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Books
On Bowie by Simon Critchley
Daryn Green looks, listens, and thinks about the art and philosophy of David Bowie.
When I started my Philosophy degree in 1983, if someone asked me what music I liked, my proselytizing reply was “Bowie, Bowie, and Bowie!” Over the years little has changed. From this the reader may discern that I have a certain amount in common with the philosopher and Bowie fan Simon Critchley, author of On Bowie, a short, personal and penetrating book on this pre-eminent artist and song-writing phenomenon. David Bowie – born David Jones – sadly died a year ago, aged 69, still at the very top of his game. In twenty-five concise essays Critchley takes us on a journey from his own reaction to first seeing Bowie on TV in 1972 to his reaction to Bowie’s death. During this journey he’s essentially asking, what is it about this artist, his personas, and his work, that manages to have such a hold over so many? Of course, quite early on there was the gender-bending, the outlandish appearance, the youth-antheming; but there must be more to it than that.
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