David Bowie
Bowie A Biography
By Mark Spitz
Crown Publishers
www.CrownPublishing.com
By George W. Harris

This insightful biography of the chameleon-like music star David Bowie
goes a long way in describing and evaluating the musical and culture
influences of this creative icon. Using intriguing interviews with the
likes of Dick Cavett, Peter Frampton, Angie Bowie and fellow musicians,
Spitz does an excellent job of mixing musical innovations with the
social changes that were also going on in the turbulent 70s, going from
his nascent career with Space Oddity, through the splash of Ziggy
Stardust, up to and past his intriguing collaborations with electronic
genius Brian Eno. Summarizing his career, Bowie had a basic
philosophy-“observe the trend and do the opposite.” This attitude
explains much in Bowie’s success as a man at the front of each new
idea, instead of following the crowd. Anyone who grew up in the 70s
will find the objective viewpoint interesting, and jazz fans will have
some insight into pianist Mike Garson’s career, as his gig with Bowie
put him on the map.