David Bowie: Fame, Sound and Vision

by Nick Stevenson

David Bowie is a global superstar. One of the most extraordinary icons of our times, Bowies career spans five decades of popular music. From his first recordings in the sixties, through the invented characters of the seventies (Ziggy Stardust, Aladin Sane and The Thin White Duke), to the stadium rock of the eighties and attempts to recapture his creativity in more recent times, David Bowie has inspired millions of followers and fans the world over. This culturally sensitive re-reading of the life, image and music of David Bowie offers a detailed understanding of his importance to modern times. The story of David Bowie involves questions of comodification, youth culture, history, individualisation, racism and gender and sexual politics. Yet this is also a tale of ambiguity and pleasurable confusion. Among the many talents of David Bowie has been his ability to capture through popular culture key contradictions of the modern era. Through the interpretation of images, music, text and interviews with many Bowie fans this book seeks to unravel some of the mystery that continues to surround the bohemian prince of pop. Nick Stevenson has written a sympathetic and critical study of one of the enduring stars of popular music. David Bowie is a subtle and accessible exploration of the complex cultures of celebrity. This text will appeal to those teaching and studying cultural and media studies, visual culture, sociology and popular culture, as well as to general readers interested in David Bowie.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Inda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that I came into this book not knowing much about David Bowie aside from some of his most popular songs from his career. However, I did enjoy this book since I enjoy cultural and music criticism. Stevenson does not rely solely on Bowie's autobiography here but rather explains what Bowie's music and image meant throughout various aspects of his career. This is an approach I like as a cultural critic. However, this does not mean the analysis does not have its flaws. Stevenson fully admits that he looks at Bowie's work through the lens of a fan, but this does not hide his obvious disappointment that Bowie did not continue to engage in gender f*ck performances the way he did in the 60s and 70s. There are also a few other problematic aspects of his cultural criticism and I wish there had been at least one mention of Bowie's performance on Soul Train. If you've never read a criticism or biography of Bowie's work, this may be a good place to start. There is some insight as to why Bowie has remained such an iconic figure in popular culture for more than 40 years.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book at the same time as the wonderful "Bowie in Berlin", which tracks Bowie's trek through the late '70s and serves up fascinating commentary on the making of some of his most adventurous music. Maybe it's unfair to compare Stevenson's book of pop culture criticism to such an indulgent tome of Bowie fan nirvana, but this book of pop culture criticism pales. Reading like an admirably obsessive senior thesis project, Stevenson's book of essays on Bowie are at best academic and at worst idiosynchratic. The insights on Bowie gleaned by the author are questionable and at times painfully obvious, though every now and then he throws readers a ponderous bone to gnaw on. If you're a hardcore Bowie fanatic, this is one for the bookshelf - I can't stop you from buying this - but at best, this is one to save for a rainy day when you're seriously jonesing for some Bowie lit and don't really care about the quality. Hey, it happens!

[Lynna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this from the library at my college so I expected the tone of the book to be academic. I've never read anything Bowie before so there was a lot of new information here for me but if you're already familiar with Bowie's music and life you may find it a little boring and obvious. Stevenson makes some interesting points and I found the chapter on fans to be especially interesting but he didn't quite manage to convince me of his points. Overall, it's a good book to check out if you have a high tolerance for analytical academic writing.

[Milan Đorđević · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introspective into work and art of one of biggest stars mankind have ever seen!

[Aljoša · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather than being a biography (like Spitz's) this is an analysis of David Bowie's career.