David Bowie: Critical Perspectives David Bowie: Critical Perspectives examines in detail the many layers of one of the most intriguing and influential icons in popular culture. This interdisciplinary book brings together established and emerging scholars from a wide variety of backgrounds, including musicology, sociology, art history, literary theory, philosophy, politics, film studies and media studies. Bowie’s complexity as a singer, songwriter, producer, performer, actor and artist demands that any critical engagement with his overall work must be interdisciplinary and wide-ranging in its scope. The chapters are organised around the key themes of ‘textualities’, ‘psychologies’, ‘orientalisms’, ‘art and agency’ and ‘performing and influencing’ in Bowie’s work. This com- prehensive book contributes to the study of popular music, performance, gender, religion, popular media and celebrity. Eoin Devereux is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Limerick, Ireland and Adjunct Professor (Docent) in Contem- porary Culture at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. He is the author of Understanding the Media (2nd edition, 2007) and editor of Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates (2007). Aileen Dillane is an ethnomusicologist based in the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick, Ireland. She co-edited Morrissey: Fandom, Representations and Identities (2011) with Eoin Devereux and Martin Power. Her areas of research interest include ethnomusicological theory and practice, popular music and culture studies, performance studies and urban soundscape studies. Martin J. Power is Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Limerick, Ireland. Recent publications include Morrissey: Fandom, Rep- resentations and Identities (2011, co-edited with Eoin Devereux and Aileen Dillane) and Marxist Perspectives on Irish Society (2011, co-edited with Micheal O’Flynn, Odette Clarke and Paul M. Hayes). Routledge Studies in Popular Music 1 Popular Music Fandom 4 Sites of Popular Music Heritage Identities, Roles and Practices Memories, Histories, Places Edited by Mark Duffett Edited by Sara Cohen, Robert Knifton, Marion Leonard, and 2 Britshness, Popular Music, and Les Roberts National Identity The Making of Modern Britain 5 Queerness in Heavy Metal Music Irene Morra Metal Bent Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone 3 Lady Gaga and Popular Music 6 David Bowie: Critical Performing Gender, Fashion, Perspectives and Culture Edited by Eoin Devereux, Edited by Martin Iddon and Aileen Dillane, and Melanie L. Marshall Martin J. Power David Bowie: Critical Perspectives Edited by Eoin Devereux, Aileen Dillane, and Martin J. Power First published 2015 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2015 Taylor & Francis The right of the editors to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data David Bowie : critical perspectives / edited by Eoin Devereux, Aileen Dillane, and Martin J. Power. — 1st edition. pages cm. — (Routledge studies in popular music ; 6) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Bowie, David—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Rock music—History and criticism. I. Devereux, Eoin, editor. II. Dillane, Aileen, editor. III. Power, Martin J., editor. ML420.B754D44 2015 782.42166092—dc23 2014042220 ISBN: 978-0-415-74572-7(hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-79775-5(ebk) Typeset in Sabon by codeMantra Eoin Devereux: For my sons Joe and Gavin Devereux and to my wife Liz Devereux for meeting me in The Stella and lending me her David Bowie albums all those years ago. Aileen Dillane: The Gilbert boys, Lochlann, Senan and Rossa, and especially Hayden, for his unwavering support, and Maureen, Seamus, Deirdre, Fionnuala and Noreen for their advice and inspirational example. Martin J. Power: For Marian, Fiona and Stephen who keep me sane. To my niece Searlait for fighting the good fight and helping me see what is really important. Thanks to everyone who has had an input into making me who I am. Finally, thanks to John Boland and Stephen Ryan for making me get off the couch all of those years ago to go and see Bowie in Dublin. An evening well spent! This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Figures, Cases or Illustrations ix Foreword i X GAvIN FRIDAy Preface xiii Acknowledgments xvii 1 David Bowie is 1 KAtHRyN JoHNSoN 2 In this Age of Grand Allusion: Bowie, Nihilism and Meaning 19 RICHARD FItCH 3 Culminating Sounds and (En)visions: Ashes to Ashes and the case for Pierrot 35 AILEEN DILLANE, EoIN DEvEREux AND MARtIN J. PowER 4 turn Myself to Face Me: David Bowie in the 1990s and Discovery of Authentic Self 56 BEtHANy uSHER AND StEPHANIE FREMAux 5 ‘Crashing out with Sylvian’: David Bowie, Carl Jung and the unconscious 82 tANJA StARK 6 Dear Dr. Freud—David Bowie Hits the Couch: A psychoanalytical approach to some of his personae 111 ANA LEoRNE 7 Moss Garden: David Bowie and Japonism in fashion in the 1970s 128 HELENE MARIE tHIAN viii Contents 8 the “China Girl” Problem: Reconsidering David Bowie in the 1980s 147 SHELtoN wALDREP 9 Embodying Stardom, Representing otherness: David Bowie in ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’ 160 MEHDI DERFouFI 10 Art’s Filthy Lesson 178 tIFFANy NAIMAN 11 Authorship, Agency and visual Analysis: Reading (some) Bowie Album Covers. 196 IAN CHAPMAN 12 Revisiting Bowie’s Berlin 215 DAvID BuCKLEy 13 David Bowie: the Extraordinary Rock Star as Film Star 230 JuLIE LoBALzo wRIGHt 14 the (becoming-wo)Man who Fell to Earth 245 DENE oCtoBER 15 out of this world: ziggy Stardust and the Spatial Interplay of Lyrics, vocals and Performance 263 BARISH ALI AND HEIDI wALLACE 16 David Bowie Now and then: Questions of Fandom and Late Style 280 NICK StEvENSoN 17 How Superficial!—Bowie and the Art of Surfacing in 21st Century Literature 295 vANESSA GARCIA Contributors 310 Index 315 List of Figures, Cases or Illustrations 1.1 Queues for David Bowie is, 24 July 2013 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 1 1.2 ‘David Bowie is moving from Suburbia to Soho’ video installation. Design by Zsolt Balogh for 59 Productions © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 9 1.3 David Bowie is © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Image reproduced courtesy of The David Bowie Archive and Kansai Yamamoto. 13 3.1 David Bowie as Pierrot (1980). 42 3.2 Opening musical riff of ‘Ashes to Ashes’. 46 3.3 Final two measures of opening instrumental riff of ‘Ashes to Ashes’. 46 3.4 The syncopated lyrics in the chorus of ‘Ashes to Ashes’. 48 4.1 David Bowie’s Q Magazine Interviews 1989–1999. 60 4.2 The retrospective look (left) from April 1990, juxtaposed with Bowie suited for Tin Machine. 62 4.3 The superimposed Aladdin Sane stripe—Q cover from May 1993. 62 4.4 Bowie (1989–1999) and Baudrillard’s Phases of the Image. 68 4.5 Nathan Adler artwork from Q Magazine, January 1995: 177. 70 4.6 Bowie the Raver, Q Magazine, August 1997: 168. 72 4.7 Bowie in “Dad’s clothes”, Q Magazine, October 1999: 8. 74 5.1 Art and image by Tanja Stark. 82 5.2 ‘All The Jung Dudes’. Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam centers around the iconic image of ‘a crack in the sky and [God’s] hand reaching down’ to spark life into Man. 89