73 Things I Love About David Bowie
In honor of David Bowie's 73rd birthday, here's 73 of my favorite stories, quotes, facts, lyrics and pictures of the man to remember him by
"Later on, he bought a house in Mustique, where I have a place, and we used to hang out in the West Indies. David was so relaxed there, and so kind to everyone. He did a lot of work making health care better for local people; I was doing school charity work, and he would come with me there and do story time with the local kids. It was really sweet." - Mick Jagger
His many styles of music and how cool it is that he can appeal to so many different audiences because of it
"The hand that wrote this letter, Sweeps the pillow clean, So rest your head and read a treasured dream, I care for no one else but you..." (Letter To Hermione)
His many personas and looks
"I remember once we went out to dinner and the laces on my trainers came undone, and David was down on his knees in the middle of the street, tying them for me. I thought to myself, ‘This one’s a keeper." - Iman
"We live for just these twenty years, do we have to die for the fifty more?" (Young Americans)
He wrote "Kooks" and "Oh, You Pretty Things!" for his son
He worked really hard to clean up his act and he did, on top of all of the other shit his was going through.
"So John [Lennon] was sort of [in Liverpool accent] “Oh, here comes another new one.” And I was sort of, “It’s John Lennon! I don’t know what to say. Don’t mention the Beatles, you’ll look really stupid.” And he said, “Hello, Dave.” And I said, “I’ve got everything you’ve made — except the Beatles.”"
Even though he was sick and knew he was dying, he worked really hard to finish Blackstar and it's music videos, and tried to be as involved as possible in the musical Lazarus.
He sent a pig fetus to Rolling Stone Magazine as a gift...
"I'd listen to him talking and ask: 'David, how do you know so much?' He was smart about everything: he could talk about art, religion, any topic. He'd laugh and say: 'Tina, I never stop studying.' David really knew how to dance and act, too. Not all singers do. And unlike other rockers, he was a real gentleman." - Tina Turner
His music videos and how creative they are, he even directed and designed the sets for a lot of them
"Time - He's waiting in the wings, he speaks of senseless things, his script is you and me boys" (Time)
He wanted what he did to matter and feared his contribution wasn't big enough, according to Marc Bolan, Coco, and himself.
His philanthropy and how he never did it for publicity
"I'm an instant star. Just add water and stir."
The final show of the Serious Moonlight tour coincided with the anniversary of his friend John Lennon's death, and to pay tribute to John, he covered Imagine at the end of the show.
"...I reluctantly went backstage, feeling weird and ashamed, like, “Hey, I’m the guy that puked on the rug.” And again, I was met with warmth, and grace, and love. And I started to say, “Hey listen, I’ve been clean for …” I don’t even think I finished the sentence; I got a big hug. And he said, “I knew. I knew you’d do that. I knew you’d come out of that.” I have goosebumps right now just thinking about it. " - Trent Reznor
He's literally one of the prettiest men ever but manages to make the ugliest facial expressions
"See these eyes so green, I can stare for a thousand years, colder than the moon, well it's been so long... A plague I call a heartbeat, just be still with me, well you wouldn't believe what I've been through...Those who feel me near, pull the blinds and change their minds" (Cat People)
When Iman saw a ring she liked, he went back to buy it as a surprise, only to find somebody had bought it, so, he tracked the ring down and bought it from them.
The backwards arm thing he does
He never loses his temper in interviews and is always very classy, polite, and patient (and sometimes silly)
Here are we, one magical moment, Such is the stuff, from where dreams are woven, There are you drive like a demon, From station to station" (Station To Station)
"I just started petting his shoulders. I can’t describe it any more accurately. He was just so special it was the only way I seemed to be able to express my joy. I haven’t petted that many men in my life. I’m so glad I got to do that. And more importantly, that he let me. He just smiled as I apologised for petting him. He seemed to not only understand, but accept the strange offering of gratitude and recognition." - Val Kilmer
"Don't pick fights, With the bullies or the cads, 'Cause I'm not much cop, At punching other people's dads, And if the homework brings you down, Then we'll throw it on the fire, And take the car downtown" (Kooks)
"Gone, gone, the water's all gone , mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone, Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah" (Glass Spider)
He made my childhood better
His love for his family, you can see it in his lyrics and in his face and it's wonderful
"Confront a corpse at least once. The absolute absence of life is the most disturbing and challenging confrontation you will ever have."
"The shrieking of nothing is killing me... Ashes to ashes, funk to funky, we know Major Tom's a junkie, strung out in heaven's high, hitting an all-time low" (Ashes to Ashes)
When he came to America for the first time, he visited the Empire State building and was so excited that he ran around in circles.
His love of reading and learning
"They are the stars, they're dying for you, but I hope they live forever" (The Stars Are Out Tonight)
The time some dude from Texas pulled a gun on him and called him a fag for wearing a dress, and David said "I think I look beautiful" and walked away.
"I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise I won't bore you."
The way he looks at Iman, you can see nothing but his pure love for her and it's beautiful.
He cut is set at Live Aid short to show footage of the famine in Ethiopia (which was what the concert was raising funds for) since organizers didn't want to air it. (It sounds controversial but the reason why I think it was a good gesture is because it showed how real it was and reminded people that while Live Aid entertaining, it wasn't just a concert, it was meant to help real people in a real situation and it showed the truth of how bad the situation really was).
"I never thought I'd need so many people... think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour, drinking milk shakes cold and long, smiling and waving and looking so fine, don't think you knew you were in this song" (Five Years)
His Webby Lifetime Achievement Award speech - https://youtu.be/5SUvvx1_-so
His acting and how different all of his roles are.
For the making of the Let's Dance video, he refused to hire actors and filmed local aboriginals instead, feeling it was disrespectful to hire actors to "dance in their bars" and intended to bring good representation to Aboriginal Australians, as it was rare to see in that time.
"Ladies and Gentlemen... And others..."
He noticed security getting rough with a fan, so he stopped the show to call out security as he was concerned for the safety of the fan.
"I was wondering how in the name of God David could tolerate this seeming torture, but he did so with jokes and good manners... He looked exhausted but made not one complaint. " - Robert Fox
"All my violence, raining tears upon the sheets I'm bewildered, for we're strangers when we meet" (Strangers When We Meet)
He called out MTV for being racist, in an interview with MTV.
“We were dating for two weeks and I was coming from Paris and I got to L.A. at the airport and the doors open to the plane and I come out and I see all these people taking a picture of somebody. And he was standing there, flowers in hand, no security. That was when I knew he was a keeper. He didn’t care if anyone saw.” - Iman
"He reads to me all the time. When he reads, he plays all the characters and uses different voices for each one. When he reads to me, it's like being a little girl again." - Iman
He refused to do a kiss scene in Labyrinth because Jennifer Connely (Sarah) was underage and he was in his late 30's/early 40's at the time
"I can ask for cigarettes in every language"
He was "naming the children" the night he and Iman met
Happy birthday, David. Rest easy, Starman. We miss you 💛💙💛💙
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
stormborns
amandla
gamechangershow
romaincrisis
2087
