David Bowie

[paellaandpies]

I’ve never really listened to him much, because my parents weren’t fans, and so he just wasn’t on my radar when growing up. But I was lucky enough to see him live at a festival once, and he was absolutely electric onstage, and I can see how loved he is. However, I have never got into any of his stuff, and I feel perhaps I am missing out... am I?

So, any Bowie fans, what would you recommend for someone just starting to listen to him? Anything in particular? Chronological or start with the famous hits?

Thank you!

@LockdownLump

It's all very well to keep harping on about the 14/17 age difference. But what about 25 and 15. What about 40 odd and 16 year old.

If that is not creepy, I'm not sure what is.

He wasn't in his forties in the 70s. This was the 90s.

25/15 and 40/16 are both unproven allegations afaik. Actually, none of the girls involved have actually complained about the encounters, so perhaps unproven anecdote is a better word than allegation.

I was a teen during the 1970’s. If we’re going to blame the performers, what about the security at venues, who would quite happily tell girls they would get them backstage to see their idol in return for sex with them and quite often it was a lie, Bowie was terrified of being mobbed and injured.

Hunky Dory,
I love Kooks,
throw your homework on the fire!

And FWIW I think it is possible to separate the talent from the person regardless of what they have done.

I think that Michael Jackson was talented, and knowing what he is alleged to have done doesn’t change that. But equally if you are going to grieve the loss of a person then you should also think of them as a person and acknowledge the person they actually were. After all, the talent lives on in albums etc, whereas the person is the one who has gone.

So we need to see a David Bowie tick list of everyone he ever shagged to 'prove' these women's 'allegations'

Get real.

Modwolvesrock - same here!

@LockdownLump

So we need to see a David Bowie tick list of everyone he ever shagged to 'prove' these women's 'allegations'

Get real.

I prefer a little more than "David Baddiel says a woman once told him that David Bowie slept with her 16-year old friend in the 1980's." before condemning him.

Definitely start with the laughing gnome - genius.

Not keen on how he treated Mick Ronson and the others during and after the Ziggy years.

Regarding his music ... there’s a fantastic mix of lots of his songs that Soulwax did - it’s called “Dave”. Just search it on YouTube, Vimeo, mixcloud etc

There’s also a brilliant video that goes with it.

vimeo.com/53207758

Think it’s about an hour long. Totally brilliant and my go to when I don’t quite know what I want to listen to.

I think the point is they are not allegations. They are anecdotes told at dinner parties in the case of the 16 year old and stories told to mythologise their own status in the case of Lori Maddox (the 14 year old). No-one has ever come forward with a complaint about David Bowie's behaviour towards them. Sexual politics and relations are complicated and reducing them to black and white judgments is pointlessly reductive.

Currently listening to Hunky Dory. Excellent recommendation.

Changesonebowie for me.

His body of work is so varied I think chronological is as good a way as any.

I always tear up when I listen to Space Oddity. Always have since I first heard it. I came of age in the era of 80s Bowie: Ashes to Ashes, Let's Dance, China Girl, etc. I adored the short film Jazzin' For Blue Jean. 80s Bowie. That was MY Bowie. I've never quite felt the whole Ziggy Stardust thing, but can appreciate it and his amazing music from that period and a couple of my favourite Bowie tracks are from that era.

Though one of my favourite moments in TV history is when Family Guy played the entire video of Dancing in the Streets, that cheesy-ass duet with Bowie and Mick Jagger. It finishes with Peter Griffin saying, "That happened and we all let it happen."

If I could love Bowie for ONLY one thing though, it would be for this:

I would have shagged him at 15.

@AuntieMarys

I would have shagged him at 15.

Christ on a bike

@AntsInPenzance, Bowie admitted having sex with 13 year old groupies. It was when he was friendly with Mick Jagger and the stones. 13/14 year old girls were called 'wild child' and it was passed off in the papers as ok. It you remember Bill Wyman dating 14 year old Mandy Smith. There was group sex with young teens going on.

I must have missed the court case.

@AuntieMarys, there's probably many 13+ year old boys who would shag most women. But as women, we manage to not have sex with children. Unless of course you do.

I've never understood his music. Didn't get Amy whinehouse either, although a recent documentary has made me more appreciative.

Ziggy - amazing. I remember seeing him in concert with the Spiders from Mars. Mick Ronson - wow 'could he play guitar'. Fantastic days - takes me back - still a teenage heart beats in this 60+ body.

@AuntieMarys

I would have shagged him at 15.

Me too

So are we ok with Epstein and his parties then?

I never saw him in concert. It was only more recentjy - in the last 10 years or so - that I realised the I had all his albums up to Tin Machine and had listened to them pretty regularly from my teens onwards...

I have seen an amazing Bowie tribute band a few times. If anyone ever gets a chance to see Absolute Bowie, they are worth a few £ and hours of your time. They do the costumes, make up etc of all the phases of Bowie from Alladin Sane to Black Star.

I saw him live in 1973 and it was a life-changing experience. I think it would be good to start at the beginning and follow the progression as he developed. I am finding that I go back to stuff that didn't really register at the time and seeing it through new eyes - Man Who Sold the World for example.

To all the rape accusers - I witnessed what went on back then - girls, mostly young teens - throwing themselves at bands. Literally hundreds of them hanging around at stage doors vying to be picked, especially with the likes of Bay City Rollers, The Glitterband etc, but pretty much any band would attract a following. Also, the fashion then was for men older than themselves - very few would consider a younger man as now. In addition, although many girls were obviously quite young, they would strenuously make themselves look older with make-up, clothes etc. From a band member's perspective it would be difficult to tell if a girl was 15 or 18. I'm not excusing it or anything, but it was very much a two-way thing and I would be pushed about who to label a predator.

Be very wary of projecting current thinking onto past times. This seems to be very much the rage these days and is completely wrong IMO. It's ridiculous in fact. People had different values and mores back then, and people in 50 years time will (hopefully) have changed yet again.