David Bowie
David Bowie
David Robert Jones, better known by his stage name David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor. He was a figure in popular music for over five decades, regarded by critics and musicians as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, his music and stagecraft significantly influencing popular music. During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at 140 million worldwide, made him one of the world's best-selling music...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth8 January 1947
CityLondon, England
I'm responsible for starting a whole new school of pretension.
I'm an early riser. I get up between five and six, have coffee, and read for a couple of hours before everyone else gets up.
I would drive to gigs in my tiny little Fiat. I would shoot up and down the M1 to play at various places.
I would dream. I focused all my attention on going to America. The subculture, James Dean, the rock n' roll, the beat writers.
I was very into making the Big Artistic Statement - it had to be innovative; it had to be cutting edge. I was desperately keen on being original.
I think, generally, I just cannot really envision life without writing and producing records and singing.
I think Mustique is Duchampian - it will always provide an endless source of delight.
I knew that I was 'interesting' at 18 because I was aware that I could get away with doing things on stage.
I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.
GYBE are among my, erm, two favourite Montreal bands, Arcade Fire being the other.
From my standpoint, being an artist, I want to see what the new construction is between artist and audience.
Frankly, if I could get away with not having to perform, I'd be very happy. It's not my favorite thing to do.
You get to a certain age, and you are forbidden access. You're not going to get the kind of coverage that you would like in music magazines; you're not going to get played on radio, and you're not going to get played on television. I have to survive on word of mouth.
With a suit, always wear big British shoes, the ones with large welts. There's nothing worse than dainty little Italian jobs at the end of the leg line.