David Bowie

Bowie Rolling Stone describes David Bowie as the "consummate musical chameleon" because the superstar musician continually reinvents himself and appeals to a fan base wider than most artists ("David Bowie: Biography," n.d.). Bowie was born David Robert Jones in Brixton, South London, in January 1947.

He started playing the saxophone at age 13, and played in several different bands during his teenage years, including the Konrads, the King Bees, David Jones and the Buzz, the King Bees, the Manish Boys (featuring Jimmy Page as a session guitarist), and Davey Jones and the Lower Third ("David Bowie: Biography," n.d.). As Crocker (2011) points out, Bowie slipped easily into London "mod" scenes as a teenager, and quickly developed his artsy chameleon style that characterized the meat of Bowie's career.

Gender-bending, avant-garde performances, and avant-garde music were the cornerstones of Bowie's identity and image throughout the late 1960s and 1970s. David Bowie came out with a hit in 1969 called "Space Oddity," which he admits was inspired by the Stanley Kubrick classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey (Crocker, 2011). During this time, Bowie presented himself with a science fiction persona Ziggy Stardust.

He dubbed his band the Spiders from Mars, and their stage performances reflected their personas in a combination of performance art and music that was unique, drawing also on Bowie's background in mime and other performance art. Throughout his career, Bowie has continued to reinvent himself and his artistry. Bowie is an artist whose presence transcends music. He took his stage name from an American knife company; he spent years in a Buddhist monastery in Scotland; and he ran his own troupe of mimes.

He worked closely with Andy Warhol and became involved in the pop art scene in New York City. In the film Basquiat, David Bowie actually played the role of Andy Warhol in the depiction of the street art star who lends his name to the title of the film. Bowie also worked with musicians as diverse as Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and Luther Vandross, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The diversity of styles in Bowie's music parallels the different visual and performance expressions Bowie has created.

Bowie also named his first son Zowie. Bowie had never been afraid of pleasing people, and although he was a pop star, never tried to please the masses. In fact, Bowie openly admitted to his drug use, as when he stated that he was "stoned out of his mind" when he saw Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, before coming up with Ziggy Stardust and "Space Oddity." The theme of "Space Oddity" is that of a "a doomed messianic rock star," ("David Bowie: Biography," n.d.).

Bowie was also open about his sexuality, and was proudly bisexual. His first marriage to Angela Barnett was an open and experimental one. His second marriage was to supermodel Imam, an African woman who towers over him. The couple has been an icon of art, creativity, and the fusion between popular culture and the avant-garde. As if his artistry has not signaled the complexity of Bowie's character enough, Bowie has also started an investment company called Bowie Bonds ("David Bowie" n.d.). As Bowie himself sang, "Changes" encapsulates his life.

David Bowie is an artist unlike any other because of his ability.