Bowie, A Biography

Bowie, A Biography Finally an expansive biography of one of the twentieth century's greatest music and cultural icons. http://www.marcspitz.com/books/bowie-a-biography/

From noted author and rock ’n’ roll journalist Marc Spitz comes a major David Bowie biography to rival any other. Following Bowie’s life from his start as David Jones, an R & B–loving kid from Bromley, England, to his rise to rock ’n’ roll aristocracy as David Bowie, Bowie recounts his career but also reveals how much his music has influenced other musicians and forever changed the landscape of th

e modern era. Along the way, Spitz reflects on how growing up with Bowie as his soundtrack and how writing this definitive book on Bowie influenced him in ways he never expected, adding a personal dimension that Bowie fans and those passionate about art and culture will connect with and that no other bio on the artist offers. Bowie takes an in-depth look at the culture of postwar England in which Bowie grew up, the mod and hippie scenes of swinging London in the sixties, the s*x- and drug-fueled glitter scene of the early seventies when Bowie’s alter-ego Ziggy Stardust was born, his rise to global stardom in the eighties and his subsequent status as an elder statesman of alternative culture. Spitz puts each incarnation of Bowie into the context of its era, creating a cultural time line that is intriguing both for its historical significance as well as for its delineation of this rock ’n’ roll legend, the first musician to evolve a coherent vision after the death of the sixties dream. Amid the s*x, drugs and rock ’n’ roll mayhem, a deeper portrait of the artist emerges. Bowie’s early struggles to go from follower to leader, his tricky relationship with art and commerce and Buddhism and the occult, his complicated family life, his open romantic relationship and, finally, his perceived disavowal of all that made him a touchstone for outcasts are all thoughtfully explored. A fresh evaluation of his recorded work, as well as his film, stage and video performances, is included as well. Based on a hundred original interviews with those who knew him best and those familiar with his work, including ex-wife Angie Bowie, former Bowie manager Kenneth Pitt, Siouxsie Sioux, Camille Paglia, Dick Cavett, Todd Haynes, Ricky Gervais and Peter Frampton, Bowie gives us not only a portrait of one of the most important artists in the last century, but also an honest examination of a truly revolutionary artist and the unique impact he’s had across generations.

01/11/2016

I’ve talked to everyone who ever knew him. I traveled to Brixton to see the home he was born in and Bromley to see the home he grew up in. Berlin to see the home he lived in with Iggy Pop. I followed the paths he took through life but he was fleet and I was cold, tired, befuddled… a biographer. I got a lot of money to figure out someone who spent his life eluding people like me and felt like I was writing a book report on a very pretty and slim Sasquatch. I was lost. My editor and publisher knew it. There is no definitive David Bowie book. No definitive David Bowie album or film or painting or idea… that is the point of David Bowie. Define him or attempt to at your own risk. The only parts of the book that I felt were true were parts most critics hated: the interludes between the hard reported and diligent (yes I know there were typos) classical sections. The parts where I talk about being a fan. A biographer is supposed to breast their cards and not reveal their fan boyishness, even though every biographer if they are not already fans, become superfans as they go (even the writers of hatchet pieces). More than fans, some kind of neglected spouses. So with apologies and condolences to Iman (and so many more people, his son, his daughter, his first wife Angie, who is a friend and a generous soul) the only way I can describe my emotions this morning is to say I feel oddly widowed. I’m only going to write biographies of people who are already dead: Doris Kearns Goodwin style. I am certainly speechless: I just turned down a bunch of prestigious interviews to talk about him because I didn’t trust what would come off my tongue and I barely trust what’s coming from my fingers now. Sorry. I can say that I have loved songs, I have loved cities, I have loved women and I have loved or at least abided by family but I have never loved anyone or anything as long and as unwaveringly as I have loved David Bowie. Where are those eyes now? Who can think about them? Screwed up, two different colors. Are they closed forever? Are they strung out in Heaven’s high or do they gaze out over Hunger City, watching as the world burns?
Urgh, I’m thinking about what I’m writing now. It’s better to be raw, and real for as long as it lasts. It’s better to take the punch in the face. His music will heal but it’s better to hurt. This morning anyway. And for as long as it takes. Then, as he might applaud, move on to the next thing, the new thing. -Marc Spitz

01/11/2016

Finally an expansive biography of one of the twentieth century’s greatest music and cultural icons From noted author and rock ’n’ roll journalist Marc Spitz comes a major David Bowie biography to rival any other. Following Bowie’s life from his start as David Jones, an R &...

"Anything that lives in oceans, lakes, streams, creeks, or swamps is supposed to kill me if I accidentally consume it. T...
01/06/2014

"Anything that lives in oceans, lakes, streams, creeks, or swamps is supposed to kill me if I accidentally consume it. This is a fact I’ve accepted my entire life following the discovery of a severe childhood allergy."

FISH: Part One, I Fought Piranhas >>> http://www.marcspitz.com/fish-part-one-i-fought-piranhas/

Not many mysteries remain in my life at my age, but I still have one big one. I have no idea what fish tastes like.

"The goal of this experiment was to open up to New York City, to make it seem larger. In that way, I believe it was a co...
12/27/2013

"The goal of this experiment was to open up to New York City, to make it seem larger. In that way, I believe it was a complete success."

Escape to New York: Part Four >>> http://bit.ly/1abBajm

The final journey in which I go to Staten Island to tend to the long neglected graves of my kin who have literally become part of the Five Boroughs’ earth.

I just made my 2013 Christmas Playlist on Spotify. What are you listening to this time of year?Rock the Bells: A Christm...
12/24/2013

I just made my 2013 Christmas Playlist on Spotify. What are you listening to this time of year?

Rock the Bells: A Christmas Playlist by Marc Spitz >>> http://bit.ly/1lcobDe

My local in the West Village has a pretty decent, festive music selection this time of year and I should know as I made the mix. I decided to make an even longer Christmas mix on Spotify than the one there at my local and share it with all of you.

I zoom into the clouds and come to realize that a sense of guardianship might be what anchors me to the land.Escape to N...
12/20/2013

I zoom into the clouds and come to realize that a sense of guardianship might be what anchors me to the land.

Escape to New York: Part Three >>> http://bit.ly/18V1wpe

Last week, I outlined my routine of quiet inertia and hyper familiarity I had fallen victim to. In March of 2013, a trip...
12/12/2013

Last week, I outlined my routine of quiet inertia and hyper familiarity I had fallen victim to. In March of 2013, a trip to Portland and Los Angeles reminded me of what life outside Manhattan can be like.

http://bit.ly/IHNVv6

I've fallen into a routine of quiet inertia and hyper familiarity, which can be toxic to writers. Soon plans are hatched...
12/08/2013

I've fallen into a routine of quiet inertia and hyper familiarity, which can be toxic to writers. Soon plans are hatched for a required creative jailbreak. http://bit.ly/18uIUwm

12/06/2013

I've fallen into a routine of quiet inertia and hyper familiarity, which can be toxic to writers. Soon plans are hatched for a required creative jailbreak.

12/04/2013

Have you read Bowie, A Biography? If so, what would you like to know about my approach, research, and the interviews I conducted while writing the book? —Marc Spitz (http://www.marcspitz.com)

http://slate.me/9QvH25good essay on D.B. film career. i spent a lot of time with all of these, as well as the linguine ...
10/13/2010

http://slate.me/9QvH25

good essay on D.B. film career. i spent a lot of time with all of these, as well as the linguine incident, which does not get mentioned here (what gives?). props for praising opening sequence to the hunger, the most goth-gasmic moment in modern cinema...

In the summer of 1983, a man calling himself David Bowie appeared on the cover of Time magazine. With his blond coif and portfolio of smooth platinum hits, this tanned and tailored crooner of what he dubbed "positive music" seemed a man apart from the shap

04/27/2010

On stage of his recent production "Up For Anything" Spitz talks to fans about the release of BOWIE: A Biography and encourages David Bowie fans to reach out with questions or feedback about his new book.

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