Comments on: The Golden Years

The Golden Years

cedar — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 17:16:04 -0800

Want to know where David Bowie was on a given day between 1974 and 1980? Now you can find out.

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 17:38:29 -0800

How rare.

By: TwelveTwo

TwelveTwo — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 17:42:09 -0800

He looks kinda creepy.

By: linux

linux — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 17:47:06 -0800

He looks kinda creepy There's an understatement. That SITE is creepy.

By: scody

scody — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 17:50:37 -0800

Creepy? What are you talking about? The man is fabulous! And I for one welcome the opportunity to find out what Berlin art galleries Bowie was visiting during the week of my eighth birthday. Seriously, I think this is cool.

By: fvw

fvw — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 17:53:43 -0800

Not necessarily Bowie's finest years, but still kind of fun to browse through. Thanks cedar!

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:03:03 -0800

Well. Lovely layout, and fantastically informative, if that is what you are interested in, but the obsessiveness required to make this is a bit.... yeah. Thanks Cedar; as a website it's excellent.

By: ontic

ontic — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:06:05 -0800

Couldn't we have something like this on someone like... Vaclav Havel or someone? David Bowie -- I just don't care.

By: Toecutter

Toecutter — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:09:26 -0800

Bowie rules

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:13:54 -0800

This is going to sound bad, but for some reason I thought that Bowie was no longer with us .... my apologies .

By: amandaudoff

amandaudoff — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:16:16 -0800

Another fun DB website: David Bowie's Area (May Not By SFW)

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:22:23 -0800

Couldn't we have something like this on someone like... say George W. Bush? (same time frame please)

By: davy

davy — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:32:52 -0800

I don't even know where I was on any given day between 1974 and 1980, nor do I care to. And how did rgriffin get all this info anyway, assuming most of it is mostly correct?

By: jonmc

jonmc — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:52:12 -0800

I like Bowie, but his hardcore fans freak me out a bit. There was a Subway shop I used to go to where the chick making my sandwich had 4 different Bowie personas tattooed on her arm. Trying to make conversation, I complimented it and mention Ziggy & The Thin White Duke. She thought she'd found a soul mate. Luckily I got out of there with my sub, never to return.

By: DirtyCreature

DirtyCreature — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:55:00 -0800

He looks kinda creepy. That SITE is creepy. Spot the Generation Y'ers :D David Bowie was the first successful artist to release a single (Telling Lies) via the Internet. David Bowie was also the first artist to release an album (Hours), downloadable via the internet, two weeks before its official release. David Bowie was the first artist to record a "cyber song" when "What's Really Happening" was recorded live online. Learn to respect the "dudes" who made all this possible for you..... junior.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:55:43 -0800

I'm a huge Bowie fan, but this site is scary. Cool, but scary.

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 19:07:53 -0800

DirtyCreature, nobody's questioning Bowie's marketing abilities or internet cred, just the hagiography evident in this day by day recounting of Bowie's personal and professional life. Personally, I stopped listening when Bowie released Let's Dance, which was as naked a cash grab as I've ever seen. After Scary Monsters, and the anticipation for the next album, it was a huge disappointment. And besides, there's so much excellent new music out there, you know?

By: unsupervised

unsupervised — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 19:17:12 -0800

Does it say exactly when he was inside Mick Jagger? I wonder if I'm the only one who's gotten into heated debates as to which one was the bottom.

By: interrupt

interrupt — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 19:19:06 -0800

It's nice to know Bowie is still feared and misunderstood to this day — makes me feel like being a fan isn't as commonplace as I would have imagined. Albums like Low and Station to Station show what an incredible impact he's had on the entire genre. This is simply a fantastic, well-designed resource.

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 19:25:03 -0800

Hardcore, obsessive fandom like this both fascinates and terrifies me. See also this book about what Elvis did on every day of his life, as well as this one (more or less the same thing). Bonus fun fact: Elvis and Bowie were both born on January 8! Also: cool link, cedar! Thanks.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 19:25:23 -0800

It's nice to know Bowie is still feared and misunderstood to this day — makes me feel like being a fan isn't as commonplace as I would have imagined. *pats interrupt's head* Yes, the fact that we think stalkery obsession is unhealthy and weird means that we fear and misunderstand the big, scary complicated Bowie. And you very special.

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 19:26:01 -0800

Good lord, is Low an unbelievably remarkable album.

By: obloquy

obloquy — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 19:38:52 -0800

It's a crash course for the ravers.

By: DirtyCreature

DirtyCreature — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 19:51:43 -0800

Let's Dance, which was as naked a cash grab as I've ever seen. Agreed. Quite sickening really. Try his recently released "Heathen". It really is one of his best and recognized widely as such. He is not tied down by recording contracts in this one, and has a new daughter.

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 20:19:29 -0800

Thanks DC, I've been hoping that I would one day find an informed recommendation on where to start with his new stuff. I still listen to Lodger regularly--what a fine piece of work that is. I'll check out Heathen.

By: Radio7

Radio7 — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 20:26:15 -0800

Heathen is fantastic. I also liked Let's Dance. My favorite recent-ish song of his is Thursday's Child. It bothers me that people get so snobby about Let's Dance. I don't really care if it was a "cash grab" or not, it was a silly fun 80's album.

By: interrupt

interrupt — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 20:31:38 -0800

Yes, the fact that we think stalkery obsession is unhealthy and weird means that we fear and misunderstand the big, scary complicated Bowie. And you very special. jonmc, thanks for that, but I was making my comment more in reference to those who offered up critical gems like Bowie is 'creepy' or that those weren't 'his best years.'

By: CunningLinguist

CunningLinguist — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 20:43:06 -0800

Awesome. The very first entry involves my only interaction with the man. I was a little kid getting on the train to the SS France and he pushed me aside to get on.

By: davy

davy — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 21:28:19 -0800

"Scary Monsters" contained some of the best poetry of the second half of the 20th century. "Let's Dance"? Let's not. But maybe I'll check out "Heathen".

By: idest

idest — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 04:25:28 -0800

"Heathen" is amazing and a real return to form... definitely check it out.

By: Prospero

Prospero — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 05:00:44 -0800

Another vote for Heathen, one of Bowie's best albums. Fans of the work that Bowie did with Brian Eno (Low, Heroes, Lodger) should definitely listen to 1995's Outside, which some would argue is the best album Bowie has ever recorded. If there's any Bowie album that's a "cash grab", it's his most recent one (Reality), which just seemed like an excuse for Bowie to stage a tour. Out of Bowie's albums post-1990, I'd recommend staying away from Reality and Hours... . Heathen, Outside, and Earthling are all gems, though, and Black Tie, White Noise (produced with Nile Rodgers) is, I think, underrated (there is a three-disc limited edition available in the US now that's pretty amazing). Let's Dance (also produced with Nile Rodgers) deserves respect for Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar work, at the very least. As for the site--I thought I was hardcore because I own a complete run of the Rykodisc Sound and Vision reissues, but the guy who put that site together is hard-freakin'-core.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 05:18:18 -0800

I like sites like that because they help me place my old self. For instance, I know I saw Iggy and Bowie on the Dinah Shore show and I remember what I thought of it (something like "That Iggy sure is some crazy skinny noisy guy, but if Bowie likes him, I like him, because I love Bowie. But who is Dinah Shore?") but I would never have remembered what year it was and how old I was. (Did I take the day off school for that?) And Bowie singing with Bing -- I remembered everything about watching it except when it was. Christmas 1977.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 08:59:30 -0800

obloquy: "It's a crash course for the ravers." Indeed. The funny thing about David Bowie is, I'm uncertain if I like him, but I know I really love him.

By: DieHipsterDie

DieHipsterDie — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 14:26:24 -0800

I wouldn't mind Bowie if I didn't hate his music so much. Yuck yuck yuck!

By: kryptondog

kryptondog — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 19:15:23 -0800

While we're (sort of) on the subject of Bowie's more recent releases... I'm glad to see Heathen getting some mefi love- it's a wonderfully solid modern DB album (probably my all-time favorite after Scary Monsters). I'd recommend it as a good starter album for someone unfamiliar with Bowie. I especially love "Afraid" and "Slip Away". Reality... eh. I really wanted to like this album, but I just can't find it in my heart to. Lyrically Bowie just sounds too... content with himself. Or something. It has its moments (like the cover of "Pablo Picasso"), but it lacks intensity, even in the harder-rocking songs. Outside was horribly underrated. It's a little dense to get into, but it was a very well-realized concept album. People just seem to want to stick to this notion that he was ripping off industrial music with this album (which I don't really agree with). I'd love for him to finally release a follow-up to this like he had planned. Not much I can say about Earthling or Hours. They both have plenty of songs I loved, though.