Dey Street Books

Like so many vital figures in British pop history, from Pete Townshend to Paul Weller, Bowie came from a blurry region of British society that encompasses the educated working class, the socially precarious petite bourgeoisie and what could be called the uncomfortably-off middle class, i.e. professional or office workers whose income didn’t quite match their aspirations.

The whole world was stunned by the news of his death on January 10—just two days after he celebrated his sixty-ninth birthday by dropping his newest masterwork, Blackstar

Bowie’s mission was bringing these misfits and loners and freaks together

As the alien stranded on earth, Bowie records an album, The Visitor, for his wife back on his home planet, hoping it will get played on the radio and his wife out there in space will hear it.

After a decade or so in the wilderness, he began writing strong songs again in the late nineties, with Earthling and Hours, discovering what became the grand theme of his final phase—true love, the kind he’d found with Iman.

That record should have been called David Bowie Is Alive and Well and Living Only in Theory.”

There probably isn’t a Bowie

Bowie nods. “It tends to be like that, yes. I’m easily saturated. I’m very sort of faddy, sort of flirty. I’m quite a rock fan—I get influenced by other bands, other artists, and I tend to sort of steal things from them.”

Dinah smiles. “You’re being very modest.” Bowie replies, “Not at all, no. I think that’s one of the most important elements of rock and roll.”

There were exceptions—for some reason, he had an ax to grind against poor Gary Numan, and always seemed a degree or two frosty on the subject of Elton Joh

Strange as it sounds now, Freddie Mercury vehemently denied being gay until 1991—the week he died. Elton John married a woman in the

Bowie invited anyone to rebel against hetero conformity. Gender roles were just homework to throw onto the fire