Was Bowie the original British punk?
I've had this debate with a few punks and they often agree as Bowie was just as outrageous in certain ways as the punks were when they arrived on the scene four years later.
For a start he often dyed his hair orange, something which is more noted with punks than early seventies long haired singers, and his claims to be bisexual were shocking in the early seventies. Also Bowie's flirtation with Nazism came before Sid felt the need to wear a swastika t shirt. Admirable as well, just as the punk era was fast moving, he moved from art rock to glam to a sarcastic take on soul and then on to electronic music, predating the synth boom by three years( no triple concept albums with weird lyrics either).
However, when it came to punk, Bowie by passed it as he didn't need it and dabbled in electronic music when Kraftwerk were the only musicians to make a living from it. In a way this was Bowie's punk era as he was producing challenging tracks like TVC33 that weren't huge commercial successes but were his I'll do what I want phase.
For a start he often dyed his hair orange, something which is more noted with punks than early seventies long haired singers, and his claims to be bisexual were shocking in the early seventies. Also Bowie's flirtation with Nazism came before Sid felt the need to wear a swastika t shirt. Admirable as well, just as the punk era was fast moving, he moved from art rock to glam to a sarcastic take on soul and then on to electronic music, predating the synth boom by three years( no triple concept albums with weird lyrics either).
However, when it came to punk, Bowie by passed it as he didn't need it and dabbled in electronic music when Kraftwerk were the only musicians to make a living from it. In a way this was Bowie's punk era as he was producing challenging tracks like TVC33 that weren't huge commercial successes but were his I'll do what I want phase.
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He certainly must've influenced Malcolm and Vivienne in terms of image and attitude.
Punks just did it with less chords. And more shouting.
He shocked a lot of parents at the time and I did see a clip of a fan in 1973 proudly declaring he was AC/DC, something that was outrageous back then. Then, of course, rather than merely wear a swastika T shirt, which he never did, he openly spoke of fascism being a good thing and that he could save England by being a dictator.
Certainly many punks were also fans of Bowie, along with Roxy Music (Siouxsie & The Banshees actually met at a Roxy gig). Was he a punk? No, he wasn't. As for pre dating the synth boom, you should listen to what Roxy were up to in 1975 with synths & slow disco beats.
Sentimental Fool
Both Ends Burning
I'm speaking as someone who was a punk in 1976. :cool:
Well the bisexuality claim was just a pose. It was actually his wife Angie who was bi. The nazi stuff wasn't his finest hour really, was it?
Bowie was the Gaga of his day. He was very good at taking elements of what other people were doing (and he's admitted this). Imo, he got to be a massive name because his sound was actually pretty mainstream. You just need to strip away all the smoke & mirrors ie the outrageous claims, the way he looked etc
Did he write great music? Absof*ckinglutely.
Actually the Nazi thing was done when he was drugged up on cocaine and couldn't think rationally, same as he released Young Americans in this era and then disowned it( mind you as a fan, it's not an album or single I rate anyway).
Just say 'no' kids
I wasn't aware he'd disowned YA. It wasn't that bad.
Before you all fall about laughing hear me out. Between 1971-1975 they were the band you went to see if you did not get all the "prog or glam nonsense".
They played no nonsense rock n roll and were very loud. Paul Weller himself was a fan of the band at this time. He said he went to see them in 1972 and got blown back by the volume that they played at.
Yes they have become a parody of themselves and done some dubious things over the years. However to quote Francis Rossi in the 70s
"Hallo were Status Quo your not going to like us we make hit singles and are very loud"
Wow, it's like you're inside my head :eek:
Iggy is God. Fact :cool:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ZsWENob1s Dave Vanian eat your heart out
For me Eno is God but Iggy is up there at his side!
As long as you're not one of those people who think Eno was the only (or main) one in Roxy with talent, then I'll agree with you
If you are, then it's pistols at dawn
No, I like Ferry's lyricism up to Manifesto and his music up to Avalon. Not fussed on his later solo work although he did a great job at the Titanic concert. Manzanera and MacKay well underrated but Eno is in a different league.
You forgot The Great Paul Thompson :cool:
I'm less keen on the later Roxy stuff. For me, the first five albums are where it's at.
Wee Willie Harris, a fifties artist, who I mentioned earlier, pre-dated Sutch by about half a dozen years. Harris was the first British rock 'n' roller to have multicoloured dyed hair, some twenty years before the Punks thought of it.
True enough and I liked Lord Sutch even though he is better remembered for his political work. Dyeing your hair wasn't really the main thing about punk, it was much more an attitude of mind and a cultural movement, and remember Elvis was actually blonde!
Thompson played with Ferry at the Titanic gig, great guy.
Eno is simply a genius (overused term), but consider first two Roxy, Bowie Berlin Trilogy, Talking Heads 'Remain in Light', U2's Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby...My Life in the Bush of Ghosts influence on sampling...Ambient music...on and on.
Jobriath?!!!
I cant help but love ole Sioux. I still love the label of the Banshees 'The most elitist band in the world!':o:o And, more importantly they did make gr8 music.