I'm so depressed...
You know what - I'm going to re-write this entry. I posted it as an immediate reaction to seeing "Fashion Rocks" on CBS tonight, and I kind of feel like I'm not giving it ... I don't even know....the "seriousness" that it deserves. I can't even figure out how to say what I want to say here.
Just got in and watched the tape of "Fashion Rocks" that I recorded tonight so I could see my man David Bowie.
I had forgotten that he suffered a heart attack last year. The minute he walked on stage, however, I remembered.
I guess (hope) that he has stopped smoking because I have never seen him so chubby. His face looked so old...I have never seen him like this. It makes me so sad.
A sentiment echoed by many reviewers on the "Reality" tour last summer was that he seemed to be eternally youthful. It's so easy to buy into this because, except for a brief period in the 1980s, he has always been so musically vibrant, so relevant, and so energetic. I have NEVER seen him look anything less than fantastic. One of the best moments of my life was the first time I saw him and Gail Ann Dorsey sing "Under Pressure" live on the "Earthling" tour.
Ziggy Stardust. The Thin White Duke. The Berlin Visionary. The Heathen. This man has ALWAYS mattered to rock music!
I hope I am just over-reacting to this. I have just never seen him like he was tonight and it never entered my mind that I ever would. It seemed like his body or some sort of medication or something is conspiring against him to make him look his age. So unkind; so unkind.
I am so depressed right now.
PS. And what's the deal with CBS?? You have one of the legends of rock music perform three songs for you - "Life on Mars", "Five Years", and whatever that Arcadia Fire song was - and they show the one that no one has ever heard??? I know DB would defend that group that played with him, but I had never heard that song before and I would guess most people hadn't either. Show his classic hits if you ask him to sing them! D'uh!!
posted by Linnen @ 12:24 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
It was very sad to see Bowie on stage looking like he did. In a way, he can't help it, because after all, he is getting older and eventually time catches up to everyone. But on the other hand, he of course could have helped what he's dealing with now by not doing so many drugs in his past and smoking for so long. Of course that's easy for me to say, not being in his shoes.
I am hopeful that he will bounce back from his current condition... if he could lose some weight I think that would make a vast improvement in his appearance. I think part of what made him look so different tonight was the fact that you couldn't really see his cheekbones anymore. He has always had such an angular face, and now he just looks so bloated. He may be on medicine that's doing that to him in addition to simply having gained weight. But I still think losing a few pounds would probably help.
Right now, I feel very happy and fortunate that I got to see him a few times before he "got old," so to speak. But I will continue to be a Bowie fan no matter what he looks like.
Oh yeah - looks aren't the big issue here - I'll buy his CDs as long as he wants to release them. It really is about the music. I just hate seeing him get old and for sure don't want to deal with him retiring or worse.
Since you have updated your comments, I will also update mine. :-)
I think you know this but I just want to point out...just because he doesn't look how we have all been used to seeing him (thin and youthful), doesn't mean that he is no longer relevant to the music world and capable of producing great songs.
He was still sharply dressed in a nice shirt, vest and pants, and despite the weird song he chose to perform with that other group, he still sounded just fine and played the acoustic guitar with no problem.
What would really concern me is if he had been up on stage looking like he didn't care anymore, and didn't sound good, and acted tired, etc. From the brief time we saw him perform, he seems like he still has a good voice and is as eager as ever to perform. Perhaps he won't be as energetic as he was, but I believe a legendary performer like Bowie can still be captivating on stage even by standing still. (And we have seen this in person!)
I think Bowie fans have been "spoiled" because he has inexplicably stayed so young-looking for so long. Many others of his age group who lived the same lifestyle as he did have not fared nearly as well with the passage of time-- I don't think I need to give examples but I will: pretty much all of the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, etc. But heck, even "America's Teenager," Dick Clark, has finally succumbed and has "gotten old"-- so if it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone. ;-) In Bowie's case, it seems to have happened rather quickly (due to his heart attack, of course), but I believe he still has quite a ways to go before he starts looking like any of the fellows I just mentioned. :-)
It was definitely a shock to see him looking like he did, and it's hard to see someone you really care about getting older and changing in appearance, but I don't think he is ready to be put out to pasture just yet. Bowie is a survivor! He has proved that time and time again. He may have to "transform" himself again, but I predict we will still be hearing and seeing more from him for quite a while yet. And I look forward to that!!
You are correct, of course! I'm just posting my initial gut reaction here. I can't argue with a single thing you say though.
Bowie rocks!
brother, i am listening to 'under pressure' as i read this!! anyway, i hear what you're saying but i have to add this - his left hand wasn't bandaged b/c of a year old heart attack; nor was his right eye black due to cardiac problems. the camera went to his hand at least once, if not twice, and showed the bandage. there was a lot of make-up on his R eye, but it didn't hide the shiner he was sporting. yes, he's gained weight, but it looks as if you the fan saw him, the star, at a most inopportune time. (much like the time i completely blew off DB in U2's Kitchen. his timing was just off; he was DB instead of bono, man! had i known that: 1. you would eventually love him 2. eventually i would love gail ann dorsey, then i might have hipped up my props and snagged you an autograph! i do publically apologize for that little error in judgement.) anyway, my point is, when you see him a month from now, he's going to look better than he looked last night - i will even bet you enough sour candy to make your tongue bleed! bloggers note - brian is at his happiest when his tongue is bleeding from an OD of sour candy. we shared a womb, but that's about where the similarity ends...although, i love Rockstar INXS thanks to brian. go mig! also, we both look to our cultural guru, the one, the only, mr. george a. decker of 'bowling for dollars' fame, for social tips, caption contest wins, backyard cook outs with local newscaster personalities, and etiquette guidance. george decker rocks! linnen-berlew out.
Personally, I'm thinking me ol' bloke Bowie is looking bloody well fab!!! Keith Richards
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