Marc Spitz said he was hesitant to write "yet another Bowie book" but decided that his look back at 40 years of recordings, tours, reviews, disclosures and headlines would help explain the times and the man who created the artist.
The frustrating early years of his first group, the Kingbees, are revisited as the former David Jones experiments in England with mod, mime and hippie before blending theater and music to become Bowie, the creator of outrageous glam rock.
The extreme struggle for early success as the character of Major Tom on "Space Oddity" goes full circle to Bowie today living in quiet family splendor and acceptance of his role in music history.
Spitz's musical knowledge provides an insightful overview, building up to worldwide acceptance of "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" and beyond. He recaps each decade of change and growth in the amazing life of the artist with intimate behind-the-scenes details.
Multiple sources are tapped, including lovers, former friends, wives, musicians and fans. These are the impressions of people who were there every step of the way. The legend benefits from this collected memory.
Once, a major reviewer of the time described Bowie's Ziggy "as camp as a row of tents," but we follow him as he sheds the Ziggy theatrics and adapts his special talents to continue as a leader in the changing music world.
We are reminded that Bowie was making music videos years before MTV. He also offered fans "downloads" of his music a full decade before MySpace and Facebook.
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Charles Lee Boyd is a writer based in Charleston, SC. This review appeared in The Post and Courier newspaper Jan 3, 2010
The frustrating early years of his first group, the Kingbees, are revisited as the former David Jones experiments in England with mod, mime and hippie before blending theater and music to become Bowie, the creator of outrageous glam rock.
The extreme struggle for early success as the character of Major Tom on "Space Oddity" goes full circle to Bowie today living in quiet family splendor and acceptance of his role in music history.
Spitz's musical knowledge provides an insightful overview, building up to worldwide acceptance of "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" and beyond. He recaps each decade of change and growth in the amazing life of the artist with intimate behind-the-scenes details.
Multiple sources are tapped, including lovers, former friends, wives, musicians and fans. These are the impressions of people who were there every step of the way. The legend benefits from this collected memory.
Once, a major reviewer of the time described Bowie's Ziggy "as camp as a row of tents," but we follow him as he sheds the Ziggy theatrics and adapts his special talents to continue as a leader in the changing music world.
We are reminded that Bowie was making music videos years before MTV. He also offered fans "downloads" of his music a full decade before MySpace and Facebook.
####
Charles Lee Boyd is a writer based in Charleston, SC. This review appeared in The Post and Courier newspaper Jan 3, 2010
