Why David Bowie Matters

Late last night I learned that David Bowie had just died after a long bout with cancer. Like almost every personal detail, Bowie kept his illness a secret, preferring that the world and his legions of fans focus on his art rather than his life. Before I went to bed I posted a lyric from “Lazarus”, a song from his latest and last album. Released just days before his death, the album, entitled Blackstar, is largely focused on the nature of death and loss. It’s also one of the best albums of his long career.

I had to listen to the album in its entirety before I could go to sleep. In fact, I listened to the 10 minute long title track several times. What became clear is why David Bowie matters to me. It’s not because he was a musical icon and innovator with dozens of fantastic songs in his discography including “Changes”, “Fame”, “Suffragette City”, “Rebel Rebel”, “Let’s Dance”, “Heroes”, and “Under Pressure” just to name a few. It’s not because he was a talented actor that starred in one of my favorite horror movies (The Hunger) as well as one of my favorite fantasy films (Labyrinth), and it isn’t because he was such a trend setter, morphing from one persona to another long before the likes of Madonna or Lady Gaga.

The reason David Bowie matters to me is found in the experimentation of his music and the poetry of his lyrics on his last album. All I could think about as I listened to it is that this was a man that never bowed to the pressure of record companies to make something commercial at the expense of his artistic vision. Unlike almost every other singer or band, this wasn’t a musical artist that turned into a nostalgia act after his new material stopped charting either. This was the sound of an artist that always made the music he wanted to make. This was the sound of a man that knows he’s dying and is expressing his doubts, his fears, and his faith in the best way he knows how, through his music. David Bowie was true to himself and his art from the day he hit the scene until the day he died. Even battling an implacable and crippling disease like cancer, David Bowie left the world the way he wanted to, with mystery, elegance, and dignity. And David Bowie is proof that art really does still hold magic.