Nothing's gonna touch you in these golden years

January 7, 2016 11:59 AM

January 8th, 2016 marks David Bowie's 69th birthday. What did he do when he was your age?
posted by Metroid Baby (51 comments total)

The only thing he did that entire year was a cover of "god only knows"? come ON. surely he also put on some eyeliner at least.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:02 PM on January 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

Interesting to see that at my age Bowie was assembling the line up for Tin Machine, so he was sort of in comeback mode at my age, too. Neat, if supremely silly little app here.

It's also my birthday and Elvis Presley's (and I'm having a party this Saturday if you can make it to Tallahassee; we're going to make music and get drunk if you're into that).
posted by saulgoodman at 12:04 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

Sweet, he played Jareth the Goblin King at my age!
posted by Kitteh at 12:08 PM on January 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

They're surprisingly quiet about the coke-fuelled paranoia and freak-outs, so I've got that to feel OK about. Sort of.
posted by ryanshepard at 12:09 PM on January 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

Acted in Marlena Deitricht's last film!
posted by The Whelk at 12:11 PM on January 7, 2016

He got a tattoo, well whoop-de-doo.
posted by biffa at 12:14 PM on January 7, 2016

I put in my age and it said at that age he drew his own tattoo and had it tattooed and then I remembered I was actually 46 instead of 44 and now I just kind of hate David Bowie forever and ever.
posted by bondcliff at 12:15 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

I like that it has an answer if you input a number greater than 69, but I'm dismayed that it only goes to 120. I mean, I know I'm not going to live that long, but he'll surely make it to 500 or so before he gets bored with this level of reality and jumps to another one.
posted by lord_wolf at 12:15 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

At my age he was offered and declined a Knighthood. This doesn't make me feel like a complete and utter failure at life. Not at all.
posted by Splunge at 12:16 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]

Thanks goodness it only tells you what he did at your age, not EVERYTHING he had done by your age. Else that would indeed be depressing.
posted by barchan at 12:17 PM on January 7, 2016 [7 favorites]

He released the album "Let’s Dance", co-produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers. Selling at least 7 million copies, the album became the most commercially successful album of his career.

yeah

well

good for you, David
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:20 PM on January 7, 2016 [10 favorites]

He got hit in the face by Lou Reed after a dinner in Hammersmith. Took it like a champ.

Something to aspire to, I suppose. Who's the contemporary Lou Reed?
posted by SansPoint at 12:21 PM on January 7, 2016

January 8, 2016 is also Roy Batty's incept date, which begs the question: Is David Bowie a replicant? I don't think we can rule it out.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [12 favorites]

> He formed a new band, "Tin Machine".

I've still got about nine months to go, but all I have to avoid doing to have a better year than David Bowie at my age is not form a new band, "Tin Machine."
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:35 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

My birthday is January 9. I only have two more days to moonwalk before Michael Jackson, but then I have a WHOLE YEAR in which to finagle a way to announce "Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Female Artist" at the Grammy's.
posted by ChuraChura at 12:36 PM on January 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

Are you kidding? Tin Machine was one of the better things he did after the 1970s.
posted by monospace at 12:44 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

Apparently I'm the same age prize bull octorok was when he made a comment on MetaFilter about how David Bowie made him feel inadequate.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 12:52 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

Since this came on the heels of the adulting thread now I'm sitting here seriously pondering: is David Bowie an adult?
posted by barchan at 12:55 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Pontius Pilates [sic] in Last Temptation of Christ, eh?
posted by emelenjr at 1:11 PM on January 7, 2016

Pontius Pilates [sic] in Last Temptation of Christ, eh?

Let's see you invent a trendy new exercise regimen at 41.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:29 PM on January 7, 2016 [6 favorites]

He launched his own internet service provider, "Bowienet". "Bowienet" included its own email accounts, forums, community blogs, interactive chat rooms and first dibs on all Bowie related content. Premium members could also pay to be first in line for tickets, and David Bowie himself engaged with fans in the chatrooms. Some high tech shit!

The thing about Bowienet is that some of its members got VIP tickets for a special show that Bowie did for the BBC. Always regretted not getting an account.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:36 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

I accidentally clicked it into negative numbers. That's silly, I thought. Lazy programming. But then... it is Bowie. So I told it I was -12yo.

Nothing! Sigh.

Happy birthday Starman!
posted by adept256 at 1:51 PM on January 7, 2016

Hey, saulgoodman, Jan 8 is my birthday too!

Hard to believe that nobody has mentioned in this thread that Bowie's new album ★ (pronounced "black star") is coming out tomorrow. I'm quite looking forward to it. The Atlantic seems to like it.
posted by hippybear at 1:53 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

I think it was bad of him to not play "The Laughing Gnome" on that tour. Come on, Bowie, own it!
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:54 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]

I have yet to be struck in the eye by a lollipop at an Oslo gig. So I guess I win year 57!
posted by Paul Slade at 2:01 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Yes - Tin Machine has some great stuff. "Baby Universal" for one.
posted by jetsetsc at 2:09 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Issued Bowie Bonds.

Sheesh.
posted by Devonian at 2:10 PM on January 7, 2016

Starred in a Tina Turner pepsi commercial?

I WIN DAVID. SEE YOU NEXT YEAR.
posted by BigCalm at 2:13 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

Apparently when he was 4 he was known as 'baby Bowie'? How does that work, seeing as Bowie isn't his real name and he only adopted it in the 60s?
posted by Pink Frost at 2:54 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

He played "Jareth the Goblin King", in the 1986 Jim Henson film "Labyrinth".

Woo! In my circles, that's the most referenced thing he's ever done!
posted by ignignokt at 3:24 PM on January 7, 2016

Apparently when he was 4 he was known as 'baby Bowie'? How does that work, seeing as Bowie isn't his real name and he only adopted it in the 60s?

Bowienet was able to send packets back in time, of course, which allowed Baby Bowie to be updated with messages from the future.
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:28 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

Yeah, I'll be playing Glastonbury this year, too...
posted by twsf at 3:30 PM on January 7, 2016

To be fair, "God Only Knows" was on the album Tonight, which means that he did record a few other songs that year (including a duet with Tina Turner).
posted by eckeric at 3:41 PM on January 7, 2016

I figure the answer for most should probably be "mountains of blow"
posted by Hoopo at 3:52 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

He and his second wife Iman appeared in the video game "Omikron" - for which he provided the soundtrack.

Well, that's a thing.
posted by octothorpe at 4:17 PM on January 7, 2016

This reminds me of the game
(What game?)
The game of Bowie
(Bowie?)
Show me
(Show me?)
How this reminds me of the game
posted by mochapickle at 4:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

How did I not know that Bowie was in Last Temptation of Christ? Because: what the heck?

(Also: OMG I REMEMBER BOWIENET.)
posted by epersonae at 5:05 PM on January 7, 2016

Today I learned David Bowie and Patti Smith were born within a few days of one another. Pretty wild couple of weeks for the history of rock and roll.
posted by town of cats at 6:30 PM on January 7, 2016

Tin Machine was one of the better things he did after the 1970s.

Except that movie he did
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:28 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

When does he go on the QE2?
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 11:40 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

I share a birthday with Mr. Bowie. And Elvis. And Graham Chapman. Also, Roy Batty will apparently be born on January 8th, 2016.

Yeah, I've basically got the best birthday ever. My birthday totally kicks your birthday's ass.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 11:46 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

Happy birthday, UH!
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:34 AM on January 8, 2016

(I share a birthday with Sid Vicious, John Constantine, and, uh... John Wilkes Booth. And Bono, but nobody's perfect.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:37 AM on January 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thanks, HJ. I'm one of the few who will still admit to liking Bono, so that's a pretty good birthday party you've got there, JWB aside. Bowie, Elvis and Chapman could make for a great party, but I'd hesitate before inviting Batty. He tends to get a little head-crush-y during social occasions. (Although he might sense a kindred spirit in Bowie, them both being beautiful sci-fi weirdos and all.)
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:00 AM on January 8, 2016

The new album is out today, and it's good! I'd say it's his best work in a long time and makes me optimistic for some adventerous late-period Bowie in a way that, for example, The Next Day didn't.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 7:11 AM on January 8, 2016

I share a birthday with Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee, but considering I still seem to be alive, I think I got the better deal of the date.
posted by Kitteh at 7:54 AM on January 8, 2016

Ok but the fact that no mention is made of his accomplishments with the Guild of Calamitous Intent is - well - calamitous.
posted by DingoMutt at 8:17 AM on January 8, 2016 [3 favorites]

David Bowie has passed away.

.
posted by mountmccabe at 11:08 PM on January 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

WHAT
posted by mochapickle at 11:12 PM on January 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

THE FUCK?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:23 PM on January 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

Way too soon. Way, way too soon.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 11:44 PM on January 10, 2016