David Bowie has passed away. British rock legend David Bowie has passed away David Bowie has passed away

British rock singer David Bowie died at the age of 70. On January 8, the singer celebrated his 69th birthday and released new album Blackstar ("Black Star"). The musician passed away after an 18-month battle with cancer, the news of his death appeared on the official website, which says: “While many of you sympathize with the loss, we ask that you respect privacy families during times of grief. Recall the work of David Bowie will help us Interesting Facts from his biography.

1. Bowie claimed that at the age of five he had a "terrible case" associated with tea - since then he never drank it.

2. David graduated from school with a mark "0" in art.

3. At the age of eight, Bowie had a dream of becoming a saxophonist. This prompted him to buy the first saxophone, although it was made of pink plastic. For the sake of such a purchase, little Dave had to carry orders for the butcher shop. In 1961, his mother gave him an alto saxophone. best quality.

4. Bowie's right pupil is always dilated - this is the result of his school fight with a friend named George Underwood. The quarrel was, of course, because of the girl. Doctors feared that he would lose his sight, but they were able to perform a series of operations and prevent blindness. It was not possible to completely restore his vision - as a result of the injury, Bowie had a defective perception of the depth of the field of vision. Having become famous, the artist stated that although he could see with his injured eye, the perception of color was lost (a brown background is constantly present). The pupil of the injured eye became mydriatic, giving the impression of different eye colors. Despite the fight, Underwood and Bowie stayed good friends.

5. Bowie is a multi-instrumentalist. He plays guitar, piano, harpsichord, harmonica, mellotron, stylophone, vibraphone, koto, drums and percussion.

6. Being a big fan of Mick Jagger, Bowie learned that "jagger" means "knife" in Old English, so David adopted a similar pseudonym (Bowie knife is a type of hunting knife named after Texas Revolution hero Jim Bowie). David Bowie's birthday is January 14, 1966. It is on this day that he first appears under that name with by The Lower Third on the cover of "Can't Help Thinking About Me" LP.

7. "I really wanted to become famous, but did not know how to do it, and throughout the 1960s I tried everything I could - in the theater, fine arts and music, "Bowie admitted in an interview in the eighties. Undoubtedly, at that time the artist's work was strongly influenced by Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett, who left the group after recording the first album. "There was something out of this world in Side, and this attracted me greatly. He looked like Peter Pan," the musician said.

8. In 1974, Michael Jackson attended a Bowie concert. Later, he spoke about the strange movements of the musician, referring to the moonwalk. Initially, this dance appeared in Bowie's pantomime plays of the sixties.

9. Small sound recording studio"Hansa", whose windows used to look out on Berlin Wall, has become one of the favorite places for tourists, although it continues to work as a studio. All because of Bowie, who recorded there the so-called "Berlin trilogy" ("Low" - "Heroes" - "Lodger").

10. Beginning September 24, 1980, Bowie performed on Broadway for three months in a production of The Elephant Man. During this period, his friend and colleague John Lennon was murdered by crazed fanatic Mark Chapman. This event made an extremely difficult impression on David - he not only lost close friend, but also realized that he himself was close to death. Chapman attended the play, photographed Bowie at the stage door, and shot Lennon shortly thereafter. He told the police that if he had not been able to kill John, he would have returned to the theater and shot David.

11. In David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Through the Fire (1992), Bowie played the mysterious FBI agent Philip Jeffries. In the picture, he appears only for a few seconds, but the impression is indelible. "It was a dream. We're living in a dream," he says, drawing viewers into the heart of the intricate puzzle of one of arthouse's preeminent masters.

12. Bowie has been to Moscow three times. He first visited the capital in 1973 on his way from Japan to Europe. At that time, he was afraid to fly on airplanes and preferred to use land transport. In order to get to Moscow, he had to take a ship from Yokohama to Nakhodka, and from there to the Trans-Siberian Railway. On April 30, 18 days after leaving, Bowie arrived in Moscow for three days. Then he visited the May Day parade, visited the Armory and GUM. Bowie's second trip to Moscow, now with Iggy Pop, took place in early April 1976. Then the border guards confiscated from him Nazi literature prohibited for import. The third trip took place in June 1996, this time with a concert at the State Kremlin Palace. Prior to the press conference, a fan meeting was arranged with Bowie in his room. Fans told him about the poor acoustics in the Kremlin and the high cost of tickets. Bowie immediately gave them to those who did not have enough money. On June 18, a concert took place and David was terribly dissatisfied with it - because of the sitting audience and the strange organization of the hall. Then he promised that he would never come to Russia again.

13. In 2000, as a result of a survey in which more than 190 thousand people took part, the song "Under Pressure", joint with Queen, took tenth place in the list. best songs millennium.

14. From contemporary performers Bowie preferred Rufus Wainwright, Placebo, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Arcade Fire.

15. In 2009, German scientist Peter Jaeger discovered a new rare view spiders and decided to name it after Bowie. A representative of the species, called Heteropoda davidbowie, was discovered by a researcher in Malaysia. According to the arachnologist, he was inspired by the "Glass Spider" tour and the song "Ziggy Stardust".

On January 10, at the age of 69, one of the most important pop musicians of the 20th century, David Bowie, died after a long battle with cancer. British singer fought the disease for 18 months and died surrounded by family.
Singer, songwriter and producer David Bowie blew music world their image and songs in the style of glam rock, art rock, soul, hard rock, dance-pop, punk rock and electronica. Throughout his 40-year career, the musician changed his image and adapted to new directions in music, which is why he was nicknamed the "chameleon of rock music."

The artist's breakthrough came in 1972 with the hit "Starman" from the album The Rise Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. David Bowie mixed the style of British mods (British youth subculture) and Japanese kabuki theatre, and created a flamboyant androgynous alter ego named Ziggy Stardust.
Three years later, Bowie had his first major hit in the American music market with the single "Fame" from the album Young Americans, which incidentally was co-written with John Lennon. This was followed by the 1976 album Station to Station, which is considered one of the most significant works of the musician.

Most famous songs David Bowie - "Let's Dance" (1983), "Space Oddity" (1969), "Heroes" (1977), "Changes" (1971), "Under Pressure" (1982), "China Girl" (1983) ), “Modern Love” (1983), “Rebel, Rebel” (1974), “All the Young Dudes” (1974), “Panic in Detroit” (1973), “Fashion” (1980), “Life on Mars” (1971), "Suffragette City" (1972).
The last album, the 25th in a row, called Blackstar was released a few days before the death of David Bowie on his birthday - January 8, 2016.
We decided to recall the life and career of the great musician.

January 1969

David Bowie performing in Los Angeles, 1971

As Ziggy Stardas in 1973.

British supermodel Twiggy poses with David Bowie for the cover of his seventh album Pin Ups in 1973.

David Bowie performing in the UK in 1973.

David Bowie american musicians Paul Simon and Arthur Garfunkel, Yoko Ono and John Lennon at the 1975 Grammy Awards.

David Bowie and Iggy Pop in Copenhagen, 1976

In Paris, 1977

During the concert tour Serious Moonlight, which became the most successful and longest tour of the musician in his career.

David Bowie and Mick Jagger during the recording of the video for the song "Dancing in the Street".

David Bowie and Annie Lennox performing "Under Pressure" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, 1992.

At Carnegie Hall, 2001

David Bowie and his top model wife Iman, 2001.

2002

The crack for all fans of rock music, cinema and art in general was the news that director Duncan Jones shared with the world. At the seventieth year of his life, just three days ago, celebrating his 69th birthday, his father, a legendary man, musician, actor and producer, died - David Bowie .

David Robert Jones(that's the name given future star at birth) showed outstanding abilities for music and acting, not even taking a capacious and hooligan pseudonym Bowie- in honor of the Louisiana adventurer and revolutionary James Bowie. And although early experiments young singer by mixing several genres, they were not successful, the views of critics and the public were already riveted to a young man who was not afraid to appear on stage in the form of a skinny alien Ziggy Stardust or haggard White Duke. The art freak proved with all his appearance that he wanted to spit on borders and prohibitions, that for him there were no compromises and conventions, and on stage his powers became almost limitless.

It is not surprising that prone to theatricalization of his performances, which the artist stuffed with intricate choreographic inserts and visual effects, Bowie did not bypass the film industry. Certainly, David will go down in history primarily thanks to its revolutionary musical masterpieces, which in some years the fruitful author released dozens. However, those who have ever seen Bowie on the screen, will not dare to say that this area of ​​\u200b\u200bhis activity was a side.

It is very symbolic that the first full-fledged work in the cinema for David became a role in the film "The Man Who Fell to Earth". By the way, for her 1977 actor received an award Saturn". But perhaps the most famous for a wide audience of his images are the vampire. John from "Hunger" Pontius Pilate from The Last Temptation of Christ, FBI agent Philip Jefferies from Twin Peaks: Fire Follow Me, pop artist Andy Warhol from Basquiat, physicist Nikola Tesla from The Prestige and, of course, the goblin king Jareth from "Labyrinth". It is not known where the heads of various awards professionals looked - from David in the last of the listed tapes, you simply can’t look away. With his magnetic gaze, feline grace and a voice penetrating into the very heart (the musician composed and performed several compositions especially for the tape), he frightens and enchants at the same time. However, as in most of his performances.

Cinephiles will remember and Bowie-composer of soundtracks - his songs sounded in 452 tapes, and in 1983 he was nominated for golden globe" behind musical accompaniment to the fantasy drama Cat People. Also, hits like “ Space Oddity”, “Heroes”, “Life on Mars?”, “Fame”, “Ashes to Ashes" And " Young Americans” still haunt filmmakers and are chosen by them without hesitation as a win-win sound decoration for their projects.

The departure of the musician from life made me remember about his travels to Russia

His death clearly took everyone by surprise. The musician's illness was a mystery to the public, and Bowie himself has long lived with the reputation of a man who, like a cat, will have at least nine lives. Eleven years ago, he survived a heart attack and a complex operation, but even after that he looked, in his own words, like "a mere mortal, but with the makings of a superman."

Bowie's new album gave his fans hope for a tour that never happened long years, but instead Blackstar, released on the day of the musician's 69th birthday and two days before his death, became a farewell gesture. And it turned out, too, in the spirit of Bowie. Only seven songs, but a lot of room for imagination. Industrial and airy folk, jazz and hip-hop, surrealism and melodic clarity. Only Bowie could put it all together, and it's very sad that the musician did this for the last time.

Musicians and experts about Bowie

Alexander Kushnir, music producer and writer : “Bowie was an artist to the core, thinking not only about music, lyrics, but also about visuals, image. He was often called "the chameleon new wave”, because he foresaw styles: he was one of the pioneers of glam rock, then he switched to “semi-punk”, experimented with triphop, electronics.

David started when it actually broke up The Beatles. I see this as a sacred, metaphysical meaning, passing the baton. At this point, at the turn of 1969-1970, two new artists appeared on the scene - Elton John and David Bowie. One era has ended and another has begun.

David was perhaps the only non-communist Western artist who in the 20th century tried to love Russia with both mind and heart. It is not simple beautiful words. Everyone knows the story when in three weeks he crossed our entire country from Far East to the Trans-Siberian Express, watching either the tundra or the taiga through the window.

This is the whole Bowie: the purpose of such an act was exclusively emotions, impressions. When the train stopped in (then - in Sverdlovsk), David decided to take a picture with the local police, almost hitting the police station. It is paradoxical that the artist was saved by half-KGB semi-conductors who let him onto the outgoing train. The first date ended with a visit to Red Square. The history of the trip was not advertised in any way, because at that time there was no particular love for the USSR in the West. David traveled exclusively for himself, for personal experience. Photos from the trip began to surface only decades later.

In 1996, at a David Bowie concert in the Kremlin, the “party elite” took the front rows. The hall was dead, cold. They say that when the artist then went into the dressing room, he almost cried and said that he would never return to Russia. He tried his best to love and understand our country, but he failed.

However, he had a huge impact on some Russian musicians. For example, Grebenshchikov's early lyrics were written with an eye on the works of Bob Dylan and David Bowie."

Philip Solovyov ("NonAdaptants") : “Within the genre in which we work, the influence of David Bowie on our work cannot be denied. I always had an ambiguous attitude towards him, although he occupied a special place in my life. The image of the androgyne on the stage of the 1970s, erasing the sexual hierarchy, was truly revolutionary for that time.

His most significant work for me was the Berlin Trilogy (a series of David Bowie albums recorded in collaboration with Brian Eno in the late 1970s), especially Heroes, which also featured King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. This is the pinnacle of David Bowie's work as an artist.

His main influence on the era is that, having combined in his work the musical and poetic techniques of Syd Barrett and the Velvet Underground, he was a conductor and popularizer of the underground trends of the late 60s in popular culture. Thus, he made a revolution, making modern Art of that time accessible to a wide audience, and not just to the discerning public!”

Ruslana Sultanova (A la Ru) : “A lot of things are connected with the work of David Bowie for me. His music, lifestyle, and limitless talent taught him not to be afraid of experiments, inspired him to take action, launched some kind of electric charges that helped him not to give up in his business.

Every concert, every change in his style was an incredible experience that could even raise my temperature. He is a show in itself, a real musician and artist, someone who has the right to stand on stage and do anything with us.

He passed away so beautifully that there are no words, two days after he released an amazing album on his birthday, which became the last in his discography and the first in many years. That's all David is, "a mere mortal with the makings of a superman" who is still alive and will live for a long time, because of the music, because of Bowie.

Gaya Harutyunyan ("Children of Picasso") : “Have you noticed that the great ones leave in packs? I discovered Bowie late. Only a couple of years ago I began to hear and understand him. He simply followed the path of Pablo Picasso. All the time it was reset and updated, searched and did not fade, put on new masks and selected new roles.

His androgynous timbre of voice and stage image and pushed me, and attracted. I think it's a sign great artist is a sphere of influence. For several decades, almost half a century, he watered his favorite tree called Glam Rock and influenced several generations of musicians.

Even Nirvana wrote a great cover of it. the song Man Who Sold The World, and his collaborations with Iggy Pop and Freddie Mercury are still very relevant. I think Bowie's departure is as beautiful and eccentric as his life.

Knowing that he has little time left, he performs 3 actions in a row: celebrates his birthday, releases a new album and ... dies. And I'm sure his new album Black Star, to which he attracted precisely jazz musicians from , will entail a whole echelon of similar free-jazz experiments in the world.