Influencers: David Bowie

The Goblin King, Ziggy Stardust, Major Tom, The Thin White Duke or Aladdin Sane?

There's something quite bittersweet talking about my love for David Bowie this month. It was only 2 years ago the world lost the starman. It is for this reason I have chosen to discuss him to kick start my 'Influencers' series.

I'm not going to pretend that Bowie has always been in my life, he hasn't been. In my younger years, I didn't really know him, or if I saw an image of him, I was quick to dismiss him as 'old music'. How wrong I was! Since being older, I now appreciate how timeless David Bowie really is, how his music has transcended the ages.

I got into Bowie properly towards his later career, a mere few years before his untimely death. Interestingly enough, it was not his music that began my fascination with Major Tom. It was his acting. One of my friends was obsessed with Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth' and forced me to watch it after school one day. I was blown away by it's creativity, it's charm and most of all, the Goblin King. Bowie's pure talent in front of the camera was incredible, the way all your attention was on him, regardless of all the puppets in the background is something only he could have done. I loved the aesthetic of the movie, it's eerie looking castle, it's practical effects. I just can't get over how good it looks over 30 years since it was made.

So that was my introduction to Bowie.

I soon looked into Bowie as a person, his past, his complete back catalogue of music and other film appearances. He truly was an awesome man. The way he made people question everything about him; things like his sexuality, his personal life and his political views were always up for debate. When in reality (to me at least) it was all so obvious. Bowie used his stage persona and music to show the world that sex, politics and music are all personal things that should be celebrated. More to the point all of those things are trivial. We as a culture get far too attached to putting labels on things. David Bowie was always saying "F U" to labels, even to the bitter end, he made us question what is was to be human.

His art, as personal as it was. It was personal to everyone, everyone who hears it can relate. For me personally, his attitude towards the world is something I will always remember. I think he as rubbed of on me a lot. I don't care about people's perception of me. I do everything with a purpose, if someone doesn't approve of that, then that's their issue.

People who are obsessed with being accepted are the worst people. Embrace what makes you different. God made you how you are, love that. Be amazing by your own standards not by society.

I'm going to end with one of my favourite quotes from Bowie, something that is as true today as it was when he originally said it.

"People are so fucking dumb. Nobody reads anymore, nobody goes out and looks and explores the society and culture they were brought up in. People have the attention spans of five seconds and as much depth as a glass of water." - David Bowie

Keep telling stories,

Josh Barker