A star is born

David Bowie

Good morning, blogosphere. I started my day with yoga and am glad to have been able to complete today’s practice before work. It definitely sets the tone for the day.

Today is David Bowie’s birthday. He was an artist and a legend who had a profound effect on a lot of people. I am no exception. I don’t remember a whole lot of facts about him but would like to take a moment to reflect upon his contribution to the world.

It’s sort of a grey area when you consider which date to remember him by. His life spanned from January 8 1947 to January 10 2016. I remember the latter day four years ago when I was heartbroken to learn the news. But I’d like to remember Bowie on his birthday because on this day, a star was born.

A shout out also to Steve Garvey, bass guitarist of the Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone you Shouldn't've)? - who shares his birthday on January 8th.

Known by many different names such as Starman, Bowie, and often referenced by the character Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie was a musician as well as an artist. I remember listening to a few of his songs while growing up, but since we did not have exposure to music other than mainstream rock and pop, only his very popular music (read Let’s Dance) reached us. He was known as a music chameleon as far as genres were concerned. Glam rock, art rock, pop and experimental are some of the terms used to describe his music. However, his music was just his own unique genre. He has even done drum and bass with his album Earthling, and pulls it off with ease like all his other music. His essence permeates into his work, regardless of what style it takes. He had an exceptional talent to be able to achieve this while pushing the envelope with his art and music. He takes the word "expression" to a new level.

A few years ago, I started getting hooked to his albums. I was on a trip to London for work. I remember riding the DLR every morning all the way from the city to the Excel center. It was a long ride, and I listened to Ashes to Ashes on loop the entire week! Everything in the city came alive, I could feel all the great music that had come out of those streets and buildings and filled the air around over the years. My whole trip felt like a dream.

When his album Blackstar came out, I had just had a baby and was recovering at home adjusting to life with a newborn. My husband gifted me the album. Only a few days later, my mom told me about the news about Bowie which she had read about online. I kept looking from her to the album cover, wishing that it wasn’t true. However, moving on from the sadness and back to his influence, I think it just goes to show how much he was admired as a person as well as an artist.

My favorite Bowie songs are Heroes, Ashes to Ashes, Cat People, Starman, It's No Game (Parts 1 and 2) and China Girl. That might sound like an odd list, but there you go. I also enjoy Ziggy Stardust and Changes. Under Pressure, sung with Freddie Mercury, is another favorite. If you’ve listened to Ice Ice Baby in the 90s, you’ll know where that riff came from. My baby daughter used to rock out to Under Pressure – it was the first song she used to dance to as soon as she was able to pull up on to furniture and stand with support! Dancing in the Street is another collaboration of Bowie’s with Mick Jagger, and interestingly is one of the few Mick Jagger songs that I can really enjoy because of Bowie being in it. The Man Who Sold the World is another favorite song (and album) by Bowie that was later covered by Nirvana. And finally, his collaboration with Lou Reed was also exceptional. Bowie produced the song (Take a) “Walk on the wild side”, which happened to reach us even in India. The saxophone solo at the end of the song was played by Ronnie Ross, who was Bowie’s saxophone tutor during his childhood. Fun fact about Ronnie Ross: he was born in Calcutta, India, to Scottish parents before moving to England as an adolescent. I enjoy all of these intersections and collaborations that show Bowie's influence far and wide. Space Oddity of course features in countless movies and shows.

A few years ago, my husband and I watched Labyrinth which is a movie in which David Bowie stars as a goblin king. We enjoyed its bizarreness and the fantasy element it had.

With that, I will make a mental note of my playlist for the drive home. I hope to come across many other happy coincidences of Bowie’s influences over time.

There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us

But he thinks he'd blow our minds

There's a starman waiting in the sky

He's told us not to blow it

Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

- Starman by David Bowie