A few days ago someone asked me if I’ve been watching Making a Murderer. I shrugged, as I usually do when asked about any piece of relevant pop culture, and said I don’t usually watch things that are timely, I just read think pieces about them.
A few years ago (OK, more than few years – I was still in single digits), I picked up on the fact that everyone thought my parents were hippies because they had long hair and had lived through the 70s. I asked them if they’d been hippies and my mom shrugged. “Not really,” she said, “I guess we just weren’t paying attention.”
So I have to admit, I was never majorly into David Bowie, mostly because I wasn’t paying attention. Judging by Facebook, a person of my generation should have been shaped by the movie Labyrinth, but my only memories of the movie are the write-ups of it in Muppet Magazine (even at a young age, I was reading think pieces).
Here’s what I’ve learned about this artist today: he was brave, and true to himself. He was an innovative creator who made other people feel comfortable in their own skin. He was a seeker, looking for deeper meanings and dressing those meanings up in the most beautiful, exciting way he could.
When the news of his death broke this morning I will admit that I wasn’t terribly moved. But I have been moved by the response of the people I know and love, those who were inspired by and who learned from him.
What are your memories of David Bowie?
Image of David Bowie by Photobra|Adam Bielawski (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
Oh, goodness. I don’t normally feel especially moved by a celebrity’s death, since it’s not a personal loss, as it would be with a close friend or sibling, but I was completely blindsided when I read of Bowie’s death this morning. I had just jumped back into bed to get warm as my coffee brewed, and saw a note from an old colleague about it. I think I may have actually shouted, “no!” as I jumped back up.
I don’t ever remember crying over a celebrity’s death, but I admit that I sobbed a little. And I saw many others cry on the bus, the T, and at work today, which surprised me!
David Bowie was the music playing in my parent’s little red Jetta when I was a kid (Let’s Dance, Blue Jean, Loving the Alien), the Goblin King in my elementary school years (Labyrinth), the fun in my teen years (Golden Years, Fashion), as well as the skeptic (I’m Afraid of Americans), and the beautiful point of view to songs such as Ashes to Ashes and Heroes.
I think what made it so sad, aside from the timing and thought put into his final artistic release, was how man memories and aspects of life his music touched on, and how many people he then reminded me of in these memories.
I enjoyed your post, Margaret! Very honest and a great writing prompt for those of us who are so glad that Ziggy Stardust fell to Earth. 🙂
So many people have been expressing the same sense of a personal loss. I loved reading your memories!