Rock-tober 25, 2016

Back in 1987, Pepsi aired a commercial where a mad scientist played by David Bowie was trying to construct what he considered his ideal woman. With "Modern Love" playing in the background, he assembled scans, printouts, and pictures of women and fed their most becoming features into a souped up transmogrifier. Curvaceous figure, sultry eyes, full lips, and long legs that went on forever all went into his magical machine. He even tossed in sexy leather high heels for good measure. It all goes sideways until the secret ingredient, Pepsi is thrown into the mix. Voila! Tina Turner steps out of the box sporting those magnificent legs of hers.

Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, he grew up in South London and developed an early interest in the arts. At age 18, he was performing regularly and wanted to avoid being confused with The Monkees frontman Davy Jones. His interest in American culture and historical figures, particularly Jim Bowie, of renown for the Alamo, gave him his new stage name.

More than just a singer, David Bowie was an artist in every sense of the word. He was a gifted instrumentalist, proficient on guitar, sax, keyboard, and drums. He was also an accomplished painter, songwriter, and actor. IMDB lists 42 acting credits for Bowie. To my knowledge, the only rock and roller with more is Meat Loaf (73 at last count). While Bowie's portrayal of Jareth, the anti-hero Goblin King from Labyrinth was his most iconic role, I also found his performance in The Prestige as Nikola Tesla impressively compelling.

Over his career, Bowie released 26 studio albums that are in various stages of Silver, Gold, and Platinum certification. He amassed 30 awards including an Emmy and two Grammys. Interestingly, one honor he declined was a knighthood offered by Queen Elizabeth II.

With the holidays approaching as Rock-tober 2016 nears its completion, it should be noted that one of Bowie's most successful singles was a duet with Bing Crosby. In 1977, Crosby was taping a Christmas Special and planned on performing "Little Drummer Boy." Unfortunately, Bowie abhorred the song and asked if he could sing something else. Anything else. As a result, "Peace on Earth" was written for Bowie as a counterpoint to Crosby's "Drummer Boy." The arrangement, dubbed "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" has become a Christmas tradition at Casa Capuyan.

On January 8, 2016, David Bowie turned 69 and also released Blackstar, his final album. Two days later, he lost his 18 month battle with cancer. We mourn the loss of a rock and roll great, but also celebrate the GQ style and artistry of his life. Thank you, Mr. Bowie, for your impassioned performances on stage and on screen. All hail the Goblin King!