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Austin Griffith 5-11-15 Livingston Honors English 12

David Bowie


Dear Reader,

The topic of my choice is David Bowie. Born David Robert Jones, David Bowie is an

English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, and actor. He is also

a painter and collector of fine art. Bowie has been a major figure in the world of popular music

for over four decades, and is renowned as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. He

is known for his distinctive baritone voice as well as the intellectual depth and eclecticism of his

work. Aside from his musical abilities, he is recognized for his androgynous beauty, which was

an iconic element to his image, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. I choose David Bowie as the

inspiration for my paper because his skills helped introduce me into the world of music. He and

Alanis Morrisette were the very first two musicians listened too. There are so many questions

about him that I would like to research. For example, how did he get his start, and what were

some of the challenges he faced during his career. In the end, David Bowie has been a major role

model in my life and I feel like he is the perfect subject for research.

Overall this project will consist of 4 major genres. The first being a movie poster and

review. The movie I choose was Labyrinth, a 1980s fantasy movie starring David Bowie. The

second being a human interest story on all of David Bowie’s different personas. The third being

a greeting/post card to David Bowie’s wife at the current time of his “Last Supper” party. The

final, however, is a party invitation to Dance Party Extravaganza hosted by the man himself,

David Bowie. In essence, I hope you gain a great quantity of knowledge from this project, and

start to like David Bowie as much as I do.

Sincerely,

Austin G. Griffith


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Labyrinth

A Jim Henson Film

Starring:

David Bowie

Jennifer

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http://www.ideationox.com/store/c13/Labyrinth_Inspired.html


Movie Review

Labyrinth is a 1986 British-American musical adventure fantasy film directed by Jim

Henson, executive produced by George Lucas and based upon conceptual designs by Brian

Froud. The film stars David Bowie as Jareth and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah. The plot revolves

around 15 year old Sarah's quest to reach the center of an enormous otherworldly maze to rescue

her infant brother Toby, who has been kidnapped by Jareth, the Goblin King. With the exception

of Bowie and Connelly, most of the significant characters in the film are played by puppets

produced by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Overall, this film kept me on the edge of my seat, and

I caught myself singing almost all the songs involved in the movie. The cinematography and

graphics were ahead of its time, and worked perfectly in the movie. The actors, however, made

the movie. David Bowie’s portrayal as Jareth was stunning. He perfectly captured the part

through his choice of style as the Goblin King, and he kept me enchanted with his glamorous

scenes and lines in the movie. Jennifer Connelly, who played Sarah, was also superb in the

movie. Her performance as the bold and brazen main character kept me rooting for her the whole

time. She, like most other heroes, had a lot of help from her weird and witty helpers, Hoggle (a

dwarf), Ludo (a friendly beast), and Sir Didymus (a valiant knight) .This is a perfect movie for

those who love music, adventure, and of course David Bowie. I would rate this movie 5 stars,

due to its catchy tunes, and action packed plot.

A Jim Henson Film

Starring:

David Bowie

Jennifer

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Human Interest Story

The Many Personas of David Bowie

As everyone ones, or at least should know,

David Bowie has an ever-evolving image.

Overall, Bowie has accumulated at least 12

Different personas over a period of almost

Over 50 years. The very first stage he went

Through was The Whimsical Singer/Songwriter,

Which was basically just him as a normal guy.

The next stage was The Man Who Sold the World,

Where he seemed to wear a lot of thrift store

Dresses. The third stage he encountered was

Ziggy Stardust. Ziggy Stardust was his persona as

A rock star who acted as a messenger for

Extraterrestrial beings. The next persona of

David Bowie was, Aladdin Sane. This persona

Was a sort of life after death for Ziggy. He

Represented Bowie’s ambiguity about the entire

Ziggy experience, as well as the state of his career and his rising fame. The conflict found its Representation in the

Lightning bolt down the middle of his face, an image that also referred to the mental conflict implied by the characters

Name. Bowie’s fifth persona was the Thin White Duke, And Bowie named the time period of this persona the “lots

Of cocaine” years. It was named this because obviously during this period Bowie struggled with the drug. Next Bowie

Developed the Persona of The Man Who Fell to Earth, who was an alienated alien. The seventh persona of Bowie

Was Pierrot. Bowie created this character due to the New Romantic movement of the early 1980s.Bowie’s next

Character was from a film called Labyrinth. The name of this character was Jareth the Goblin King. After Jareth,

Bowie went through a period where he was pretty much just a normal guy in a band, the Tin Machine. Next Bowie

Went through a period of being the “Outsider,” a man who had a goatee, spiky hair, crazy Union Jack jacket. The 11th,

And semifinal persona developed by Bowie, is the Elder Salesman, wherein through this character Bowie seemed to


Be ushering his career into graceful decline. The final and current persona Bowie is currently acting out is Meta-

Bowie. Bowie is currently leaving all his fans in anticipation for his next persona and venture.

Greeting/Post CardDear Angela,

Hello sweetheart,

I’ve missed you so

much while I’ve been

on tour. As you know

this was my Ziggy

Stardust tour, and I’ve

very much enjoyed

myself. I have been

able to visit so many

sites and meet so many

people. However, last

night, July 4th 1973, was

the most amazing experience of my tour. That evening was my retirement party for my persona of Ziggy (I’ve

decided to call it "The Last Supper") and we held it at one of London's most expensive restaurants - the Café Royal

in Regent Street. You would have loved it babe, the décor was unbelievable, and god the food was spectacular. I

wish you could’ve of met the people that came. The guest basically consisted of the virtual Who's Who of top music

and film celebrities in London at the time and included: Paul and Linda McCartney, Keith Moon, Lulu, Tony Curtis,

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, The Goodies, Cat Stevens, Ringo and Maureen Starr, Mick and Bianca Jagger, Jeff

Beck, Lou Reed, Barbara Streisand (she was in London to film a TV special), Ryan O'Neil, Sonny Bono, Elliot

Gould, Britt Ekland, Spike Milligan, Hywel Bennet, DA Pennebaker and Dr John who supplied the live music for

the evening. Basically that whole night, everyone just had a merry time by dancing and drinking. We definitely

celebrated the ending of an era. I really wish you could’ve of made it babe, and I sincerely can’t wait to see you

when I get back.

http://theselvedgeyard.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/lou-reed-mick-jagger-david-bowie.jpg


Lots of love,

David Bowie


Citations"Bowieart," <http://www.bowieart.com> (March 9, 1998).

"David Bowie Bio," David Bowie Web site, http://www.davidbowie.com/bio (May 8, 2013).

"David Bowie," Celeb site, <http://www.celebsite.com/people/davidbowie/> (March 9, 1998).

"David Bowie," http://www.davidbowie.com/2.0/history/biography (February 13, 1998).

"David Bowie," http://www.virginrecords.com/artists (February 13, 1998).

"David Bowie." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 23. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Biography in Context. Web. 7 May 2015.

"The Rolling Stone Network," Biography, http://www.rollingstone.com/biography/davidbowie http://www.wallofsound.com/discography

Buckley, David, David Bowie, Omnibus, 1996.

Cann, Kevin, David Bowie: A Chronology, Simon & Schuster, 1984.

Edwards, Henry, and Tony Zanetta, Stardust: The David Bowie Story, McGraw-Hill, 1986.

Rolling Stone, January 6, 1972; October 4, 1979; May 12, 1983; October 25, 1984; April 23, 1987.

YOU HAVE BEEN CORDIGALLY INVITED TODAVID BOWIE’S DANCE PARTY EXTRAVAGANZA

Live MusicFood

Special Guest

AppearancesHost David BowieWhere:

The NorvaWhen:


RollingStone.com,<http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6235548/davidbowie?pageid=rs.ArtistArticles&pageregion=mainRegion> (January 15, 2005).

RollingStone.com,http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6235548/davidbowie?pageid=rs.ArtistArticles&pageregion=mainRegion (January 15, 2005).

Thompson, Dave, and Dave Thomson, David Bowie: Moonage Daydream, Plexus Pub, 1994.

Tremelett, George, The David Bowie Story, Warner Books, 1975.

Tremlett, George, David Bowie: Living on the Brink, Carroll & Graf, 1997.

Live MusicFood

Special Guest

AppearancesHost David BowieWhere:

The NorvaWhen:


Questions1. How did he get his start?

2. What were some of the challenges he faced during his career?

3. How many total albums has he come out with?

4. What made him get into music?

5. What was his favorite persona?

6. How has his music influenced the world?

7. What were the issues he faced with his sexual orientation?

8. How many and what types of awards has he won?

9. What was his favorite movie and/or TV show he starred in?

10. Why did he decide to incorporate so many different types of music styles in to his performances and songs?


Notes Gale(Database) David Bowie was born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, in the

working class section of London known as Brixton. Gale (Database) Bowie's teenage fighting in his rough neighborhood led to the paralysis

of his left eye, the pupil of which was permanently dilated. David Bowie: A Chronology (Book) He left technical school before earning a degree in

order to work at an advertising agency, but soon discovered that he didn't enjoy the work he was doing and quit. He also studied with the Lindsay Kemp Mime Troupe for two and a half years, painted, and acted in small stage roles. At one time Bowie even considered entering a Buddhist monastery.

Gale (Database) Bowie enjoyed his first Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom in 1969 with the single "Space Oddity," which was the tale of a stranded astronaut influenced by the Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Oddessy".

The David Bowie Story(Book) Bowie, heralded as the king of glitter rock in the early 1970s, created a media sensation when he told an interviewer that he was bisexual. As the first rock star to come out in the open about this subject, he was the object of controversy.

Gale (Database) Bowie was the first rock star to tantalize audiences with a wide array of "looks" or phases, foreshadowing Madonna by at least a decade. Bowie went from Ziggy Stardust to Aladdin Sane, an elfin man decorated with an electric blue lightning bolt drawn across his face and a painted-on teardrop.

Gale (Database) David Bowie has been called a cultural chameleon throughout his long and colorful career. From music and film to art and the internet, Bowie has challenged the perceptions of fans and critics alike with his many malleable personas which seemed to mirror the cutting edge trends of the day. In 1996, Bowie became the first artist of his stature to release a single, "Telling Lies," exclusively via the internet.

Stardust: The David Bowie Story(Book) The worldwide success of the made-for-television American pop band The Monkees forced Bowie to change his name in the late 1960s. The Monkees' lead singer was named Davey Jones and Bowie did not want to be confused with him, so he adopted the surname Bowie.

Gale (Database) Nicholas Roeg, who directed Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth, summed up the Bowie mystique to Cocks of Time as "David's a real living Renaissance figure. That's what makes him spectacular. He goes away and re-emerges bigger than before. He doesn't have a fashion, he's just constantly expanding. It's the world that has to stop occasionally and say 'My God, he's still going on.'"

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