“I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human. I felt very puny as a human. I thought, ‘Fuck that. I want to be a superhuman.’ ”
To many, David Bowie was superhuman. He was immortal. He was like a hero from a fairy tale that we all loved to hear.
David Robert Jones, known as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter, and actor.
Bowie was born in South London on Jan. 8, 1947. During the early 60s he discovered his passion for music and began his journey into pop culture and the music industry. “Space Oddity” was his first top five song on the UK Singles Chart after its release in 1969.
From there, Bowie disappeared, re-merging during the glam rock era in 1972. The 70s were the highest point in Bowie’s career, because not only did he reinvent himself, but he created an artistic persona that was so heavily sprinkled with fairy dust that he created a legend.
This was the year the world met Ziggy Stardust, and they automatically fell in love with the sound of the single “Starman” and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
By 1975, Bowie achieved his first major American crossover with the number-one single “Fame” and the album Young Americans, which again changed his sound dramatically.
Bowie’s originality was extremely iconic; his ability for versatility and reinvention was immeasurably influential on other artists.
Besides being a musical icon and a superhuman, Bowie was also a movie star, working with some of the film industry’s best.
His roles included, but were not limited to, his role as the eponymous character in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), the Goblin King Jareth in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006).
Personally, I had grown up surrounded by Bowie’s music, but it wasn’t until I was mystified by his role in Labyrinth that I really began to connect with his music and with his art. I believe that myself as well as countless others were drawn to Bowie for his untouchable nature. He was always extreme, always pushing the line of normalcy and social acceptance.
This inspired me. He became my ideal figure of eccentricity in art, and of reinvention. It wasn’t until I heard of his death that I truly acknowledged the impact he had on me, and still does.
I believe he had a radical hand in shaping me as the person I am today and all I can say is, “Thank you Mr. Bowie, you taught me how to be me.”
David Bowie died Jan. 10, 2016 after an 18-month battle with liver cancer. Some may say he was defeated, but I say he got bored, and decided to pursue a new adventure.
“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”
—David Bowie
