David Bowie 8 January 1947 - 10 January 2016

Lots of tributes and eulogies on FB today.  I've got a blog though so I thought I'd write mine up here instead.  Like most people I didn't see it coming although I remember one of those spiteful newspaper articles from a few years ago (October 2012) in which the Daily Mail full of its usual bile speculated about DB's health.  As usual, how cool does he look  but with the benefit of hindsight maybe for once DM got it right.

I thought about Bowie yesterday,   I was at the gym and heard this brill Rock'n'Roll Suicide/If I Can Dream segue by Elvez on my iPod.  

I made a mental note to give DB's version a spin....  Maybe later.

And last night I decided to try Blackstar  on Spotify.  I played it through twice. It really is rather good, much better that anything he's done for nearly 35 years and so much better than 2013's The Next Day.  I will listen to it again.

So today his passing was announced and it's difficult for me to know what to say and sound sincere.  It's obviously sad when such an iconic musical figure dies.  I've got some of the rolling news people have tried to find perspective (Mick Jagger laughably mentioned several times) but it is Elvis Presley or John Lennonesque isn't it?

Shamila and I went to see the  V and A exhibition in 2013 I was reminded of the magnificent singles from the'70's and fantastic run of albums from Station to Station to Scary Monsters. His various reinventions and of course The Man Who Fell To Earth.  

I was also reminded the other day that in the seventies I preferred Marc Bolan to David Bowie.  There is no comparison who achieved more and the fact that  Bowie achieved little after 1982 (my opinion) does not diminish his influence and importance on music and popular culture in general.

He was undoubtedly an icon but he wasn't my mam.  I didn't know him and I was never going to meet him so I'm not going to talk stupid  and say how much I will miss him.  In my eyes his body of work stands high and will continue to do so.  Maybe Blackstar is the final word but this is David Bowie so maybe not.  

Long live Bowie.