The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1063: What Bowie Still Matters, part 1

I remember where I was when I heard that David Bowie had died. It was 2:30 in the morning on Monday, January 11, 2016. I was already having a restless night, so instead of just staring at the ceiling for another hour, I picked up my phone. Maybe that would help me sleep.

Instead, my phone was blowing up. News was breaking that Bowie had died the previous afternoon.

My initial reaction was that this was another internet hoax. This was Bowie. He was special—probably immortal. Sure, he’d had his health problems, but he had the best health care money could buy from anywhere in the world. And besides, the man had just released a brand-new album that Friday. That was barely three days ago. He couldn’t be dead.

Yet the news was true. Bowie was gone, a victim of liver cancer that had been diagnosed 18 months earlier. And just like that, one of the most important musical artists of all time was gone.

We’ve had ten years to reflect on Bowie’s legacy, and many people can’t help noticing that the world started going to hell after he died. I mean, just think of all we’ve been through politically, socially, economically, and technologically since then: Trump presidencies, Brexit, Putin, Ukraine, COVID, Gaza, and the rise of AI in not-so-beneficial ways.

I’m sure it’s all a coincidence, but it’s no exaggeration to say that since Bowie died, we’ve transitioned into a completely different world. Yet one thing remains: David Bowie still matters. In fact, he may matter more than ever before.

Here. Let me explain.

Songs heard on this show:

David Bowie, Lazarus
Davy Jones and the King Bees, Liza Jane
David Bowie, The Laughing Gnome
David Bowie, Space Oddity (Demo)
David Bowie, Changes
David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars, Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie, The Jean Genie
David Bowie, Rebel Rebel
David Bowie, Fame

This is Eric Wilhite’s playlist

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