Watching BBC 4 (reliably excellent for its informative and interesting documentaries) while slumped on the sofa late one evening/morning a few days ago I watched a fantastic documentary on none other than David Bowie, or more specifically, the truly extraordinary persona he created from himself in 1972: Ziggy Stardust.
Bowie/Stardust was shocking, androgynous, uncompromisingly sexualised, and daring. He was to 20th century popular music and culture what Lord Byron was in his scandalous and much-discussed contribution to the notion of celebrity over a century before, although strikingly contemporary and avant-garde.
Bowie was also musically talented, and his song writing was exquisite. His work was also unprecedentedly intellectual - I cannot name any other pop artistic whose lyrics explore the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, for example, as Bowie does in the superb "Oh! You Pretty Things"
The documentary also elucidated perfectly my nagging and persistent doubts as to the validity and authenticity of modern pop music. I've long dismissed it as contrived, cynical, unoriginal, and cheap. As a commentator in the documentary explains so concisely, there is nothing in modern pop music that cannot be directly connected to Bowie and his visionary creation, and citing Lady Gaga as an example, he pertinently notes that she has even adopted Stardust's lightening-bolt makeup.
Whatever your views on the credibility of modern pop culture, Bowie's extraordinary influence is incontrovertible, and recorded admirably in this absorbing documentary.
Great blog post!! I was just googling all things Ziggy and found your blog. It was a great read. I recently listened to Ziggy Stardust for the first time. It was such a good album that I couldn't stop listening to it for weeks.
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