Bowie.

How did we miss this one?

I came late to the Bowie party, and I have a lot of catching up to do, but I love just about everything he's done. Except "China Girl". That sucks. I appreciate his forays into different milieus (bonds, drum-n-bass) because he could have just stayed in one place and become a nostalgia act. Instead, he has followed his restless spirit and created some nice moments. Great voice, too. NOT CRAP

Oh christ I love bowie.

One of my earliest childhood memories is begging my parents to let me stay up to watch a bowie concert on TV. And yes, he has written some utter shite (as he'd be the first to point out about the large amount of filler that decorates his discs). I had a heartbreaking musical epiphany to Space Oddity while doing food prep in the back of this Greek restaurant once and I named my cat after the big straight homo, bless 'em.

Thrilled was I the day I found a first pressing of Ziggy Stardust (what a solid masterpiece) for seven bones in this old book store. He's the only real "rock star" that I can think of that has maintained his "cool" and ppushed himself as an artist who isn't just cranking out best of's (although most of his best ofs/station to stations/ singles collections are stellar) and rehashing the same old swill (rolling stones, anyone?)

The forays into electronic music, while not necessarily my bag are fine cause he's unafraid to make mistakes (Dance Magic Dance from labyrinth is poo) and flop, yet still seems like he's ahead of his time. He keeps an ear to the ground for modern music and constantly champions new artists.

Oh shit, the Bowie DVD set is brilliant (such shit videos with poor production values for such gloriously homoerotic songs), Bowie at the Beeb is great.....

I better stop. I think I just convinced myself that Bowie is my favorite artist ever in music. Neat!

NNNNNOOOOOTTTTTCCRAAAAPPPPP.

P.S. You can blame 50% of China Girl on Iggy Pop and that's kinda fun.

Faiz

Not crap in any way. What pipes! The Live at the Beeb CD set also shows how advanced he was even at 20 years old.

China Girl and Blue Jean are just tiny blips on the radar compared to his A+ material. I think he is like 97% great, 3% not as great. Even a throw away song like that one about Bob Dylan has it's charms.

Scary Monsters is new every time I hear it!

bowie? very much NOT CRAP.

though he's given too much credit, i think too many people write him off because the things he borrows from are often really obvious. the man could almost do no wrong between 1969-1980, and has made many, many more brilliant records than bad ones.

i saw him live with nine inch nails and prick in 1995 (at some amplitheater in st. louis), and a bunch of mall-goth douchebags left after nine inch nails finished their laughable set. i saw him live again in 1997 (at the around-1,000-capacity international ballroom in atlanta), and was right up front. this was one of the best shows i've ever been to. both times, the man put on an amazing show.

kerble wrote:.... the big straight homo....

Now that is some funny shit.

I personally favor the Eno collaborations - the only records I've had copies of, and I also really enjoyed the Outside album.

However, his recent cover of "Cactus" has been scientifically proven to cause giant brain tumors.

Still, The Thin White Duke shall forever be not crap.

allow me to be the lone dissenting opinion,
I like some Bowie tunes, I have a some Bowie records, I really like a couple of Bowie records in fact, but I stilled voted crap. Because, even tho there is music he has made that I enjoy, everything he does, to me, feels phony. It all feels like a sham, all the "innovations" and style changes and what not, there is a layer of distantance that feels impenetrable.

also, there is the quality drop of epic proportions, the constant "retiring", the constant "new record that's actually really good, oh wait, no it sucks"...he just comes across as so smugly please w/ himself, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Lodger is a great record...

still crap

not crap, but not by a lot

i have a tendency to give people byes in crap/n.c. when they have done two or three very very good or great things of some length

i think _low_ and _stationtostation_ are great records, with _"heroes"_ half a notch below

his glam stuff, he wrote some good songs, but most of it is about 1/4 as good as high t. rex

and there is much bilge thereafter

but not crap for those middle recs

also, he has cool eyes and teeth, and a lot of style in general

While I was watching the Pixies documentary, I suddenly came to the realization: "why the fuck is David Bowie such a Pixies authority?"

I think it has to do with a musical Midas aura he exhudes. Like whatever this guy likes, must be cool/good/valid/etc. Aural shit to gold.

So in that sense, he's CRAP, no pun intended.

I do dig the Bowie/Eno stuff, though.

so that is NOT CRAP.

hmm.

i've never heard anything i liked by this guy

so, crap

-noah