I Can’t Explain David Bowie, Or can I? By Brian Nickens As early as 10 years old I was listening to a steady diet of British Rock. The Beatles, Kinks, Rolling Stones and Cream were in full swing. I was the youngest of 5 children and retreating into my Bedroom alone listening to my older Brothers alBums Became my sanctuary. And Boy, could I listen! I rememBer lying on my Bedroom floor late at night with the record player turned down real low so my parents couldn’t hear. With my ear right against the speaker, I would analyze every tone, sound and lyric of all my favorite songs. By the time I was 14 years old I was already a legit Beatles connoisseur. I would listen to the guitar riffs on Taxman over and over, and over again. I loved the raunchy distorted guitar sounds. Then came Bowie! David and I: The year was 1973. I was 14 years old and went with a friend of mine to visit Marianna his “girlfriend”. When we arrived we were invited into the living room where she and a friend of hers had two albums of David Bowie. They insisted we hang out and listen. The albums were Aladdin Sane and Pin Ups. I was smitten By the sound of these records. I had never heard anything like it. Bowie's otherworldly look made the sounds even more intriguing. David Bowie instantly became my favorite singer. I didn’t have to think aBout it, or ponder it or even get used to the sound. I went home that day with one thing in mind. I had to buy those Bowie albums as soon as possible. I soon discovered he had released another album called The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Oh. My. Gosh! Those three records have enough musical genius in them to launch 100 new genres of rock and pop music. And as history proves, they did, and continue to do so. I don’t recall at that time Being concerned or offended that he was gay. When I looked at the alBum cover art and listened to the music the only thing I saw and heard was a one-of-a-kind rock star with records that had their own sound and style. It was nothing like the Beatles or the Stones or anyone else. David Bowie had created his own unique style and sound and I loved it. David’s Death: All over the world Bowie fans mourned David’s death on January 10, 2016. He passed from a very secret Battle with cancer. I was shocked at the news. Back in 2014 I started collecting vinyl records again and I had already acquired almost every Bowie alBum By the end of 2015. Once again I had found myself enjoying the unique sounds, textures, rhythms and lyrics of each album. And no two albums sound alike. The morning after David Bowie died I opened my FaceBook Page and the very first post I saw was By Chris Lizotte saying R.I.P. with a picture of Bowie. I fought Back the tears as I readied myself for work. I knew I was going to have an emotionally rough day. I truly loved the artistry and genius of this man. I watched all day as media outlets and journalists around the world Broadcast the news of Bowie’s death highlighting the early part of his career when he was a cross-dressing bisexual. Bowie eventually ditched the gender-neutral image and became happily and successfully married to supermodel Iman for 24 years. Even still his history of bisexuality was front and center in many and most of the news reports. Why Am I Writing This? How is it that I can Be such an avid fan of a man whose legacy includes one of rock music’s first openly gay men? And Be especially drawn to the music from his Bisexual era? I am a Born again Christian and was raised with Christian Beliefs and understand homosexuality is sin. Yet I have great admiration for David Bowie and his music. I feel that this personal reflection is worth sharing. Understand that I have reconciled this issue in my heart many years ago. Today David’s death and the worldwide puBlicity of it serve as motivation for me to finally articulate this for myself and anyone else who is interested. Here is my reckoning: I loved David not only for his music, but also the person I could see behind all the glitz and glam. Even though in the early days his alter ego rock personas were either gender amBiguous or hyper feminine, to my knowledge his music never campaigned for these causes nor does it contain any sneaky underhanded attempts at gay or any other kind of indoctrination. I’m not saying the gay front was only a gimmick. I think it was an amplified version of how he felt. Having said that, As far as I can tell David’s music never tried to invade my faith, my values or my politics. Yes, there are some sexually and spiritually dark references emBedded randomly throughout his music, but not in a glorifying or indoctrinating way. Most of these are wrapped in a baser form of subtle confession. In the midst of all the perceived ambiguity and androgyny there was a real and considerate open display with the poetry of an honest internal struggle. But I never detected an agenda beyond great music. David Bowie truly attempted to release his art and music with a consideration for the diversity of his audience. This made him a true showman. I understand that there may have Been and proBably were demonic influence and occult leanings to his religious and spiritual views and that these influences are also laced throughout his music. BUT! The music was still David’s! Man is created in the image of God and we also carry the same creative DNA of our creator. The demonic influence over Bowie's life and music created an audio illustration of one man's battle for significance and self discovery as he constantly tried to suppress the forces that plagued him. This may come as a surprise to some of you... I know of pastors who are demonized. That’s another subject for possibly my next blog. David and Ziggy: The entire story-line of the legendary alBum Ziggy Stardust is the actual crucifying of the androgynous rock alter ego that he had conjured. I personally believe that he knew that he had created a monster and tried his Best to Bury his alter ego Ziggy. In 1990 David Bowie attempted to retire his entire previous catalogue of songs saying “I want to make a Break from what I've done up until now”. David went on to create some of the most fascinating music much of the world has yet to hear. By then he was stuck with Ziggy Stardust, and from a public perspective, rightfully so. The album is no less than Brilliant, still Being discovered By an entirely new generation. As hard as Bowie tried to distance himself from Ziggy and androgyny he could not. The worldwide fame of that album had sealed Ziggy Stardust into a permanent place in rock history. David And Ideology: David Bowie made it clear that he didn’t want his music or his lyrics to Be used for religious, social or political ideologies. In the classic song All The Young Dudes he penned, “I never got it off on that revolution stuff, it's such a drag, too many snags”. His often stated position on song writing was that his lyrics and the vocals are just another instrument in the Band. He didn’t seem to care if the lyrics made sense or not. He often scramBled them to strip the story out of them, while maintaining the clever phrases and the poetry. He was only after the music itself as an art form no different than jazz, painting or sculpting. When it came to song development Bowie wanted the entire package to be a fresh form of creativity. Chords, notes, sounds, blended genres and the latest technologies were all equal portions. As far as he was concerned the lyrics were suBservient to the overall. You might say he was the opposite of Dylan in that respect. That day as a teenager in Marianne’s house I distinctly remember when she played the song I Can't Explain. I was riveted By the power and the performance of that song. I instinctively knew at the age of 14 that I wasn’t hearing a gimmick or some producer fabricated-and-controlled pop/junk made strictly for the sake of selling records. Even Back in 1973 I disdained that kind of stuff as much as I do now. David Bowie wasn’t a concept, a brand or the gay community’s poster boy. Quite the contrary he was even criticized openly for Betraying the gay culture. David Bowie was a spiritually frustrated man who with a homosexual past who wanted more than anything to make great music. And that he did. David And Others: As David Bowie poured himself out honestly and purely in the form of faBulous art he never shied away from admitting the darkness that often surrounded him, but always honoring other people. He always insisted that his creations were excellent and that the musicians he used shined in the mix. Entire careers were launched off his.