David Bowie! Let this name hang on for a little while so that you get the right imagination of the person I want to tell you about!
But what makes someone to a real Pop-Idol??
It's the capacity of refining a strong and unique image to the absolute perfection.
This is something, which can take years and looks like a maturity process. But you've to see that as a performer, musician and songwriter David Bowie opposed himself against this concention. In an enormous speed Bowie invents himself again and again new. With each renewed turn of his career, Bowie documents a complet new aesthetic. With his glamour and glitter he created more than only an immortal myth.
THE BEGINNING...
David Bowie, who's called David Robert Jones, was born on the 8th of January in 1947 in Brixton. When he was 13 years old he started to learn the saxophone. At this time he played in different bands, like "The King Bees", the "Mannish Boys" and the "Lower Third". This was the first touch with the arrogant world of Pop and the "Mod-movement". The name "David Bowie" was created in the year 1966, and at this time the dreams and longings for being a star began. Kenneth Pitt, who became Bowies' Manager at this time, produced a bunch of songs, which are advised in oblivion nowadays. 1969 he created the leap into the charts with his song "Space Oddity". He experimented with different media and expression-possibilities as well as movie, pantomine, tibetain buddhism and love.
THE EARLY SEVENTIES...
The first album "The man who sold the world" was created as a closed unit. With this album the first steps were done for the "Glam-Rock-Era". 1971 was an important year for him. In April he traveled to America to promote his Album. And in may his wife Angela became mother of one wonderful son: Duncan Zowie Haywood Bowie.
In the USA he joined in a contract with RCA and after signing the contract in the USA he returned to London. There he produced his next two albums: "Hunky Dory", which was based on a "six-song-demo" and short after that the album "The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the spiders from mars" followed. In the year 1971 Bowie should get a small misgiving of the power of pop-music. In spring he brought one of the greatest Live-shows: "Ziggy Stardust"
Everybody was fascinated of "Ziggy Stardust", the new power-creature. This enthusiasm should be the key for his myth as a pop-star.
In Sommer 1972 he produced albums for Lou Reed ("Transformer") and Mott the Hoople ("All the young Dudes"). Only a little time later his Ziggy-concert started in the USA too. While the "Ziggy-Fever" was still going on, a new album was published: "Alladin Sane", inspired from the America-Tournee. "Pin-Ups", the next published album, should be the last album with guitarist Mick Ronson and producer Ken Scott. In April 1974 appeared the Proto-Bladerunner-project "Diamond Dogs". At this time the contrast between Bowies' music and the new disco-sound came up and David became worried about it! It followed a great Live-show in the USA. At this show Bowie showed all his abilities with the living and choreographical pictures. The double-album for this show, called "Bowie Live", was published short time after that tour through the USA.
THE MIDDLE SEVENTIES...
Both previous albums pointed at Bowies music-interests, which was this kind of music he listened to in the USA. He published his new album "Young Americans", which was influenced by rhythmical soul. It emerged "Fame", which was a production of Bowie together with John Lennon. This song was placed on the album at the last minute. After the publication of this album, he moved to Los Angelos and played in the sience-fiction-movie "The man who fell to earth" the leading role. After filming he created the album "Station to Station" and when he was finish with that he started the "White Light-tour". Still in the year 1976 Bowie moved to Berlin-Schöneberg.
THE LATE SEVENTIES...
During his stay in Germany the LPs "Low" and "Heroes" emerged. There he practiced a very new form of songwriting together with Brain Eno and Tony Viconti. Bowie allways meant that Berlin is a town with the best influences to his music and lyrics. Through the integration of Cut-and-Paste-Technologies and the unique instrumentation, the trio successed sounds, which today are celebrated as a way manner "Ambience-Soundworlds".
Davids' friend Iggy Pop lived in Berlin right at the same time. During his own production and recording-time Bowie took time for creating and recording Iggy Pops' albums "The Idiot" and "Lust for life". His next Film-project "Just a Gigolo" he commented as "all 32 Elvis Presley - Movies in only one".
"Stages" was published in 1978 and contained material of his latest America-tour as well as Live-material of his Berlin-period.
After that he moved to Switzerland! He didn't stay very long because at this time Bowie traveled around to his new-discovered favorite-places like Indonesia, Africa and the distant East.
In May 1979 "Lodges" was published.
THE EIGHTIES...
After the album "Scary Monsters", which included the Number-1-Hit "Ashes to Ashes", was published, Bowie disappeared for a while. He wanted to concentrate on his film-projects. He played in the movies "The Hunger" and "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence", and wrote the title-music for the film "Cat People". In 1981 he landed the next number 1 Hit in England: Together with Queen, Bowie succeeded the Hit "Under Pressure". The Best-of-Album "ChangesTwoBowie" was published in 1982. 1983 Bowie changed to EMI-Records. In this time-span Bowie produced and created more than ever before. He created and published albums like "Tonight" (1984) and "Never let me down". On these albums were published the song "Heroes", which he dedicated to his son, and "Dancing in the streets", which he sang together with Mick Jagger. He created a band, which was named "Tin Machine". 1992 Tin Machine was retired again.
THE NINETHIES...
1993 Bowie concentrated on his solo-projects. Bowie married the model Iman. 1994 Bowie worked together with Brian Eno in the studio. The result was the album "Outside". This album concentrated on the obsession of the human body as an art-subject. This was a very active year for Bowie:
He changed between his styles and moods, and started an US-Tour together with the band "Nine Inch Nails". In San Francisco on the "Bridge Benefit Concert" he absolved an acoustic-gig together with Neil Young and Pearl Jam. After that the new album "Earthling" followed. In the following year 1997 the controverse collaboration "I'm afraid of Americans" with Brain Eno was published. This song was accompanies by a Dom&Nic-Video (Dominic Hawley and Nick Goffey), in which Nine Inch Nais Frontman Trent Reznor was shown, when he hunts Bowie through the streets of Greenich Villages. Bands like the "Smashing Pumpkins", "Marilyn Manson" and "Nine Inch Nails" see in Bowie their greatest mentor. In January 1997 Bowie celebrated his 50th Birthday in the New Yorker "Madison Square Garden". Bowie, who was celebrated as a very famous person in the world of glamour and art, wanted to start something new. In may 1999 Bowie earned the Honor-doctorate in music from the "Berkley College of Music" (Boston). 1999 began the "relationship" between Bowie and the band "Placebo". A lot of magazins, Rodio-stations and people said that David Bowie is the greatest artist of this century. But the most important thing was the publication of "hours...". This album tells more about Reality than phantasies or wishes.
2000 AND MUCH MORE...
Now there came a period, when Bowie dissapeared out of the eyes of the public. While this time-span the first child of David and Iman was born: Alexandria Zahra Jones.
Bowie took his time to be a good father. The album "Heathen" was created after a time. Bowie started to work together again with Visconti. This album was the first result of their work. The album "Heathen" will be published as a followship of the coming concerts in Europe and the USA. This Cd means for Bowie a new period in his career. He wants to go on and looks forward to get everything he wants.
Bio written by: Sin |
|
Add to Profile
