Bowie: A Biography

This is the first biography of Bowie I've read, although now that I'm reading earlier ones, some descriptions are very similar (although at least Spitz provides an extensive bibliography). Overall, it's a good read, although in the acknowledgments the author is far too effusive in his praise for his editor given the flaws that are present. Examples: The McCoys did not do "Sorrow"; Jim Gordon did not play the piano coda on "Layla"; if you say on page 349 that a 1992 show was the first time Mick Ronson had appeared on stage with Bowie since 1973, don't say on page 325 that "Mick Ronson sat in with the band during a tour stop in Canada" in 1983. In several places paragraphs are repeated almost verbatim a few pages later. Nevertheless, I give an extra star for the author's comment on Bowie's most recent (and last?) album: "Rock 'n' Roll seems to be tacitly acknowledged on Reality as one of the youthful things that grow more and more true as one gets old, not a simple pleasure, but its pleasures a simple truth." As a 61-year-old fan of the 63-year-old Bowie, that's a thought worth keeping.

Given all the David Bowie biographies out there, this one presents little new information, but it does manage to present much of it in a way that feels fresh. The author, who is clearly an über-fan and refers to Bowie fans, including himself, as "Bowie-ists" interjects his voice and experience into the story, and this is exactly what sets it apart. The experience of Bowie via the die-hard fan's perspective is to truly experience Bowie. His creative talent for writing music and creating personae is legendary and well-documented, but this bio provides the additional perspective of how Bowie affects PEOPLE, with a glimpse into just how profoundly Bowie does affect many of us. I found Spitz's writing to be respectful and sincere, clearly reverent but also providing criticism when appropriate (the "Tonight" album and the Glass Spider tour). True Bowie-ists will of course want to read more than one Bowie biography, and this one should be on the short list. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

An thoroughly researched and refreshingly even-handed treatment of the subject matter. Most other Bowie biographies resort to sensationalism or come across as half-baked indictment's from begrudged hangers-on or jilted ex-collaborators (see Edwards' and Zenetta's "Startdust" or the absolutely horrid "Backstage Passes" by Angela Bowie). While this book quotes from these two dubious sources (amongst many others), it does so only in good taste and with objectivity rarely found in the source material. This is the only fault I could find in this otherwise outstanding book. Importantly, full historical vignettes accompany the introduction of each important collaborator (Pitt, Ronson, Alomar, Garson, Visconti, Eno, Pop, Kemp, Bolan - the list goes on.) Buy this along with Thomas Seabrook's "Bowie in Berlin: A New Career In A New Town" and you can't go wrong. Very highly recommended.

This is a very good book. It may not be the best as your First Bowie Book, but it is a wonderful piece of musical literary journalism in its own right. It is written with tact, respect, and sincere love for the subject, which is David Bowie's music, first and foremost. As far as the curious anecdotes about Mr. Jones himself, as well as sexy gossip and other juicy bits - this is probably not the venue, although it's hard to avoid (to this reader's great delight). I believe it was the author's choice to write a philosophical piece concerning the nature of creativity, using the beloved icon as a shining example. Personally, I would appreciate more photos, but, again, I didn't buy this book for illustrations.

I think there is more than enough heretofore uncovered biographical material in BOWIE to call it one of the best modern rock books of the decade. It's not your standard linear bio and for good reason. One of the strongest sections covers the silence of Bowie over the last few years. It's an unusual way for an author to approach his subject, but I think Spitz has some very intelligent things to say about this silence and the most serious of Bowie fans will find a lot of new ideas here.