David Bowie: 90s Edition (Reader's Digest Version)

Bowie 1993

Today marks Day 3 of "Hibernation".  Today is (hopefully) the coldest it will get all winter, as it was 17°F as the high today and a low of 4°F.  I suppose I should be happier it isn't going to be in the negatives (as the weather report said it would be a few days ago), but I decided not to leave the flat just to be safe! Not to mention the snowstorm on Thursday which was insane to watch happening outside my window.  The snow was so thick that I couldn't see down First Ave or across the East River towards Brooklyn (sights that are usually quite easy to see).

In my isolation, I've tried to keep distracted fairly well.  I worked on some origami, watched the entirety of Gravity Falls, kept up some correspondence, watched a variety of YouTube videos, television shows, and children's films, and tomorrow I will probably begin reading once more.

In other news, I have an in-person interview at Sony! Specifically, it is for a position under Columbia Records, which was Bowie's final label!! My interview was supposed to be on Wednesday, but I received an email asking to reschedule to an unspecified date (as of now).  Although I am sad that I won't be doing the interview this week, I now will be able to use that day to go into mourning like I previously had set aside the date for.  Because, if you didn't know, this Monday marks David Bowie's (would be) 71st birthday and this Wednesday will be the 2nd anniversary of his death.  In honour of these dates, here's an update on what Bowie I'm currently into.

I've recently been getting a kick out of his 90s!era material.  Truly, an unappreciated time by critics and fans alike both then and now.  His work during this period is what I like to think of as his "Artsy!Bowie" phase, as he diverted more of his time into painting, corresponding with art magazines, and generally held interviews that expressed his philosophical views regarding art rather than his music.  Although that isn't to say he didn't make great work.  (Note: I am excluding his 1991 album Tin Machine II and his 1993 album The Buddha of Suburbia as the former was not done as a solo artist and the latter was done as part of a television show soundtrack).

Black Tie White Noise (1993) is his incredible come back as a solo artist, mixing his passion for jazz with a dance album fit for the hottest 90s clubs.  Not to mention that it also contains his joy at finding love and happiness with his new wife, Iman, that he married earlier that year, his passion for racial reconciliation and world peace, his cheeky nod to his past (he reunited with Mick Ronson and Nile Rodgers for the album), and his personal exploration of death via suicide (a common recurring motif).  Also, it contains what is probably my favourite Bowie music video of all time, and it was released on my birthday, so it's obviously an excellent album.

Meanwhile, 1. Outside (1995) is an incredible concept piece about nihilism, God/atheism, art, and questioning what the new millennium will bring.  It's set in a loose dystopian world that feels like the spiritual and stylistic successor to Diamond Dogs, and features some of his best work from the 90s like "The Hearts Filthy Lesson", "Hallo Spaceboy", and "Strangers When We Meet".  Although to truly see these pieces shine, the Outside Tour is absolutely incredible - particularly because Bowie features some of his lesser known (but extremely extellent and musically rigorous) pieces, reworking them into incredible hard, grungy, jungle rock.  See: my personal favourite edition of "Andy Warhol" and this amazing live edition of my favourite song from Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), "Teenage Wildlife".

And Earthling (1997) contains some of Bowie's best work that showcases his "cut-up method" of songwriting while being contained in some of the catchiest jungle rock while once again honouring his previous sci-fi past.  The title is a clear play on his alter ego Ziggy Stardust's alien status (if the bright orange hair he sports during this time period isn't a dead giveaway), and the album uses some excellent space imagery that is themed around (once again) the concepts of outsidership, international peace, and rejection of religion (although not necessarily spirituality).

Finally, 'hours...' (1999) has work that is essential to understanding Bowie's masterpiece Heathen (2002), as they share many of the same musical stylings.  It's also fascinating to consider this album as a mix of Bowie's old-time interest in music and his new-found interest in the digital age.  Part of the album was used as the soundtrack for Omikron: The Nomad Soul, a 1999 video game that he helped develop and write the music for, and the album as a whole became a landmark Internet/music note, as Bowie became the first major-label artist to sell a complete album online in download form.  It is a weird fusion of these mixed interests, wistful and nostalgic as well as contemplating the future.

Of all these albums, I've been the most interested in Black Tie White Noise right now, but I've also been enjoying his Outside Tour footage in equal measure.  Although, as you can see from these mini-reviews, I don't particularly favour one or another.

And in other, related, news, I'm about to tackle (for the third time), one of Bowie's all-time favourite books: Hawksmoor.  It's remained unconquered because it's spiritually quite scary and dark, and I've become too scared every time I read it.  However, since his son has announced that the Bowie Book Club has begun (!), Hawksmoor has been chosen as the first book, so I am determined to finish it just in time for the deadline of Feb 1st!