The Golden Years

February 9, 2005 5:16 PM

Want to know where David Bowie was on a given day between 1974 and 1980? Now you can find out.
posted by cedar (34 comments total)

How rare.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:38 PM on February 9, 2005

He looks kinda creepy.
posted by TwelveTwo at 5:42 PM on February 9, 2005

He looks kinda creepy

There's an understatement.

That SITE is creepy.
posted by linux at 5:47 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by scody at 5:50 PM on February 9, 2005

Not necessarily Bowie's finest years, but still kind of fun to browse through. Thanks cedar!
posted by fvw at 5:53 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by jokeefe at 6:03 PM on February 9, 2005

Couldn't we have something like this on someone like... Vaclav Havel or someone? David Bowie -- I just don't care.
posted by ontic at 6:06 PM on February 9, 2005

Bowie rules
posted by Toecutter at 6:09 PM on February 9, 2005

This is going to sound bad, but for some reason I thought that Bowie was no longer with us .... my apologies .
posted by R. Mutt at 6:13 PM on February 9, 2005

Another fun DB website: David Bowie's Area (May Not By SFW)
posted by amandaudoff at 6:16 PM on February 9, 2005 [1 favorite]

Couldn't we have something like this on someone like... say George W. Bush? (same time frame please)
posted by R. Mutt at 6:22 PM on February 9, 2005

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?
posted by davy at 6:32 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by jonmc at 6:52 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by DirtyCreature at 6:55 PM on February 9, 2005

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

Cool, but scary.
posted by pompomtom at 6:55 PM on February 9, 2005

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?
posted by jokeefe at 7:07 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by unsupervised at 7:17 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by interrupt at 7:19 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:25 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by jonmc at 7:25 PM on February 9, 2005

Good lord, is Low an unbelievably remarkable album.
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:26 PM on February 9, 2005

It's a crash course for the ravers.
posted by obloquy at 7:38 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by DirtyCreature at 7:51 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by jokeefe at 8:19 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by Radio7 at 8:26 PM on February 9, 2005

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.'
posted by interrupt at 8:31 PM on February 9, 2005

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.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:43 PM on February 9, 2005

"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".
posted by davy at 9:28 PM on February 9, 2005

"Heathen" is amazing and a real return to form... definitely check it out.
posted by idest at 4:25 AM on February 10, 2005

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.
posted by Prospero at 5:00 AM on February 10, 2005

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.
posted by pracowity at 5:18 AM on February 10, 2005

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.
posted by koeselitz at 8:59 AM on February 10, 2005

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

Yuck yuck yuck!
posted by DieHipsterDie at 2:26 PM on February 10, 2005

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.
posted by kryptondog at 7:15 PM on February 13, 2005