“Look up here, I’m in Heaven,” croons a sinuous, sober voice, “I’ve got scars that can’t be seen.” It’s a voice fit for the stars. Two days after the release of his final album, ★ (pronounced Blackstar), musical legend David Bowie died on Jan. 8 at the age of 69. His parting gift, marking the end of 27 studio albums, is an enigmatic explanation of his final days, marked by longing and mortality, and dripping of the otherworldly aura exuded by one of rock and roll’s most influential artists.
Bowie was a rock musician, but there was something for everyone in his discography. Throughout his career, Bowie dabbled in electronica, soul, jazz, funk, even folk. He also reinvented himself, continuously, embodying various iconic personas. His most famous form, the lightning-marked androgyne Ziggy Stardust, questioned sexual, religious, and political mores. As Ziggy, Bowie said, “I’m an instant star, just add water.” And indeed, his appeal was universal. Singer-songwriter Madonna remarked that Bowie was “inspiring and innovative. Unique and provocative.” “His songs should be about nothing,” The New Yorker writes, “which allow them to be about everything.”
And that’s what makes Blackstar so endearing — in the context of his impending mortality, Bowie turned his death into an work of art, leaving fans a gift that resonates with the human experience. His farewell message: “Something happened on the day he died / Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside / Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried / (I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar).” And so Bowie, the shape-shifter, the legend, will be remembered for his radical abstraction. He was the man who allowed us to express ourselves and realize that being a freak is okay. In fact, it can even be beautiful.
