Tell me about Bowie’s eyes
He was punched in the face by a friend—George Underwood—in a fight over a girl when he was fifteen. George landed a significant blow on young Davie Jones’s left eye. Doctors initially thought he would loose the eye, but after a four-month series of operations, they were able to save it. However, the iris muscle was paralyzed in a permanently dilated position, leaving him with very poor vision in that eye. Bowie and George remained friends for many years—to this day, as far as I know.
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So, what’s the deal with “Crazy Uncle Bowie”?
Crazy Uncle Bowie is a term that I invented (You heard it here first, folks!), but has since propagated.
A strict definition would be restricted to the Outside and Earthling years. A more general one would include some of the Tin Machine years. In any case, “Hours …” is the cut-off between Crazy Uncle Bowie and Hot Old Man Bowie—what those of a scholarly bent call Neoclassicist Bowie.
He seemed to be confronting his mortality a bit then, having something of a mid-life crisis, we might say. He’s got this hot new wife and wants to prove that he’s still daring and relevant, so he pushes everything as far as it will go.
Think: rubber shirt, feather earring, eyeliner—lots of eyeliner—naughty priest outfit, painted nails, bared teeth … Basically it’s any of the times in the Nineties when he does something that leaves you a little bit O_o
Check out the pictures with this tag and see if you notice a common theme!
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What do the bracelets mean Bowie wore all the time over the years?
The two thin silver bracelets he wore on his left arm were his wedding bands. Angie had matching bracelets.
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What kind of cigarettes did Bowie smoke?
He smoked Gitanes—a quite strong French brand—during the seventies. Sometime in the Eighties he switched to Marlboros and then went to Marlboro Lights in the Nineties before finally quitting.
I feel some guilt in as much as I turned him [Bowie] on to the Gitane cigarettes. In my defense (and his) we did smoke this brand for aesthetic reasons – the delightful artwork on the packet by Max Ponty is of a gypsy dancer in a plume of smoke.
— Geoff MacCormack
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what does your isolar tag mean?
Isolar was the official name of the 1976 tour, which is informally known as the White Light Tour, the Station to Station Tour, and the Thin White Duke tour. Isolar Enterprises is also the name of Bowie’s self-owned company.
When asked about the origins of the name, he said:
Isolar … “Isola” is Italian for island. “Isolation” plus “solar” all equals Isolar. If I remember correctly. I was stoned …
Some have suggested that it stands for “In Search Of Light And Recognition”. And of course, it is also an anagram of “Sailor” …
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Is Bowie done with… everything? I heard after the Reality album he was supposed to come out with another one, but that never happened and you really don’t hear about him anymore. \:
Well, he does have a book coming out next year. He is quite active in the art community. But he seems to be pretty much retired from music at this point.
Touring is absurdly hard, draining work, and I would not be surprised if he has some health difficulties as a result of the years of destructive habits. So, if he wants to spend as much time as possible with his family, good on him. That choice makes me respect him even more as a person. What could be more important than being there for your child?
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Do you think Bowie’ll release anything new eventually?
¡Ojalá que si! If it is his will, so it shall be. If he chooses to spend the rest of his days in quiet retirement, I will be content. He has had many difficult times in his life and has given so much of himself to a greedy world. It seems he has now found a much-deserved place of peace and happiness. Should he choose to release something more, no one will be happier than I, but he owes us nothing more.
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Is Bowie bisexual or gay? I don’t care if he is, I still love him.
Million dollar question right there … He has said yes, he is gay, yes he is bi, yes he is straight, maybe, maybe, maybe. My opinion is that it really doesn’t matter.
I think he is a marvelous composer, performer, and artist. Throughout his career, but especially in the Seventies, he has had an immeasurable impact on gender politics. His sexuality is entirely beside the point. And that, to a great degree, is part of the message that I take from his work: be true to yourself, judge others on who, and not what, they are. Trying to classify people can be a messy, confusing business.
Race, gender, sexuality, shape, and size … we are all imperfect beings trying to do our best in this world. Being treated poorly over things we have no control over is just plain wrong.
People should be treated with respect. Period, end of story.
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What’s the deal with that Egyptian photoshoot?
Brian Ward was the photographer for this 1971 shoot for the Hunky Dory album sleeve.
As to the meaning, there are differing accounts. The imagery in that photoshoot does have a great deal of occult importance. This is often referred to his “sphinx” outfit. The sphinx is a Masonic symbol of the guardian of mysteries. Both the OTO and the Golden Dawn use/used similar quasi-Egyptian ritual costumes for certain ceremonies.
Angie Bowie, however, said:
“He ran out of photo shoot ideas. Natasha Korniloff and Lindsay Kemp’s brains were plundered for every image and every possible costume.”
