Cover Feature

THE “REALITY” OF 4 DECADES AT ROCK’S FOREFRONT

by Tom Lounges

For four long decades David Bowie has been a true musical visionary, dwelling in a pool of creative energy that somehow, someway enables him to keep reinventing himself, his music and his place in contemporary music.

Many industry insiders and fans alike feel Bowie’s extensive body of work is among the most highly regarded in all of rock music, rivaling that of Lennon/McCartney, Page/Plant and early Bowie influence, Bob Dylan.

Though a certified hit-maker with numerous chart placements, as well as gold and platinum certifications, David Bowie has managed to always remain on the cutting edge and well ahead of trends.

The seemingly frail and pale 57-year-old British superstar is arguably one of the true musical geniuses of the 20th Century, deservedly mentioned in the same breath as such acclaimed innovators as Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Bob Dylan and Elton John.

Through the years, Bowie has partnered up and squared off with an odds ‘n’ sods cast of musical misfits, madmen and magicians the likes of Andy Warhol, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Moby, John Lennon and Brian Eno. He has embraced folk, glam, jazz, funk, soul and techno with equal fervor and melded them some how, some way into a brand of rock ‘n’ roll music drastically different, yet uniquely Bowie.

Even a duet taped a quarter century ago that paired him with the king of the crooners –– Bing Crosby –– performing the staid Christmas standard, “The Little Drummer Boy,” has become nothing short of a modern holiday classic.

Despite all of this, Bowie confessed to this writer during a Trans-Atlantic interview that happened over Thanksgiving Week –– “I don’t know... I still don’t think I’m much of a musician, but I am capable of knocking a tune out of various instruments.”

The statement was inspired after this writer reminded Bowie of a statement he had made in the Chicago offices of Mercury Records on the eve of his first American tour in February 1970.

At that time, Bowie was in town to give his first ever Chicago concert at the now long defunct Quiet Knight Theatre, when he said – “I very rarely consider myself a musician. I consider myself a force behind the media. Music to me represents a media and a form of communicating. So I’m not concerned into which category I am placed, as long as people are listening to what I am communicating.”

Though he fancies himself a songwriter first, most U.S. fans tend to reflect first upon the many alter-egos which the chameleon-like Bowie has invented and adopted to suit and serve his needs over the years. Be it the glittery alien-like ‘Ziggy Stardust’ or the dashing matinee idol image of the ‘Thin White Duke’ –– the face and persona of David Bowie is ever-evolving.

Bowie said he has no idea of how he is perceived these days, nor does he care. Over the course of the last eight to ten years, Bowie is content to see himself viewed as “just a simple performer and recording artist.”

Focused on his family life as much as his art, Bowie said he is very happy with the music he has been making in recent years. His latest album, Reality, in particular pleases him immensely. This 11-song disc is the follow up release to last year’s highly successful Heathen, which sold in excess of one million copies and spawned the single, “Slow Burn,” that garnered Bowie a “Best Male Rock Vocal” Grammy nod.

For Reality, his 26th album, Bowie once again worked with producer Tony Visconti, who twisted knobs behind and rolled tape on so many of his early ‘70s breakthrough albums. The two men had parted ways years ago, but fortunately for music fans, they have worked through whatever differences there were.

“Tony and I actually started getting friendly (again) about midway through the ‘90s, but the opportunity for us to do something together in the studio hadn’t really risen until a couple years ago,” he said, referring to the Heathen sessions. “It was a natural thing really, since Tony had left London and moved back to New York. We just re-connected.”

Given the commercial/retail success of Heathen and his happiness with this latest project, Bowie said he foresees more work ahead between he and Visconti. “I guess we’ll continue to mess around in the studio since we’re both living in New York. That certainly makes it easier...”

Bowie left England over a decade ago loves his adopted Big Apple stomping grounds. He cites it as a most inspiring place to work and live. “I’m just a regular New York guy these days, with my family and such,” he shrugs.

“Most of these songs [on Reality] were written at my home in New York. There is a real energy here compared to Heathen and some of the other recent things I’ve done,” he said. “It is really just a random collection of really good songs that just seemed to fit together nicely.”

The designated singles are –– “New Killer Star” and “Never Get Old” –– both strong AAA radio contenders, though Bowie readily dismisses his impact at radio these days.

“I’m not a radio guy,” he laments. “I don’t get on the media that way. I am not an MTV person. I’m not a radio person. Everything I do is really more word of mouth. The critic that maybe likes me, tells people about me and introduces them to my things. That’s how it usually works with me. I work in a low profile manner that way. I try to do some guest appearances on television and the such to get the music heard, because I can’t be guaranteed any real (radio) play.”

The true gems on Reality though are Bowie’s take on the George Harrison-penned “Try Some, Buy Some,” Jonathan Richmond’s “Pablo Picasso” and a re-working of his own early ‘90s composition, “Bring Me The Head of the Disco King.”

The latter, according to Bowie, was originally written as a spoof on the whole disco era of the late ‘70s. He had been dabbling with the number during the making of his 1997 album, Earthling, but was not content with all the layers and rhythms. The final take on Reality finds the song stripped naked and performed in an almost droning fashion while clocking in at approximately 60 beats a minute.

Oddly enough, Bowie’s cover of Harrison’s “Try Some, Buy Some” had nothing to do with his great respect of the late Beatle, though he admittedly has much. “It didn’t register with me that it was a George Harrison song initially. I had always presumed it was a Phil Spector song. I bought it in 1974 as a single by Ronnie Spector, on the Apple label. It had been one of my favorite singles for many, many years and I just wanted to do the song myself because of that. It only occurred to me when we were writing the credits out in fact, that it was a George song.”

Bowie loves the fact that the song itself pays tribute to its author. “In a strange kind of way, it is a tribute to George without being planned as such. It’s an unwitting tribute because the song itself is so remarkably good. While it was not intended as a tribute, it ended up that way because of the strength of his songwriting talent.”

Sadly, Spector’s version of the song, was grossly overlooked because Apple was crumbling at the time it was released. Harrison’s fondness for the song lead him to include it on his 1976 platter, Living In The Material World.

A huge fan of legendary ‘60s siren, Ronnie Spector, Bowie said he finds the notion of working with her on a project of some sort in the future “a very interesting prospect.”

Currently, Bowie cites himself as a big fan of Macy Gray, who he personally picked to open most of his North American concert dates behind Reality. “In Europe, we’ve had The Dandy Warhols, but here in the U.S. it’s Macy,” he said. “She’s a remarkable talent don’t you think?”

In the past, this writer has witnessed Bowie perform in huge places like the International Amphitheater and the World Music Theatre (nee Tweeter Center). So why then, is the superstar treating Chicago fans an intimate performance at a few thousand seat house like the Rosemont Theatre?

“Back then I had hit albums,” he reflected on the ‘80s tours that brought him to the big Windy City arenas. “Now, I’m probably going to only bring that many (3-4,000) people in at my shows.” When told his two shows had already sold out and a third was selling briskly, Bowie chuckled and added –– “Obviously, I under estimated myself then Tom.”

The repertoire of songs in the show will undergo drastic ch-ch-changes from night to night, according to the rocker.

“The show set changes radically, depending on the energy and how many shows we’ve done back to back and all that,” he said. “We did a second night in Dublin last night and we did 35 songs, I think. We did a three hour set there. But that is an exception to the rule. Generally, the average show is about 24 songs. We don’t have the kind of repertoire under our belts with this band as say someone like Bob Dylan, who has been on his never-ending tour since like 1988 or something. Dylan has like 150 songs to work from. I’ve got about 50, so we still have a lot of good stuff to pick and choose from.”

Most shows find Bowie and his touring group, anchored by longtime guitarist Earl Slick, covering familiar ground.

“On the average we do five Heathen songs, five Reality songs, and a whole bunch from the ‘90s, the ‘80s and the ‘70s. I haven’t yet reached back to do any from the ‘60s, but you never know,” he mused.

Many years ago, Bowie brashly declared his weariness of the canon of songs that made him famous –– “Space Oddity,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Fame,” “Young Americans,” “Golden Years,” “TVC15,” etc. –– and swore them off.

Following what at that time was called a “Farewell Hits Tour,” Bowie forged a new sound with a project called Tin Machine, which was unenthusiastically received by his fans.

“That [Tin Machine] was a very selfish thing and it was really very much just for me,” he reflected. “I really needed to do something that helped me find a direction again that I felt enthusiastic about. For me personally, it was vastly rewarding. I don’t think I could have done a better thing to save my own sense of who I was as a musician and songwriter. I know [Tin Machine] was not a huge success, but I think that I came out of it as a much better artist and writer. I didn’t find any disappointment in the project at all.”

Bowie is hesitant to pinpoint personal highlights of his career. “I like bits and pieces of pretty much everything I’ve done really,” he said. “I was very pleased with the way the Heathen album went and how much room it gave Tony and I for further work and future collaboration. As an era, I guess I would have to say I’m most pleased with a majority of the stuff I did in the ‘90s. I feel pretty good about those albums and look back upon them with much fondness.”

Though Bowie has done a good deal of television work, live theatre and film work, he stressed that music has always remains his favorite creative outlet.

Given his catalog of critically praised feature films –– “The Hunger,” Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” “Labrynith,” and “Exhuming Mr. Rice,” among others –– the topic of making more motion pictures was answered curtly.

“Not if I can help it! I just like writing and performing at the moment,” he said. “My family life and my music is pretty much all I need right now. There is too much hard work attached to it (acting) and I don’t have the commitment it takes to be a serious actor. The studying, the auditions...that’s not for me. I am not that passionate about it. I would walk the streets for music, but certainly wouldn’t do it for acting.”

In closing, Bowie passed on this pearl of wisdom to aspiring hopefuls who one day fancy a career in the arts.

“Do things for yourself. Write and work only for yourself. Make sure you are happy with your work. Never try to second guess your audience,” he concluded.

“If you are a musician, then listen to everything you can,” he continued. “It was Little Richard who set things aflame for me when I was nine years old, but I was also influenced later by Charlie Mingus, Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan and so many others. I cast a wide net as a listener and as a fan and doing so has been remarkably rewarding for me as an artist.”

DAVID BOWIE will perform at Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, Illinois on January 13, 14 & 16.

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