The Man Who Stole the World

by John Waters

Bowie was a canary in the coal mine of post-1960s culture, plumbing its depths and soaring above almost everyone else. Continue Reading »

12 Jun 2018

David Bowie's Search for God

by William Doino Jr.

One doesn’t often find people of faith, especially conservatives, rallying around an entertainer who became famous for dressing up as an androgynous rock-star named Ziggy Stardust, singing, “Rebel, Rebel,” and pushing musical expression to its outer limits. And yet, when David Bowie died last . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Feb 2016

Celebrity Deaths

by Mathew Block

The recent deaths of Alan Rickman, David Bowie, and the Eagles' Glenn Frey prompted an outpouring of sorrow online. Why do we grieve when celebrities die? Is it just ‘misplaced grief,' as some say? Or is there a deeper reason why we mourn—and, indeed, should mourn—the famous? Continue Reading »

29 Jan 2016

The Veneration of David Bowie

by Jennifer Ferrara

I am old enough to remember David Bowie from his Ziggy Stardust days but was never much of a fan. Before his death, I couldn’t have named a single one of his songs. I, therefore, was surprised and fascinated by the outpouring of emotion that surrounded Bowie’s death. Jeffrey Blehar opines on . . . . Continue Reading »

29 Jan 2016

Carl’s Rock Songbook #60: David Bowie, “Fame”

by Carl Scott

We left off the analysis of ALMOST FAMOUS at the key point, where we were about to get into what it says about Rock and Fame. That is a complicated subject, because you need to consider the phenomenon of Fame itself, before you get into what Rock does with it. Bowie’s deliberately sour song is . . . . Continue Reading »

3 Sep 2012

Revolution’s Year Zero: 1962, 1966, or 1968?

by Carl Scott

Terry Teachout says it wasn’t 1968 that began the big cultural shift, but 1962. ’62 is a good year to zero in on indeed—Cuban Missile Crisis, early SDS days, right before Philip Larkin’s beginning date for “sexual intercourse,” Dylan’s Freewheelin’ gestating . . . . Continue Reading »

21 Jul 2012

Carl’s Rock Songbook #22: Joe Pug, “I Do My Father’s Drugs”

by Carl Scott

Songbook #20 tried to talk about the 9-11 interregnum and how it dealt a blow to rock’s radicalism, but in retrospect, it was really more about the nineties revival-of and eventual disenchantment-with such radicalism, with 9-11 seeming to serve as the final nail in the coffin. And Songbook #21 . . . . Continue Reading »

25 Sep 2011

Carl’s Rock Songbook #21: David Bowie, “Sunday”

by Carl Scott

. . . social democracy has been unable to fill the vacuum left by the failure of the great communist hope. Does this mean, as many predict, that the hour of the churches has come? If this should turn out to be the case, I hope that there will be left on the earth at least a small handful of human . . . . Continue Reading »

22 Sep 2011

Carl’s Rock Songbook #20: 9/11—The Day the Rock Muse Died?

by Carl Scott

Well, no. Rock is more resilient than that. And if you are contented with that answer, you can stop reading now. Peter asked us to consider what we’ve learned from since 9/11. I’ve lots of thoughts about whether the wars were worth it, what went right and wrong, . . . . Continue Reading »

10 Sep 2011