David Buckley's unique approach to unravelling the Bowie enigma, via interviews with many of the singer's closest associates, biography and academic analysis, makes this unrivalled biography a classic for Bowie fans old and new. This revised edition of Strange Fascination comes at a time when Bowie is, once again, on a creative roll, and captures exclusive details about the tours, the making of the albums, the arguments, the split-ups, the music and , most importantly, the man himself. Also including exclusive photographic material, Strange Fascination is the most complete account of David Bowie and his impact on pop culture ever written.
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Review
"One of the most authoritative Bowie books you're ever likely to read." (Mojo )
"As a critique-cum-re-establishment of the David Bowie character, "definitive" is pretty much it." (Guardian )
"A fascinating portrait of a fascinating artist ... if you like Bowie and you're into biographies, this is the one to read" (Marc Almond )
"As a critique-cum-re-establishment of the David Bowie character, "definitive" is pretty much it." (Guardian )
"A fascinating portrait of a fascinating artist ... if you like Bowie and you're into biographies, this is the one to read" (Marc Almond )
From the Publisher
'You must think we out-of-towners are a strange and crazy bunch. Well,I guess we are. We dance a furious boredom',a young David Bowie wrote from his provincial bedroom to DJ John Peel in 1969. Five years later this driven, questing and flawed soul created his androgynous, fanatical rock star Ziggy Stardust as the ultimate revenge of the suburbs. Bowie's subsequent pioneering sexual experimentation, cracked actor showmanship and ability to embrace every musical genre from glam rock to drum'n'bass have made him into the biggest commerical success in rock history since the Beatles and The Stones. He is as much an icon in 2005 as he was during the 70's.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've been an on-and-off fan of David Bowie since the release of Ziggy Stardust in 1972, and still believe that the run of fourteen albums he released between Space Oddity and Let's Dance is - with one or two exceptions - a rare example of extraordinary consistency over a long period of time in pop music. This account of Bowie's life and music provides some great insights into how those records were made, and how his well-known penchant for self-reinvention kept his work so interesting and appealing. The other thing it does is to strongly suggest that some of his later work (particularly 2002's Heathen) is equally valuable. Having - like many fans - lost interest in Bowie after 1983, I can't comment on that assertion, but it sounds like it'd be worth picking up some of those discs for a listen.
The author tells Bowie's story in an engaging fashion although, as others have pointed out, there's a good deal of repetition and fragmentation in the text, which suggests it'd've benefited from a final read-through by an editor. They might also have fixed up the sentence on p34 which says that Bowie wanted to "utilise each new innovation as it came along" (rather than, presumably, wasting time on all those old innovations). Similarly, whilst it was indeed a "deserved tribute to Bowie's huge contribution to music" when he received an honorary doctorate in 1999, it wasn't awarded him by [University of California] Berkeley (as stated on p482), but by the similar-sounding (and in the realm of contemporary music, far more prestigious) institution on the other side of the USA. Picking up such nits spoiled my enjoyment of the book somewhat, but it's still a nice piece of work.
The author tells Bowie's story in an engaging fashion although, as others have pointed out, there's a good deal of repetition and fragmentation in the text, which suggests it'd've benefited from a final read-through by an editor. They might also have fixed up the sentence on p34 which says that Bowie wanted to "utilise each new innovation as it came along" (rather than, presumably, wasting time on all those old innovations). Similarly, whilst it was indeed a "deserved tribute to Bowie's huge contribution to music" when he received an honorary doctorate in 1999, it wasn't awarded him by [University of California] Berkeley (as stated on p482), but by the similar-sounding (and in the realm of contemporary music, far more prestigious) institution on the other side of the USA. Picking up such nits spoiled my enjoyment of the book somewhat, but it's still a nice piece of work.
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By nigeyb
Format:Paperback
A wonderful trawl through the highs, lows and mediocrity of David's life and work.
David Buckley really knows his stuff and has interesting, and new - to me, a reasonably knowledgeable fan - observations to make about the myriad twists and turns of David's career.
As a teenage Bowie freak I finally lost interest during the 1980s when David seemed more interested in making money than art. Reading this book stimulated me to revisit his 1970s glory years, and to better understand how and why his career played out the way it did. I enjoyed reading the book with my iPod on, and listening to each track/album as David Buckley brought his expert analysis to bear. If you're reading this, you probably don't need me to tell you that David has enjoyed a musical renaissance since the mid-1990s which - his heart attack aside - gives the book an upbeat ending and a certain symmetry.
Some very random highlights:
- the impact of the Ziggy era and its contribution to Punk a few years down the line
- Mike Garson - keyboard maestro - who is asked at least once a week (1973-present) about his keyboard solo on Aladdin Sane
- David's prodigious mid-70s cocaine intake not getting in the way of creating the majestic Station To Station
- David's more bizarre duets
- how Glam kicked the cr*p out of the hippy dream
- and oh so much more
I think David Buckley is to be congratulated on a great achievement: a fascinating book that does its subject justice. Weighing in at nearly 700 pages it's more for the fan than the casual reader. And you don't need me to tell you that David Bowie is one of the late 20th century's most significant musical figures.
David Buckley really knows his stuff and has interesting, and new - to me, a reasonably knowledgeable fan - observations to make about the myriad twists and turns of David's career.
As a teenage Bowie freak I finally lost interest during the 1980s when David seemed more interested in making money than art. Reading this book stimulated me to revisit his 1970s glory years, and to better understand how and why his career played out the way it did. I enjoyed reading the book with my iPod on, and listening to each track/album as David Buckley brought his expert analysis to bear. If you're reading this, you probably don't need me to tell you that David has enjoyed a musical renaissance since the mid-1990s which - his heart attack aside - gives the book an upbeat ending and a certain symmetry.
Some very random highlights:
- the impact of the Ziggy era and its contribution to Punk a few years down the line
- Mike Garson - keyboard maestro - who is asked at least once a week (1973-present) about his keyboard solo on Aladdin Sane
- David's prodigious mid-70s cocaine intake not getting in the way of creating the majestic Station To Station
- David's more bizarre duets
- how Glam kicked the cr*p out of the hippy dream
- and oh so much more
I think David Buckley is to be congratulated on a great achievement: a fascinating book that does its subject justice. Weighing in at nearly 700 pages it's more for the fan than the casual reader. And you don't need me to tell you that David Bowie is one of the late 20th century's most significant musical figures.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Mark One
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have loads of Bowie books so not exactly full on new information but still very well written and interesting with interviews not seen in other books and so different viewpoints on career fact you may already know.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
I did not like the book
The books says a lot about Bowie the musician but little about the person. It is too long and heavy going
Published 2 months ago by Anna Clemente
3.0 out of 5 stars
Let down by poor editing
Not bad, but far from great either. I bought this as way of getting an overview of Bowie's life and times plus a better insight into his musical methodology. Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2011 by B. Attenborrow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth buying
As a Bowie fan since 1972 i was very interested in this book.
It kept me occupied on my plane journey to the US. Read more
It kept me occupied on my plane journey to the US. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2010 by Kenneth Melville
3.0 out of 5 stars
Far from definitive
Whether or not you will go for this biography depends largely on whether you agree
with the author on the following three points:
(1) that Scary Monsters is a great album... Read more
with the author on the following three points:
(1) that Scary Monsters is a great album... Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2010 by J. Patterson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bowie is the Ace Face of every Generation
This is without doubt the best book ever written about the greatest rock star and performer of all-time.
I loved every paragraph.
A great tribute to a living legend.
I loved every paragraph.
A great tribute to a living legend.
Published on 10 April 2008 by Mr Presley
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