David Bowie was a very private man. Just remember the feeling of elation with the 'out of the blue' release of 'The Next Day' in 2013 to the heartbreaking news of his death as we woke-up this morning, which shocked so many people to the core.
He had been suffering from cancer for the last 18 months, something again he kept extremely private hence, the shock for us all this morning but, he was still able to record a brilliant new album, during that time, 'Blackstar' was released just last Friday (which we reviewed on Saturday).
David Bowie has touched the souls of many people during his lifetime and he will continue to do so in the future. Everybody has a memory of an album, a gig, or just a song and a moment in their own lives when they and Bowie become entwined for a moment or more.
For me, it was secondary school days, 'Life on Mars' captured the imagination of a bored schoolboy and Hunky Dory was brought from Kelly Records in Brentwood High Street. Ziggy and Aladdin Slane followed and the legend was born and a boy's school life suddenly came to be about Bowie, Mick Ronson, T- Rex, Slade and Sweet.
All three albums blew my mind and I was hooked. Over the years there was the Earls Court Gig on 1st July 1978, an intimate show at the BBC Radio Theatre on 27 June, 2000. There were stunning albums, stunning changes of looks, even the fashion industry would not be what it is today without Bowie's inspiration and then, there was the quiet time before 'The Next Day' and 'Blackstar' and the fan base grew again and will contune to grow.
'Blackstar' was released differently, the epic title track released a month or so before the album release and then the single, 'Lazarus' before last Friday's album release. We were then thinking of the possibility of live shows again before this morning's dreadful news.
The Bowie exhibition held at The Victoria & Albert Museum in 2013 again is another lasting memory. It drew queues of people over many months and was an amazing experience for fans old and new alike. The pure joy of having David's handwritten lyrics in a glass case in front of you whilst listening to the songs on headphones was frankly, quite outstanding.
The pure fact that we feel this sad today about someone we didn't know personally is a tribute to how deeply this man touched our lives.
Pete
