FEATURE:
Five Years
Remembering David Bowie
___________
2016 was a devastating year where….
we lost some huge musicians, including Prince. David Bowie died on 10th January - and I can’t believe that it has nearly been five years since we lost the genius! Releasing his twenty-fifth and final studio album, Blackstar, two days before he died, we had this strange week where we celebrated one of David Bowie’s very best albums and then, so soon, we had to process his death! It is strange to think that Bowie would have known he would die before he could realise how his album affected people. Very few people knew that Bowie was even ill – he died of liver cancer at the age of sixty-nine. Since his death, there have been special releases and stuff that has come out. One of the most recent, I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74), was released as part of Record Store Day on 29th August. As a very sad anniversary is approaching, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4 are celebrating his life. This article from Music Week explains more:
“BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4 have announced Bowie Five Years On, a series of programmes to celebrate David Bowie’s life and work on the fifth anniversary of his passing.
Since his death, David Bowie’s sales and streams have continued strongly thanks to a reissues campaign from Warner Music. The 2016 Legacy collection is still in the Top 75 and has sales to date of 578,500, according to the Official Charts Company.
The BBC celebration of his life includes Bowie: Dancing Out In Space, a two-hour show to be simulcast for the first time between BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 6 Music, as well a host of other content across the two networks.
Elsewhere across the BBC, the anniversary will see a BBC Radio 2 Sounds Of The 70s special, and a BBC Four night of programming (January 8) with another chance to see some classic Bowie documentaries, including David Bowie: The Last Five Years.
On Sunday, January 10, the fifth anniversary of his death, 6 Music and Radio 4 will air Bowie: Dancing Out In Space (8-10pm). This special show, presented by Stuart Maconie with leading figures from music, dance, literature, philosophy, technology and comedy, will explore the impact of David Bowie on their lives and how he always managed to be ahead of the curve.
Programming across 6 Music throughout the day will mark Bowie’s achievements. David Bowie Star Special airs from 1pm-2pm. Rarely heard since it was made in 1979, in this programme Bowie presents some of his favourite music, which ranges from The Velvet Underground to Elgar and Little Richard to The Mekons.
From January 4-6 on 6 Music, Marc Riley (7-9pm) will be airing again a three-part interview with Geoff MacCormack, Bowie’s lifelong friend, that was originally broadcast on the first anniversary of bowie’s death in 2017.
Radio 4 programming includes Archive on 4: Bowie Verbatim (January 9, 8pm), a repeat of an episode about the story of David Bowie's life and career told in his own words.
Samantha Moy, head of BBC Radio 6 Music, said: “We miss David Bowie. To think of the music he would have made, the words he would have written, the thoughts and ideas he would have shared with the world – his absence is more keenly felt as each year passes. His influence is woven into the fabric of 6 Music and is kept alive by the curious spirit of our listeners. The broadcast of Dancing Out In Space – a programme celebrating the ultimate trailblazer – with our friends at Radio 4 will be a very special moment and testament to the legacy of an absolute icon.”
Mohit Bakaya, controller, BBC Radio 4, said: “David Bowie was a rare and beautiful beast – an artist whose life and work spoke to people in all walks of life, with an intellectual curiosity and instinctive drive that meant he was always one step ahead of the pack. He’s an artist that many of the Radio 4 audience will have grown up listening to as well as being the defacto patron saint of 6 Music, so I’m delighted that we’re coming together, station to station, with an eclectic mix of thinkers, musicians, writers and critics to discuss the great man’s music and ideas”.
It will be wonderful listening to the programmes and learning more about David Bowie and his brilliant songwriting. So many people across various fields have been impacted by Bowie; not just in terms of his music, but his image, art, personality and the way he thought. Just think about the musical evolutions that occurred so regularly and how he could inhabit different guises…you can trace that to so many artists since who have been moved by Bowie’s almost limitless ability.
I don’t think that everything Bowie touched turned to gold; he did release a few average albums in his lifetime. That said, I am reconnecting with albums that I have not heard in a while – such as 2003’s Reality, and Black Tie White Noise of 1993. I think even many of the lesser-heralded albums have stunning music on them, and there is always debate as to which David Bowie album is the very best. I really love Station to Station, as it came between Young Americans in 1975, and Low in 1977. The 1976-released Station to Station is different to both of those albums; a great trio of albums that explored different genres and subjects. I like the longer and more experimental songs on Station to Station, but I have affection for so many Bowie albums and the way he always remained original, pioneering, unpredictable and thrilling. It is such a shame that he left us long before we were ready. As a musician, Bowie has really inspired me as a music lover and journalist…and I know so many people who owe a debt to him. It will be upsetting looking back on the fifth anniversary of his death, although it is clear that his spirit and legacy will never die. He is one of the greatest artists the world will ever see and, closer to the anniversary, I want to go into more depth regarding various aspects and how he transformed music and popular culture. Listen to the music and magic of David Bowie and experience a human being who is…
STILL so deeply missed.