David Bowie remains one of the most influential figures in rock music history, selling over 140 million records and inspiring countless artists with his ever-evolving personas and groundbreaking music. However, behind the glamour and innovation lay a life marked by intense pressures, creative struggles, and periods of unhealthy habits. This article explores the various facets of David Bowie's life, from his musical innovations and iconic personas to his dietary habits, struggles with addiction, and personal life.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Born David Robert Jones in South London, Bowie's early life showed hints of the artistic genius he would become. He experimented with the ukulele and piano at a young age, later picking up the saxophone at 15 and joining various bands. Despite not achieving instant success, he persevered, constantly seeking new avenues for his musical expression.
The Rise to Fame and the Pressure of Stardom
Bowie's career took off with albums like Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, catapulting him into rock superstardom. However, the constant pressure to create, record, and tour took its toll. As he confessed in a television interview, "by the mid-70s I was so out of my gourd that it was nigh on impossible for me to function in any rational way.” He struggled to remember lyrics and relied on prompters due to severe memory gaps.
The "Station to Station" Era: A Dark Period of Diet and Drug Use
The mid-1970s marked a particularly turbulent period in Bowie's life, coinciding with the creation of his album Station to Station. Struggling to follow up the success of Young Americans, Bowie succumbed to heavy cocaine use and an extremely unhealthy diet. According to Vibe, his diet consisted primarily of peppers and milk. This bizarre regimen, combined with a lack of sleep and constant drug use, led to severe weight loss, dropping him below 100 pounds.
David Buckley, Bowie’s biographer, emphasized the unsustainability of this lifestyle, noting the detrimental effects of cocaine on his mental health, “You could have one cocaine binge and suffer from paranoia and anxiety and paranoid delusions."
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Station to Station reflected this darkness, with themes of occultism and death permeating the album. Bowie himself later admitted to having little to no memory of creating the album due to his heavy drug use. The album features numerous references to occultism and death.
Influence on Other Artists: Marilyn Manson's Similar Experience
Bowie's dangerous lifestyle, particularly his dietary habits during the Station to Station era, influenced other musicians. Marilyn Manson, for example, revealed a similar experience during the creation of his acclaimed album Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). Manson subsisted on a diet of almost nothing but jello and cocaine, theorizing that his use of absinthe filled the "third part" of Bowie's diet.
Experimenting with the Bowie Diet: A Fan's Perspective
Reflecting on Bowie's "Station to Station" diet, one fan attempted to recreate it, albeit without the cocaine. The experiment involved recipes incorporating milk and peppers, such as stuffed peppers, chili with milk, and even pepper ice cream. While the results were mixed, the experience provided insight into the impracticality and potential unpleasantness of Bowie's dietary choices during that period.
Beyond the Extreme: Bowie's Other Food Preferences
While his "Station to Station" diet was certainly extreme, Bowie had other, more conventional food preferences. Shepherd's pie, a classic British dish, was reportedly one of his favorites. His wife, Iman, often cooked it for him. This dish was even featured at a Tokyo pop-up café promoting his album The New Day.
During his time in New York in the 90s, Bowie frequented French Roast, a 24-hour bistro where he enjoyed croque monsieurs. Later, he switched to lighter fare, opting for grilled chicken on focaccia with tomato, watercress, and chipotle mayonnaise. Bowie also contributed his recipe for pasta puttanesca to the WMMR Rock n' Roll Celebrity Cookbook in 1988, showcasing his culinary anarchy.
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Personal Life: Relationships and Family
Bowie's personal life was as complex and multifaceted as his artistic persona. He declared himself gay in 1972, though his relationships with women suggest he was, at most, bisexual. In 1969, he married Angela Barnett, with whom he had a son, Duncan, who later became a film director. After divorcing Barnett in 1980, Bowie married Somali-American model Iman in 1992. Iman recalls their life together as filled with love, art, and simple pleasures like home-cooked dinners and picking up their daughter, Lexi, from school.
Health Issues and Final Years
In 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack while performing in Germany, leading to the cancellation of his tour and a significant reduction in public appearances. He was reported to have had at least six heart attacks. On January 10, 2016, just two days after his 69th birthday, David Bowie died of liver cancer.
Risk Factors and Liver Cancer
While the exact cause of Bowie's liver cancer remains unknown, factors such as drug use and potential exposure to infections like hepatitis C can increase the risk of developing the disease. The Communicable Disease Center recommends blood tests for hepatitis C, especially for those born between 1945 and 1965, those who have injected drugs, or those who received blood transfusions before 1992.
A Legacy of Artistry and Influence
Despite his personal struggles and health challenges, David Bowie left an indelible mark on music, fashion, and popular culture. His willingness to experiment, challenge conventions, and reinvent himself inspired generations of artists and fans. From his groundbreaking albums and iconic personas to his forays into acting and mime, Bowie's creative output was vast and diverse.
Quirks and Lesser-Known Facts
Beyond his major accomplishments, several lesser-known facts and anecdotes offer further insight into Bowie's unique personality and life:
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- Name Change: He changed his name from David Robert Jones to avoid confusion with the lead singer of the Monkees.
- Mime Training: He trained as a mime with choreographer Lindsay Kemp, incorporating this skill into his early performances.
- Painting: Bowie was a prolific painter, creating haunting and surreal works, including self-portraits.
- Video Game Appearance: He lent his image and music to the video game Omikron, playing a revolutionary character named Boz.
- Rejection of Knighthood: Bowie declined knighthood from the Queen of England, stating that it wasn't what he had spent his life working for.
- Tea Aversion: He refused to drink tea after a negative experience at the age of five.
- The lollipop incident: During one of his concerts in Norway in 2004, a fan threw a wet lollipop at David, and it stuck to his eyeball.