David Bowie
By Lou Reed
David Bowies Contribution to rock’n’roll: joke and sophistification. He is clever, but he is also a real musician and he can really sing. And that with a huge range: I like the tone of Ziggy Stardust, but David has completely different voices. Even that of a crooner if he wants. And a sense of melody that nobody else gets in the rock’n’roll. Some of his melodies could not sing most.
The 100 greatest musicians of all time: David Bowie – Essay from Lou Reed
Androgyn were in skirt, starting with Little Richard, but David gave the whole of his own patina to put it out carefully. He thought about the figure of the ciggy for a long time. He went to acting lessons, and not just for fun. The stage is craft, he knew that, and he took it seriously. He made a whole show out of this figure – and then he left it behind. Pretty smart. Imagine that he should have kept giving the Ziggy. I mean, if you were looking for audience and critics, you would have to play the same four songs forever. David, on the other hand, slipped into other roles like the Thin White Duke. And when he tried albums like “Young Americans” on American Soul, he also managed to do the incredibly well – the songs he wrote for it were excellent.
“I like all of his dance albums”
I cannot possibly indicate a favorite plate, that depends too much on my mood. But I like all of his dance albums. “Ziggy Stardust”. Also always “Bewlay Brothers” by “Hunky Dory”. And the albums he made with Brian Eno are phenomenal. He is constantly changing, so you never get bored with his things. And that still applies today: “The Loneliest Guy” on his album “Reality” is a great song. One more.
The 100 greatest musicians of all time: David Bowie – Essay from Lou Reed
After all these years we are still friends, surprisingly. Every now and then we go to the museum or an exhibition together, and I like to work with him. I saw him playing here in New York on his last tour, that was one of the greatest rock shows I have ever experienced. At least as far as white musicians are concerned. Seriously.