more tragic circumstances every day. But those who

> felt a connection with his music felt a connection

> with him.. so a sense of loss is inevitable.

>

> As for me... I felt no genuine sadness as I never

> had that connection. Nevertheless, I greatly

> admire what he acheived and the way he went about

> his life.

Your second paragraph sums up my personal feelings about it.

But to be clear, I have some friends who were real fans, just like sanity girl obviously was/is. And I totally get that they would feel a genuine saddness and maybe a sense of loss (possibly for the youth that he was so influential on). But those firends of mine have not gone OTT. It's the outpouring of grief that winds me up. One friend on facebook actually said on Monday something like "I was never a big fan of his music, but I always liked that he was somehow different" (fair enough). He then spent the whole day sharing his music and lamenting that we'd never hear the like again.

Imagine if facebook and twitter had existed in August 1997!

[Louisa]

Absolutely Otta. No one wants a repeat of the Diana scenario. And can you imagine the social media grief overdrive when our monarch eventually passes? We can all be respectful without being disproportionately over familiar and disingenuous in our 'grief'.

Louisa.

[red devil]

For a lot of people music has associations/connections throughout their lives, the music they heard growing up, at school, first kiss, first riot, college, work, their wedding day, first born etc etc. So when a musician like Bowie dies, people are not just mourning the loss of his life, they are also mourning the loss of part of their lives...

[Otta]

Totally agree, that's what I meant when I said "I have some friends who were real fans, just like sanity girl obviously was/is. And I totally get that they would feel a genuine saddness and maybe a sense of loss (possibly for the youth that he was so influential on)."

[red devil]

Ah, sorry, missed that...

[HonaloochieB]

Louisa Wrote:

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> Absolutely Otta. No one wants a repeat of the

> Diana scenario. And can you imagine the social

> media grief overdrive when our monarch eventually

> passes? We can all be respectful without being

> disproportionately over familiar and disingenuous

> in our 'grief'.

>

> Louisa.

There's no reason there'd be that (Diana 'thing', what scenario? Not a clue about that) at all.

Our monarch passes? It's David Bowie that's just gone, the place is a less good place without him.

'Cus he was a stone-cold solid groovey motherfu*cker.

Ingenuous in my sadness for him.

Anyway loves you, doubt you meant it, given the daftness. Later.

HB

[Louisa]

A lovely little article in the Southwark News tells the story of the Jones & Higgins worker who was charmed by Bowie on a visit to Peckham in the mid 70's. A nice memory with a local connection.

http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/when-granny-met-bowie/

Louisa.

[Jah Lush]

Dave's struggle to come up with a new character after killing off Ziggy.

 

[Jah Lush]

[kbabes]

if anyone interested there is a Bowie Tribute Night happening at the Ivy House, Nunhead on 31st March.. found the below on twitter

[Seabag]

I only wonder had Bowiee been born somewhat later he'd have discovered the EDF , signing on with the ZiggyStardust handle

[????]

Do you think he'd have been banging on about how Beckenham was the new East Dulwich?

[kbabes]

Well he was way ahead of his time.. Beckenham had a folk club long before The Goose is Out came about!

[Seabag]

???? Wrote:

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> Do you think he'd have been banging on about how

> Beckenham was the new East Dulwich?

I think he had strong views on West Croydon ????'s

He said of East Dulwich "Ha ha ha- he he he" or someting to that effect

[darryle]

Brit awards also gave tribute to David Bowie. He really loved by many people.

[red devil]

Fook, how quick did that year go?!

Some of his best non-single tracks...http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/david-bowie-70th-birthday-death-anniversary-greatest-album-tracks-singles-brixton-academy-a7511001.html

[Alan Medic]

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