I’m surprised by the comments that many people didn’t know how intellectual and brilliant Bowie was. His lyrics and music are genius. His life and manner of being were always rich, kind and beautiful in the true sense. An exceptional human.
So agree. If u watched him in any of the many interviews he gave u also gain a clear understanding not only of his keen intelligence but the wide range of subjects he was knowledgeable about.
The best way that I am able to describe him would be "Silent but deadly" in conversation. I love how he loved to learn just to learn and not learn to be right in conversation, which is what most people do. He can destroy you in a debate, but doesn't really want to... Unless you're asking for it. Legendary. He will always be legendary.
Christine Shane I would like to have a lot of intelligent conversations with him, but it'll have to wait till I see him again. The only thing is, if I go to Heaven or whatever, will we even want to know anymore, or will we just know things?
Obviously Bowie was a musical genius, but it's only within the last few months of watching a lot of interviews of his in anticipation for Blackstar that I came to understand how much of an intellectual and a great mind Bowie was in general. Usually when musicians try to wax philosophical, they just come of as idiots and charlatans with few exceptions, but Bowie was always rather insightful, thought-provoking, and eloquently spoken. The man was a true inspiration. We shan't see the likes of him again.
+mikeylikesit100 He was incredibly well read on a wide variety of subjects. When he played in Baal by Berthold Brecht (BBC, 1981), the consultant for the play, the foremost Brecht expert in Britain, said that apart from himself he knew of noone knowing so much about Brecht as Bowie.
+Scott Udell ....Not me....his inteligence far exceeds mine. The man had such vast knowledge that I would be unable to hold up my end of the conversation!
+Scott Udell yes , the man was a 'dynamo' of intelligence and talent , not only was he a brilliant musician , a thinker , he was a good actor , and a competent painter , the philosophical musings too are testament to how well read he was.... missed doesnt cover it
Peter G I clearly see the "actor" part of him in virtually everything he did... In fact, I heard from interviews that he had initially wanted to become an actor, but music had paid off better for him. You see his concerts, especially in the '70s, and it's almost like a Broadway show.
+Scott Udell yes , ... his whole life was a work of art .... I dont think its too melodramatic to say, the world changed with his passing , I also think in many ways his last album has to be considered his best , when you think of the strain he must have felt with the cancer ... what a triumph!!
He looked great. I don't think it was the cocaine use that took its toll on his health as much as decades of chain-smoking. However, it's hard to find even a non-smoking male rock star who looked this fabulous well into his fifties.
I think it is fitting to quote Gail Ann Dorsey (Bowie's bass playere for many years) from a recent interview with Rolling Stone for their Bowie memorial issue: "He was also very, very smart. I assumed he might be, but he was way smarter than I ever imagined. Very intellectual and a voracious reader, always reading. He retained information so well."
His intellectual capacity left the interviewer without any comebacks. He was a man who read widely & loved learning. That man aged like fine wine, he just got better & better. Truly awe-inspiring in so many ways ❤️🌹❤️🌹
+Stahlgewitter777 he was before my time and i never got around to exploring his music but i always meant to. i always felt he belonged to the 70s and 80s generation. also, although i heard some of his music, i wasn't aware of the often clever manner in which he conceived, wrote and crafted his body of work. it is only after his sad death that i looked deeper into his work and hearing him speak about his creative process that made me realise that nothing of his work was accidental, everything was carefully moulded and patterned. a true artist. another thing i thought was how much people like madonna and lady gaga owe to bowie in the sense of the whole concept of the 'reinventing popstar' - effectively and exclusively his pioneering creation. RIP Daivd; "There's a great spirit gone" (Shakespeare)
+muggedinmadrid Yeah he most definitely displayed an astonishing intellect and his cultural literacy was unmatched, especially within the entertainment industries...It was always the commentary from all who knew and worked with him, the only thing that was more dazzling than his intellect, was his ability to engage with people in deep, meaningful, inspirational, communication. He was always described as kind,extremely funny, and generous by everyone. He will be greatly missed, there will never be another artist of his stature and distinction in our time, if ever....
what a joy to listen to him talk about Life and Things... not only is his voice wonderful when he sings, it feels greatly pleasing to hear him ramble on about ideas and notions... so glad it's available to keep coming back to... such a beautiful man...
A complete genius and intellectual. Anyone who doesn't realise this doesn't really know a thing about him. His lyrics are the most sublime poetry and worthy of being considered again and again, there is always more to be found in them, there is such depth to his work.
Great video -- Thanks for posting! I haven't read all the comments so someone may have already said this, but in case you're wondering what the French interviewer says at the end, he asks, "Can one learn how to be a rockstar?" -- which provokes Bowie's typically charming and humble response.
Such an amazing outlook on life..What a thought provoking man. How is it possible that is is gone. We had so much to learn from him.He had still so much to give.
The depth of thought of this Gentleman is well known: not surprisingly, much of his work reflects it. But Bowie, although being an Artist essentially complete (and I underline complete), he's also cryptic, so it's of great interest listen to him directly in the details that, moreover, he knows provide with refined grace and ironic detachment. Many thanks to you, my welcome back to a great French Bowie-channel !
***** I'm not really sure what you mean. What do you find morally objectionable? He seems to be espousing a fairly middle-of-the-road existentialist philosophy.
I dip in and out of Bowie clips and interviews, and the more I see, the more I'm certain I really would have liked to have known him, although I'm not all certain I could've actually kept up. He reminds me of the very few people I've know that I've been friendly with, almost friends, but for the fact that I never got past the feeling of being somewhat awestruck. A very bright shining object, not quite within reach.
I lost my dad yesterday after a 3 year battle with cancer, Bowie has always been a source of guidance for me and so I came here, this interview was something me and my dad would watch often. Although tragic, his death was peaceful and beautiful, I’d like to share the thoughts I wrote this morning; I’m not sure why… perhaps as a form of coping and also in the hope of someone else needs to see it. Big love to all. “I’m writing this paragraph, sitting in my front room the morning after my dad passed away. Me and Dave are watching some bullshit on TV, teetering back and forth between reminiscing on the old times but being too emotional to discuss them and silently just supporting one another. There’s a million thoughts running through my mind, Dave just cracked a joke and I’m laughing, which feels refreshing and a little bit guilty. Should I even be writing at a time like this? Could I not maybe leave it a week? Writing has always been a great way for me to rationalise my thoughts, in the good times and the bad, maybe some of this makes it into the book, maybe I think it’s all a bit too much and these thoughts are confined to the trash section of the notes app. Dad died peacefully, in the end. After his three years of fighting and battling relentlessly, prolonging his time by twice what he was told he had. Everything was as fine as it could’ve been, he’d been texting us all, annoying us as the usual, although we’d just released a song and he was sharing the shit out of that, like he always did, in fact, he constantly played my music, volume off, on repeat, thinking it helped with our streaming numbers. There was a sudden turn, ambulance was called and a few hours later we were told that nothing could be done. They say moments like this in life are impossible to deal with due to how heart-breaking-ly sad they are but dad’s passing was so heart-breaking-ly beautiful, that’s what’s so overwhelming, I guess if he had to die, I find peace in knowing he did so gracefully and surrounded by those he loved. I found out from Mum later on that day that during their last conversation, he said he knew that this was the time; which means a lot to me as he’d often express the wish to be able to face death full-on and accept it before it happened, he shared that overall he had no regrets and said “we got a lot wrong, but we got a hell of a lot right”. I’m eternally grateful we all arrived in time. We all said our goodbyes, Dad was conscious; managing to crack inside family jokes, his eyes had become a little blood-shot so he was adamant he wanted his sunglasses on, to him, style was everything. So there he was, shades on, cigarette in hand, playing bowie in the background, in his final act of strength, he lifted the oxygen mask off his face unassisted to grab us all to give us a kiss. My dad had his flaws, of course he did, we all do and the child-adoration of viewing your parents as flawless people had long passed through years of bemoaning the state of my room and the tattoos on my body. My dad stood for for choosing to live life. With compassion, excitement and fun. Most days were spent with sarcasm, satire and sponge-Bob quotes. With his illness he was brave; always choosing to worry about how we were dealing with his condition than how he was. It’s a funny thing, death, cause it just sort of happens doesn’t it? It’s an impossible thing to imagine and then there you are, continuing to live, even though the whole world has stopped. If there was one positive that came out of his illness, it allowed a window into having conversations that you’d never normally have. It takes a cancer diagnosis to make you speak about death, dreams and everything in-between. The conversations we had will stick with me forever and have given me a closure and a peace, knowing where he was at and how he felt; those parts, I will keep between us. I’ll take everything my dad stood for forward with me; the gratitude for our relationship and the memories of these first twenty-three years on this planet we shared will stay with me for however long I get on this floating rock, making sure while I can, to live a full life, which is maybe why I’m writing this now. So why am I sharing this? Well, more than anything I suppose the lesson my dad taught me was that life is for the living… in this ridiculous, crazy world, it is our responsibility to ourselves to fill our life with purpose and adventure, regardless of what’s going on, it’s in our hands to crack a joke, light a cigarette and play some hard-rock tunes around the ones we love, in the end, that’s what makes life special. “We’re not here forever, so don’t chase ghosts of the future, enjoy your todays as your tomorrows will take care of themselves”. - Stephen Abrams”
3:23 I love how he mentioned ''no plan'' in this interview some 15 years before the EP, the fact he was thinking of that song before he even know he was gonna write it.
He got me into philosophy and art and all sorts; his fascination with the world was childlike and infectious. This is why he meant so much more to those who loved his songs than most rock stars. David knew that feeding the intellect was vital and enjoyable.
how I wish I could too have had a chance to discuss or at least just to sit beside him and listen..... today is 7 months without him - still can't believe ((((((((............ have been dreaming to meet him from childhood............
"live one day at a time" . So easy to say, so difficult to do. We are always thinking in the future and therefore, we lose the present moment. He has learnt the main lesson of life.
I keep coming back and back to this. "The greatest thing that we could do...was create the bomb. This is what WE were good at doing." Chilling. "Nothing has changed / Everything has changed."
What a beautiful gift he has to intrigue the listener and interviewer. It seems they shh and let him speak. There are a few of his earlier interviews where the interviewer asked stupid questions or wasted his time. He shut them down pretty quick. What a presence.💖💖💖
Heathen is an awesome album. No other album after the '70s is this good. I hadn't been following Bowie since the last time I saw him live in 1990. Just got involved in life. Then, I believe it was 2003, I picked up the Heathen album and was amazed it was as good as it is. Then I went back through the nineties and bought some of those albums while watching on RUclips. RUclips has been awesome! I was able to go back through Bowies career after 1990 and see what I missed all those years. I bought "The Next Day" and that album is ok. I'm looking forward to January 8th for his "Blackstar" album. Since he's done with touring, that's what we have left. Hopefully, he does an album every couple of years for the rest of his life but we'll see.
David raises a good and valid point in this interview. It's a thing I've thought about quite a lot myself. There may be no purpose in life whatsoever. The entire history of The Universe may come to nothing. We're so conditioned certainly in western culture to be working towards some kind of achievement, and the possibility that there is nothing at the end of it all frightens many. I'm not comfortable with this thought myself, and I'm certainly not saying it is this way. I don't know, but it's a possibility we have to consider. I'd loved to have discussed this with David. He most certainly was a deep thinker as are many creative people.
Bowie's music may often be about alienation, but so many of his fans feel less alienated when they listen to him, because he was able to articulately and artistically express the things that we often feel. I don't know if God exists, but if he/she/it does, Bowie must have been a gift from God.
(firstly, I apologize for my bad English) I'd like to add that what you said is only part of what David expressed here--you understood the nihilistic part that life very well may not have a point. however, I don't think that it stops just there; there's no way David Bowie could've been a nihilist and just supposed there's no meaning or worth to human life--if he truly believed that, he wouldn't have continued making music or creating art. art itself is a wonderful expression of life and ideas through another person's lenses. There may or may not be some huge divine plan or fate for everybody, but as we've seen through David's work over the years, he's created his own path and found his own meaning through his artistry. for him, to live was to express his ideas, his performance art. he'd mentioned in an interview when he was Ziggy that he "loved life". a man like that would only want that his fans, followers, whatever, take away the message from his work that we should strive to find our own meaning and happiness. when the end comes, it should feel like all your life's deeds amounted to something great, rather than it amounting to things which "should be" or amounting to "nothing". yes, the uncertainty is an uncomfortable feeling but again that is life--we live to make that uncertain a certain. we are human beings, it's merely impossible for us to not matter, because that's not being "humble", that's going in circles and constantly facing self depreciation. that's why, to me, Bowie was a beautiful individual. though all his incarnations, his art, his wonderful, wicked good ideas, his ever-changing personality--he's showed us to find our own way of life, and to not be stagnated by it.
Sgt. Slaughter. I couldn't agree more ... Any one that knows anything about the occult can clearly see the message in black star ... ... The skull with jewels ... Saturn .... The scare crows ... The angle of light ... And the reaping of the worthy/unworthy ... This is about as lucifiraian doctrine as u get .... Man becoming a god ... Not to mention the whole thing a ritual of only women ... Hint hint .... Bring the beast into the world with a lighting strike ... Its the beast system / new era ... But if you don't believe me ... Break the video down piece by piece and research it .... Elitist bull shit to the fullest .... Wake up
Mike Skinner must be thrilled that he listened to The Streets Love how he says Tiepolo (Renaissance master to those who don't know) Tie-polo as inThai Polo. Everyone else says Tee-epolo.....if David says its Thai that's how I'm gonna pronounce it from now on!
Tremendous respect and admiration for the man. I love to imitate his singing. The true king of pop, makes sense he's a nihilist. I love the equanimity of it. Lets hope he can dance to the inner experiences that await anyone that will go beyond material existence, towards the undiscovered country of the soul in this "life" or the eternal life when physical death arrives. Are we mature enough to let our stories go and see truth?
i love this...echo's my thoughts entirely...there is no meaning. This doesn't mean you don't feel...your just not on an egocentric trip trying to find happiness in the end...it should be now and it should be realistic and simple . live every day at a time making sure your as healthy and happy as possible. people i know don't understand this but i'm sticking to it....if not anything else make sure your love yourself and are not afraid of your own company....always think
I guess we'll never know where he truly stood with God and the afterlife. He seems kind of vague about it in this interview. You can pick apart this interview and find arguments for either belief or non-belief, but we'll never know for sure one way or the other. Maybe that's the whole point of David being true to himself, in that you could never categorize him or put any kind of convenient labels on him. That's the way he always was with his art, so perhaps the same can be said for his philosophical views too. He never truly let on where he firmly stood with any aspect of his life, and he kept us guessing from day one. The man was an enigma from his Ziggy Stardust days right up to when he drew his last breath. That fluidity kept the mystique going and kept his life in a constant state of flux. Perhaps a point can be made that this is what makes a true artist -- one who can't be readily defined and is open to evolving through various changes and phases. That's what gives an artist vitality and keeps their artistic output fresh, interesting and worth revisiting time and again. In any case, I think it's safe to say he navigated those changes rather well and put out lots of stellar music along the way. He was a true artist in every sense of the word and provided the soundtrack for many of our lives. For what it's worth, I hope there is a Heaven, and I hope David is there ready to pick up where he left off with this life. His music gave a lot of hope to people who otherwise felt hopeless and alienated, and if that doesn't deem him worthy of God's salvation, then I don't know what will.
I worry about his lament that "We have no spiritual lives to speak of." In the dark ages, we were more spiritual. And what did we do with *that*? We tortured and burned each other, crusaded in other countries, and indeed made the "atomic bomb" of *that* age; the long bow. So really, Bowie, and others reading this, it's not like we became a truly different species in the 20th century. Yes, we had revolutions in our understanding of the world and the science that governs it. But that's still *not* the same as saying we were no longer humans as we had been for tens of thousands of years. I appreciate the points he's making here, and I agree with some of them, like listening to other groups like The Streets. And I *will*, now that I've heard of them, see if I can find some of their music. I just want to keep certain things in perspective. If could ask him for one thing (as in what I want for xmas or my birthday), it would be to have and share a Vulcan mind meld with him. To understand him perfectly, and have him know and understand all about me. Thanks to all . :)
Interesting..... We relinquished our belief in god when we started to believe we had the abilities of god. I'm not a religious person, but that statement can be tied into our lack of morality and respect for life across the planet today.
Existence is brutal regardless. Before that you had slavery, before that witch hunts. Mankind is little more than warlike enhanced chimpanzees. Few are capable of moving into the next existence. When you realize that this world is merely a purgatory, you can see a greater meaning to why you exist and where you are going, both here and hereafter.
I'm not sure will I be able to translate my thoughts into words but I'll try, I think that life itself is meaningless, it doesn't have any other purpose than to reproduce, many people get depressed when they think about it but I think they shouldn't, to me that's beautiful because every individual can try to find the meaning of his own life, wether it be art, beauty, love, religion... everyone can find it and that's why we should live every day as it's our last, because life doesn't have any meaning after we die, oh no, it has meaning only as long as we live
What if one is chronically ill and alone most of the time... Unable to do the things that the heart and mind crave for fulfillment, enrichment and... Love and happiness?
David was a voracious reader, known to read a book a day. He lugged four hundred books down to Mexico because he didn't trust his housemates to leave his stuff alone while he was away. RIP, David. Hope you have something good to read. Or maybe some great writers and thinkers to discuss with.
+lovepotionsinc I read an interview with one of the musicians on the Stage tour (1978) (think it was the pianist, Sean Mayes) who said that Bowie dragged along around 1000 books for the tour and read up to 17 books a week.
lovepotionsinc I read quite a lot, much more than the avarage man, but I am totally flabbergasted by Bowie's reading habits. I cannot think of anyone I know of who reads so much.
I take his albums and use them for postivity. I know he wrote about negative stuff but he wasn't that kind of person. He was a postive person and so am I. So I use the songs to lift me up. I use them to express my feelings, even if i feel negative but I also use them to lift me up when I'm done with that. I use them realistically.
Hey guys, can you imagine being Bowie? All the women love his good looks. He makes awesome music and has traveled the world playing for people. Having all the wealth that he has. Being able to buy whatever he wants. Sleep with whomever he wants. (I realize he's married to Iman). And he has a young daughter to enjoy and spoil. (He may have grandchildren by now from his son. He's 68 and looks like he's in his early 40s. ) Come to think of it, maybe he did make a "deal with the Devil". Just kidding!
+Saeyka N LOL ok don't get your knickers in a twist...You're WRONG but hey, whatever...you believe whatever is written in magazines??? Gullible...naive....single minded....He didn't have a 'manager' during those years you seem to know sooo much about....but hey, whatever you want to believe....what's your stand on unicorns?
+The Joker LOL Just to educate YOU Joker....I know ALL about Tony the Thief...in fact I know all about Bowie's business history....from the way he got out of his contract with Mercury Records to get signed to RCA, to the bad dealings Tony screwed him with and all the dealings of what Tony did with RCA records, David's contract with them, the 50% deal with David's master recordings, etc.....And once again, his personal assistant saved him and Iggy by taking them both to Berlin to 'dry out' and be clean...not any manager...And stop being a fuckwad
I would hive anuthing to travel back in time and sit with him and set the world to rights over a cuppa. He was sp articulate so intelligent so keen to keep learning and growing. Hes helped me so much in discovering myself and whay i stand for and not being afrid to be me.
Wow listening to his interview always evoked me reapproach the world from a new perspective that I've never knew existed. Digging into cultural evolution at the beginning of the last century was something I rarely do. But it does seem depressing that, considering all he has said, with all the awakening in mankind since the 20th century the greatest invention was an atomic bomb.
I’m surprised by the comments that many people didn’t know how intellectual and brilliant Bowie was. His lyrics and music are genius. His life and manner of being were always rich, kind and beautiful in the true sense. An exceptional human.
So agree. If u watched him in any of the many interviews he gave u also gain a clear understanding not only of his keen intelligence but the wide range of subjects he was knowledgeable about.
Education is never wasted.
I love decent conversation. ❤
Comments should be read before generalised opinion is given
The best way that I am able to describe him would be "Silent but deadly" in conversation. I love how he loved to learn just to learn and not learn to be right in conversation, which is what most people do. He can destroy you in a debate, but doesn't really want to... Unless you're asking for it. Legendary. He will always be legendary.
Christine Shane I would like to have a lot of intelligent conversations with him, but it'll have to wait till I see him again. The only thing is, if I go to Heaven or whatever, will we even want to know anymore, or will we just know things?
He can tell you about in on the next bardo.
This is why I love Bowie, his philosophy makes his music he couldn't write those lyrics without it, they are transcendental.
that's the magic of his genius
yes.
Obviously Bowie was a musical genius, but it's only within the last few months of watching a lot of interviews of his in anticipation for Blackstar that I came to understand how much of an intellectual and a great mind Bowie was in general. Usually when musicians try to wax philosophical, they just come of as idiots and charlatans with few exceptions, but Bowie was always rather insightful, thought-provoking, and eloquently spoken. The man was a true inspiration. We shan't see the likes of him again.
My thoughts exactly and I'm a new fan, too.
+mikeylikesit100 He was incredibly well read on a wide variety of subjects. When he played in Baal by Berthold Brecht (BBC, 1981), the consultant for the play, the foremost Brecht expert in Britain, said that apart from himself he knew of noone knowing so much about Brecht as Bowie.
+mikeylikesit100 He used to tour with cases of books. A voracious reader, incredibly educated, always thinking.
indeed;i always loved listening to him speak for precisely this reason.He'd have been a wonderfully interesting man to talk to.
Precisely.
More I watch David Bowie interviews, more I notice and observe how humble he was. An icon as him.... A great man. RIP.
Such an amazing man with amazing views on life and the world... How I wish I could have had a chance to discuss these topics with him.
+Scott Udell ....Not me....his inteligence far exceeds mine. The man had such vast knowledge that I would be unable to hold up my end of the conversation!
+fred smids I still would... I would have loved to sit and speak with him, and learn about a lot of different things.
+Scott Udell yes , the man was a 'dynamo' of intelligence and talent , not only was he a brilliant musician , a thinker , he was a good actor , and a competent painter , the philosophical musings too are testament to how well read he was.... missed doesnt cover it
Peter G I clearly see the "actor" part of him in virtually everything he did... In fact, I heard from interviews that he had initially wanted to become an actor, but music had paid off better for him. You see his concerts, especially in the '70s, and it's almost like a Broadway show.
+Scott Udell
yes , ... his whole life was a work of art .... I dont think its too melodramatic to say, the world changed with his passing , I also think in many ways his last album has to be considered his best , when you think of the strain he must have felt with the cancer ... what a triumph!!
I love the fact that the older he got the more gorgeous be became.
+Alexandra violetbabygirl I just love facts!
He looked great. I don't think it was the cocaine use that took its toll on his health as much as decades of chain-smoking. However, it's hard to find even a non-smoking male rock star who looked this fabulous well into his fifties.
Absolutely!
Such a handsome and generous gent, a gift to us all. Forever changed my life as a musician, and a person.
Yes
Today died a great musician and an audacious thinker. See you later Bowie.
+antiguafase dieded!
I think it is fitting to quote Gail Ann Dorsey (Bowie's bass playere for many years) from a recent interview with Rolling Stone for their Bowie memorial issue:
"He was also very, very smart. I assumed he might be, but he was way smarter than I ever imagined. Very intellectual and a voracious reader, always reading. He retained information so well."
His intellectual capacity left the interviewer without any comebacks. He was a man who read widely & loved learning. That man aged like fine wine, he just got better & better. Truly awe-inspiring in so many ways ❤️🌹❤️🌹
i had no idea. he's vastly more intellectual and cultured than i imagined.
+muggedinmadrid You had no idea? How is that even possible? _All_ of his work screams "intellectual" and "cultured"!
+Stahlgewitter777 he was before my time and i never got around to exploring his music but i always meant to. i always felt he belonged to the 70s and 80s generation. also, although i heard some of his music, i wasn't aware of the often clever manner in which he conceived, wrote and crafted his body of work. it is only after his sad death that i looked deeper into his work and hearing him speak about his creative process that made me realise that nothing of his work was accidental, everything was carefully moulded and patterned. a true artist. another thing i thought was how much people like madonna and lady gaga owe to bowie in the sense of the whole concept of the 'reinventing popstar' - effectively and exclusively his pioneering creation. RIP Daivd; "There's a great spirit gone" (Shakespeare)
+muggedinmadrid Yeah he most definitely displayed an astonishing intellect and his cultural literacy was unmatched, especially within the entertainment industries...It was always the commentary from all who knew and worked with him, the only thing that was more dazzling than his intellect, was his ability to engage with people in deep, meaningful, inspirational, communication. He was always described as kind,extremely funny, and generous by everyone. He will be greatly missed, there will never be another artist of his stature and distinction in our time, if ever....
Albrecht::Indeed
He should be a university lecturer.
He s very articulate the way he talks.
This man is just beyond description, words can not express my feelings about him.
so brilliant in so many ways! love you and miss you David Jones..thank you for sharing your gifts with us..rest in peace
what a joy to listen to him talk about Life and Things... not only is his voice wonderful when he sings, it feels greatly pleasing to hear him ramble on about ideas and notions... so glad it's available to keep coming back to... such a beautiful man...
Such a smart and classy man. I've loved him for 47yrs.
Rest Peacefully Starman⭐
A REAL NICE BLOKE, A LEGEND, VERY SADLY MISSED.😢😢
A complete genius and intellectual. Anyone who doesn't realise this doesn't really know a thing about him. His lyrics are the most sublime poetry and worthy of being considered again and again, there is always more to be found in them, there is such depth to his work.
Great video -- Thanks for posting! I haven't read all the comments so someone may have already said this, but in case you're wondering what the French interviewer says at the end, he asks, "Can one learn how to be a rockstar?" -- which provokes Bowie's typically charming and humble response.
fotolynn
J
Such an amazing outlook on life..What a thought provoking man. How is it possible that is is gone. We had so much to learn from him.He had still so much to give.
The depth of thought of this Gentleman is well known: not surprisingly, much of his work reflects it. But Bowie, although being an Artist essentially complete (and I underline complete), he's also cryptic, so it's of great interest listen to him directly in the details that, moreover, he knows provide with refined grace and ironic detachment. Many thanks to you, my welcome back to a great French Bowie-channel !
Love coming across all these little gems. It's like a treasure hunt. Thank you David.
A pretty terrific concise explanation of the origins of postmodernism. I'm delighted to discover that he would have been someone worth talking to.
***** I'm not really sure what you mean. What do you find morally objectionable? He seems to be espousing a fairly middle-of-the-road existentialist philosophy.
Each time, increasing my admiration
I dip in and out of Bowie clips and interviews, and the more I see, the more I'm certain I really would have liked to have known him, although I'm not all certain I could've actually kept up. He reminds me of the very few people I've know that I've been friendly with, almost friends, but for the fact that I never got past the feeling of being somewhat awestruck. A very bright shining object, not quite within reach.
I lost my dad yesterday after a 3 year battle with cancer, Bowie has always been a source of guidance for me and so I came here, this interview was something me and my dad would watch often.
Although tragic, his death was peaceful and beautiful, I’d like to share the thoughts I wrote this morning; I’m not sure why… perhaps as a form of coping and also in the hope of someone else needs to see it. Big love to all.
“I’m writing this paragraph, sitting in my front room the morning after my dad passed away.
Me and Dave are watching some bullshit on TV, teetering back and forth between reminiscing on the old times but being too emotional to discuss them and silently just supporting one another.
There’s a million thoughts running through my mind, Dave just cracked a joke and I’m laughing, which feels refreshing and a little bit guilty.
Should I even be writing at a time like this? Could I not maybe leave it a week?
Writing has always been a great way for me to rationalise my thoughts, in the good times and the bad, maybe some of this makes it into the book, maybe I think it’s all a bit too much and these thoughts are confined to the trash section of the notes app.
Dad died peacefully, in the end. After his three years of fighting and battling relentlessly, prolonging his time by twice what he was told he had.
Everything was as fine as it could’ve been, he’d been texting us all, annoying us as the usual, although we’d just released a song and he was sharing the shit out of that, like he always did, in fact, he constantly played my music, volume off, on repeat, thinking it helped with our streaming numbers.
There was a sudden turn, ambulance was called and a few hours later we were told that nothing could be done.
They say moments like this in life are impossible to deal with due to how heart-breaking-ly sad they are but dad’s passing was so heart-breaking-ly beautiful, that’s what’s so overwhelming, I guess if he had to die, I find peace in knowing he did so gracefully and surrounded by those he loved.
I found out from Mum later on that day that during their last conversation, he said he knew that this was the time; which means a lot to me as he’d often express the wish to be able to face death full-on and accept it before it happened, he shared that overall he had no regrets and said “we got a lot wrong, but we got a hell of a lot right”.
I’m eternally grateful we all arrived in time. We all said our goodbyes, Dad was conscious; managing to crack inside family jokes, his eyes had become a little blood-shot so he was adamant he wanted his sunglasses on, to him, style was everything.
So there he was, shades on, cigarette in hand, playing bowie in the background, in his final act of strength, he lifted the oxygen mask off his face unassisted to grab us all to give us a kiss.
My dad had his flaws, of course he did, we all do and the child-adoration of viewing your parents as flawless people had long passed through years of bemoaning the state of my room and the tattoos on my body.
My dad stood for for choosing to live life. With compassion, excitement and fun. Most days were spent with sarcasm, satire and sponge-Bob quotes. With his illness he was brave; always choosing to worry about how we were dealing with his condition than how he was.
It’s a funny thing, death, cause it just sort of happens doesn’t it? It’s an impossible thing to imagine and then there you are, continuing to live, even though the whole world has stopped.
If there was one positive that came out of his illness, it allowed a window into having conversations that you’d never normally have. It takes a cancer diagnosis to make you speak about death, dreams and everything in-between. The conversations we had will stick with me forever and have given me a closure and a peace, knowing where he was at and how he felt; those parts, I will keep between us.
I’ll take everything my dad stood for forward with me; the gratitude for our relationship and the memories of these first twenty-three years on this planet we shared will stay with me for however long I get on this floating rock, making sure while I can, to live a full life, which is maybe why I’m writing this now.
So why am I sharing this? Well, more than anything I suppose the lesson my dad taught me was that life is for the living… in this ridiculous, crazy world, it is our responsibility to ourselves to fill our life with purpose and adventure, regardless of what’s going on, it’s in our hands to crack a joke, light a cigarette and play some hard-rock tunes around the ones we love, in the end, that’s what makes life special.
“We’re not here forever, so don’t chase ghosts of the future, enjoy your todays as your tomorrows will take care of themselves”. - Stephen Abrams”
3:23 I love how he mentioned ''no plan'' in this interview some 15 years before the EP, the fact he was thinking of that song before he even know he was gonna write it.
3:28 - He says "No plan". And before dying, he wrote the song "No plan".
There is a soul & beyond this world & I can't wait to meet Mr. Bowie there ❤
Having found out early today that David Bowie has left this earth...I am completely gutted....Rest in peace David... :(
Best Bowie interview I have listened to in the last 2 weeks.
✨David was very intelligent person. Usually I can feel it over the intonation and voice! He had magic voice ✨
So glad he mentioned Tiepolo, my city´s painter.
He got me into philosophy and art and all sorts; his fascination with the world was childlike and infectious. This is why he meant so much more to those who loved his songs than most rock stars. David knew that feeding the intellect was vital and enjoyable.
Bowie was brilliant
how I wish I could too have had a chance to discuss or at least just to sit beside him and listen..... today is 7 months without him - still can't believe ((((((((............ have been dreaming to meet him from childhood............
Such an unique man...handsome intelligent ...
Not the first time Bowie has been thought provoking.
What is our purpose? It seems to consume, then produce more to consume
"live one day at a time" . So easy to say, so difficult to do. We are always thinking in the future and therefore, we lose the present moment. He has learnt the main lesson of life.
I love this guy more and more.......
I keep coming back and back to this. "The greatest thing that we could do...was create the bomb. This is what WE were good at doing." Chilling. "Nothing has changed / Everything has changed."
What a beautiful gift he has to intrigue the listener and interviewer. It seems they shh and let him speak. There are a few of his earlier interviews where the interviewer asked stupid questions or wasted his time. He shut them down pretty quick. What a presence.💖💖💖
Heathen is an awesome album. No other album after the '70s is this good. I hadn't been following Bowie since the last time I saw him live in 1990. Just got involved in life. Then, I believe it was 2003, I picked up the Heathen album and was amazed it was as good as it is. Then I went back through the nineties and bought some of those albums while watching on RUclips. RUclips has been awesome! I was able to go back through Bowies career after 1990 and see what I missed all those years. I bought "The Next Day" and that album is ok. I'm looking forward to January 8th for his "Blackstar" album. Since he's done with touring, that's what we have left. Hopefully, he does an album every couple of years for the rest of his life but we'll see.
+Ricky Rhoades Outside is as good as some of his classic work. Blackstar is better. It's like his best album.
You missed Earthling in 1997...
David raises a good and valid point in this interview. It's a thing I've thought about quite a lot myself. There may be no purpose in life whatsoever. The entire history of The Universe may come to nothing. We're so conditioned certainly in western culture to be working towards some kind of achievement, and the possibility that there is nothing at the end of it all frightens many. I'm not comfortable with this thought myself, and I'm certainly not saying it is this way. I don't know, but it's a possibility we have to consider. I'd loved to have discussed this with David. He most certainly was a deep thinker as are many creative people.
Bowie's music may often be about alienation, but so many of his fans feel less alienated when they listen to him, because he was able to articulately and artistically express the things that we often feel. I don't know if God exists, but if he/she/it does, Bowie must have been a gift from God.
(firstly, I apologize for my bad English) I'd like to add that what you said is only part of what David expressed here--you understood the nihilistic part that life very well may not have a point.
however, I don't think that it stops just there; there's no way David Bowie could've been a nihilist and just supposed there's no meaning or worth to human life--if he truly believed that, he wouldn't have continued making music or creating art. art itself is a wonderful expression of life and ideas through another person's lenses.
There may or may not be some huge divine plan or fate for everybody, but as we've seen through David's work over the years, he's created his own path and found his own meaning through his artistry. for him, to live was to express his ideas, his performance art. he'd mentioned in an interview when he was Ziggy that he "loved life". a man like that would only want that his fans, followers, whatever, take away the message from his work that we should strive to find our own meaning and happiness. when the end comes, it should feel like all your life's deeds amounted to something great, rather than it amounting to things which "should be" or amounting to "nothing". yes, the uncertainty is an uncomfortable feeling but again that is life--we live to make that uncertain a certain. we are human beings, it's merely impossible for us to not matter, because that's not being "humble", that's going in circles and constantly facing self depreciation.
that's why, to me, Bowie was a beautiful individual. though all his incarnations, his art, his wonderful, wicked good ideas, his ever-changing personality--he's showed us to find our own way of life, and to not be stagnated by it.
+HighOnCaffine9623 Very nicely stated.
Sgt. Slaughter. I couldn't agree more ... Any one that knows anything about the occult can clearly see the message in black star ... ... The skull with jewels ... Saturn .... The scare crows ... The angle of light ... And the reaping of the worthy/unworthy ... This is about as lucifiraian doctrine as u get .... Man becoming a god ... Not to mention the whole thing a ritual of only women ... Hint hint .... Bring the beast into the world with a lighting strike ... Its the beast system / new era ... But if you don't believe me ... Break the video down piece by piece and research it .... Elitist bull shit to the fullest .... Wake up
Mike Skinner must be thrilled that he listened to The Streets
Love how he says Tiepolo (Renaissance master to those who don't know) Tie-polo as inThai Polo. Everyone else says Tee-epolo.....if David says its Thai that's how I'm gonna pronounce it from now on!
I wish I could get to have a conversation to this amazing guy!))
+carmelo mafali Unfortunately none of can now :(
You ll live forever
I love you David Bowie, come to me tonight in my dreams.
Tremendous respect and admiration for the man. I love to imitate his singing. The true king of pop, makes sense he's a nihilist. I love the equanimity of it. Lets hope he can dance to the inner experiences that await anyone that will go beyond material existence, towards the undiscovered country of the soul in this "life" or the eternal life when physical death arrives. Are we mature enough to let our stories go and see truth?
I could listen to David talking philosophically all day long...it's so fascinating and soothing at the same time ❤
What a bright wonderful man he was.
Not many people knew the brilliant mind of Bowie outside if music. I'm still in disbelief that he is gone...
Whatever
Brilliant man who contribute so much to society.
Really great interview! Thanks for sharing!
this insight about Nietzche is AMAZING. Had no idea his philosophy connected so much to the philosophy of the 20th centry
I just adore the way the interviewer looks at Bowie.
Enjoy the Cosmos, David. We've been transformed by your music in life and are transformed by your death.
i love this...echo's my thoughts entirely...there is no meaning. This doesn't mean you don't feel...your just not on an egocentric trip trying to find happiness in the end...it should be now and it should be realistic and simple . live every day at a time making sure your as healthy and happy as possible. people i know don't understand this but i'm sticking to it....if not anything else make sure your love yourself and are not afraid of your own company....always think
Waow, enfin une rock star qui était un être vraiment accompli intellectuellement, spirituellement! Il en avait dans le cerveau. Chapeau Mr Bowie!
Bowie always the Classy charming gentleman.
WOW amazing ,a man you could sit listen and talk to for hours .
Yes, why I love him.
He was not only a musical but also a philosophical genius.
Always great! Thank you.
God, I love Bowie!
I guess we'll never know where he truly stood with God and the afterlife. He seems kind of vague about it in this interview. You can pick apart this interview and find arguments for either belief or non-belief, but we'll never know for sure one way or the other. Maybe that's the whole point of David being true to himself, in that you could never categorize him or put any kind of convenient labels on him. That's the way he always was with his art, so perhaps the same can be said for his philosophical views too. He never truly let on where he firmly stood with any aspect of his life, and he kept us guessing from day one. The man was an enigma from his Ziggy Stardust days right up to when he drew his last breath. That fluidity kept the mystique going and kept his life in a constant state of flux. Perhaps a point can be made that this is what makes a true artist -- one who can't be readily defined and is open to evolving through various changes and phases. That's what gives an artist vitality and keeps their artistic output fresh, interesting and worth revisiting time and again. In any case, I think it's safe to say he navigated those changes rather well and put out lots of stellar music along the way. He was a true artist in every sense of the word and provided the soundtrack for many of our lives. For what it's worth, I hope there is a Heaven, and I hope David is there ready to pick up where he left off with this life. His music gave a lot of hope to people who otherwise felt hopeless and alienated, and if that doesn't deem him worthy of God's salvation, then I don't know what will.
Diotax Records he became a believer before he died........ ...
David was a genius! you will always be my starman! fly high
rest in peace
A great man and fine artist - RIP David!
All my respects for the starman who felt to earth. Miss you so much Thin white duke
I worry about his lament that "We have no spiritual lives to speak of." In the dark ages, we were more spiritual. And what did we do with *that*? We tortured and burned each other, crusaded in other countries, and indeed made the "atomic bomb" of *that* age; the long bow. So really, Bowie, and others reading this, it's not like we became a truly different species in the 20th century. Yes, we had revolutions in our understanding of the world and the science that governs it. But that's still *not* the same as saying we were no longer humans as we had been for tens of thousands of years. I appreciate the points he's making here, and I agree with some of them, like listening to other groups like The Streets. And I *will*, now that I've heard of them, see if I can find some of their music. I just want to keep certain things in perspective. If could ask him for one thing (as in what I want for xmas or my birthday), it would be to have and share a Vulcan mind meld with him. To understand him perfectly, and have him know and understand all about me. Thanks to all . :)
do people realize that these interviews were made to promote his albums and instead of talking about that he talked about everything else? how rare.
Interesting..... We relinquished our belief in god when we started to believe we had the abilities of god. I'm not a religious person, but that statement can be tied into our lack of morality and respect for life across the planet today.
Existence is brutal regardless. Before that you had slavery, before that witch hunts.
Mankind is little more than warlike enhanced chimpanzees.
Few are capable of moving into the next existence.
When you realize that this world is merely a purgatory, you can see a greater meaning to why you exist and where you are going, both here and hereafter.
He was a wise man 1000%
A human form of god yes..
But grounded....Rip David Bowiw oo
Per scrivere capolavori ci vuole cuore e cervello....e lui aveva entrambi.....love Bowie forever
I'm not sure will I be able to translate my thoughts into words but I'll try, I think that life itself is meaningless, it doesn't have any other purpose than to reproduce, many people get depressed when they think about it but I think they shouldn't, to me that's beautiful because every individual can try to find the meaning of his own life, wether it be art, beauty, love, religion... everyone can find it and that's why we should live every day as it's our last, because life doesn't have any meaning after we die, oh no, it has meaning only as long as we live
What if one is chronically ill and alone most of the time... Unable to do the things that the heart and mind crave for fulfillment, enrichment and... Love and happiness?
Can't argue with this
I cannot believe I never saw this before. Bowie blessing my algorithm 💜
Such an amazing mind; beautiful Soul.
Amazing
WOW. I'm sold. Here goes buying all of his albums.
A NATIONAL TREASURE, THANKS FOR THE MUSIC DAVE, R I P 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Fist time I hear something Philosophical from him outside of music. Would like to hear some more.
Gotta wonder why Bowie has said he'll never give another interview. He obviously enjoyed it just as recently as 10 years ago...
David was a voracious reader, known to read a book a day. He lugged four hundred books down to Mexico because he didn't trust his housemates to leave his stuff alone while he was away. RIP, David. Hope you have something good to read. Or maybe some great writers and thinkers to discuss with.
+lovepotionsinc I read an interview with one of the musicians on the Stage tour (1978) (think it was the pianist, Sean Mayes) who said that Bowie dragged along around 1000 books for the tour and read up to 17 books a week.
Cool. Wish I could read as much instead of just buying books and leaving them to collect dust on the shelf and floor (ran out of shelf space, lol).
lovepotionsinc I read quite a lot, much more than the avarage man, but I am totally flabbergasted by Bowie's reading habits. I cannot think of anyone I know of who reads so much.
Only Bowie. ;)
Best man and artist I have seen so far. And besides that sooooo beautiful and sexy.....I really pitty he is gone.
I take his albums and use them for postivity. I know he wrote about negative stuff but he wasn't that kind of person. He was a postive person and so am I. So I use the songs to lift me up. I use them to express my feelings, even if i feel negative but I also use them to lift me up when I'm done with that. I use them realistically.
3:23 And about 13 years later, he would record 'No Plan'.
For what shall it profit a man to gain the world but lose his soul ?
Brilliant!
God, I miss him...
Same. Still can't believe this wonderful man is gone.
It's gonna hurt for a while.
Blinded by the lights, blinded by the lights...
+The Sonic Squeeze kinda got excited when he mentioned the streets
+The Sonic Squeeze I love that song. It really captures the befuddlement and creeping paranoia of clubbing when one is a bit too high.
+The Sonic Squeeze Blinded by the lights ? Manfred Mann Earth Band ?
killdianette Well technically they only covered Springsteen's song there.
Oh shit, I didn't know. Only knew the Manfred version. Ok, I'm enlightened.
great idea! let people talk for once!
bowie will never die
Hey guys, can you imagine being Bowie? All the women love his good looks. He makes awesome music and has traveled the world playing for people. Having all the wealth that he has. Being able to buy whatever he wants. Sleep with whomever he wants. (I realize he's married to Iman). And he has a young daughter to enjoy and spoil. (He may have grandchildren by now from his son. He's 68 and looks like he's in his early 40s. ) Come to think of it, maybe he did make a "deal with the Devil". Just kidding!
+Ricky Rhoades He 'sold' his soul to his ex-manager-thief, Tony DeFries...who took him for one bad ride...
+Ricky Rhoades Unfortunately he died today lol
+David Kirinic Went back to be with the aliens.
+Saeyka N LOL ok don't get your knickers in a twist...You're WRONG but hey, whatever...you believe whatever is written in magazines??? Gullible...naive....single minded....He didn't have a 'manager' during those years you seem to know sooo much about....but hey, whatever you want to believe....what's your stand on unicorns?
+The Joker LOL Just to educate YOU Joker....I know ALL about Tony the Thief...in fact I know all about Bowie's business history....from the way he got out of his contract with Mercury Records to get signed to RCA, to the bad dealings Tony screwed him with and all the dealings of what Tony did with RCA records, David's contract with them, the 50% deal with David's master recordings, etc.....And once again, his personal assistant saved him and Iggy by taking them both to Berlin to 'dry out' and be clean...not any manager...And stop being a fuckwad
brainstorming with the dame.
I would hive anuthing to travel back in time and sit with him and set the world to rights over a cuppa. He was sp articulate so intelligent so keen to keep learning and growing. Hes helped me so much in discovering myself and whay i stand for and not being afrid to be me.
There's 'no plan' he says. Was he formulating that most recently released song even then?
Seems to.
don't stay in a bad place, where they don't care how you are
Brilliant interesting guy - who also happens to be one of the greatest artists of the 20th century - so I guess we shouldn't be so surprised.
David you´re special
"There's NO PLAN, no gift of immortality at the end," oof.
Wow listening to his interview always evoked me reapproach the world from a new perspective that I've never knew existed. Digging into cultural evolution at the beginning of the last century was something I rarely do. But it does seem depressing that, considering all he has said, with all the awakening in mankind since the 20th century the greatest invention was an atomic bomb.