More a perpetual motion than a man, David Bowie seemed to be living out of time – or rather, in a time capsule of his own creation which served as a beacon for the art of music, a signpost to go to but never really catch up. He always was gigantic steps ahead of the movement, a chameleon who had long changed by the time his light reached the rest of us, mortals. As it turned out, he was mortal, too.
But Bowie’s gravity remains the same. We’re being pulled into the vortex of his passing now, and calling his last album, a parting gift to the world, ★ – or “Black Star” – had intent and a purpose to it. There’s inherent sadness in these songs, and David knew his listeners would be engulfed in such an emotional state, just as he knew his image would never die. “Lazarus,” the video Bowie released three days before his death – and one day before his 69th birthday – suggests he was ready to shut the door only to haunt us forever.
That’s genuine immortality. Safe cosmic travels, Major!
