Rock journalist, and longtime fan of David Bowie, Marc Spitz, brings us Bowie-A Biography, a lengthy and detailed look at one of rock 'n' roll's legendary icons. Starting from his humble childhood, to the 'mod' years in the 1960's, and ultimately through the glory period of the 70's and early 80's when chart topping albums, hit singles, and successful tours were a regular occurence, Spitz takes you on a chronological journey through the life of David Bowie. As with most rock bio's, Bowie-A Biography will have you reaching for your CD collection to pull out classics such as Station to Station, Low, Aladdin Sane, Hunky Dory, Let's Dance, and of course, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. For most, the 1970's period will be of most interest, as Bowie struggles to make "Space Oddity" his first hit single, and reinvents himself into the Ziggy character, becomes a serious cocaine addict, conquers the world, breaks up the Spiders From Mars, reinvents himself again as a 'white soul rocker', enters into his 3 album partnership with Brian Eno, gets clean, and embarks on the early 80's with the biggest album of his career in Let's Dance. Much of the gossip is here (did he or didn't he sleep with Mick Jagger?)-the women and men in his life, his friendships with Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Glenn Hughes, Mick Jagger, battles with record label executives & personal managers, the many films he starred in, and of course, his quiet exile from the rock limelight, only to return triumphant with Tin Machine and a renewed solo career before falling ill with heart troubles a few years ago and now fading from the spotlight once again.
Throughout the book, Spitz portrays Bowie as the rock royalty he is, giving the reader the impression that if you are talking about Paul McCartney, Jagger, Elton John, etc., then you also need to include Bowie in their company as well, and if you've followed the career of the man, you know Spitz' assessment is a fair one, not just because the writer is a fan as well. There's plenty of interview segments from many of Bowie's friends and associates conducted by the author, though curiously none from Bowie himself, save for archival snippets gathered from other sources. It all makes for a fast and fascinating read for anyone interested in the musical career and life of one of rock's true chameleons.
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