Goodbye Mr Bowie

After reading Alexis Petridis' great review in the Guardian I watched Blackstar single on YouTube on Saturday. Now I am listening to Bowie's new LP as I finish my web updates, and just feeling very sad that he has died. Like so many millions of misfits and weirdos the world over, I felt he was a kind of patron saint, and certainly made possible much of the music by other folks that I grew up loving as a youngster. Without him no Banshees, no The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, Bjork, Depeche Mode, Bauhaus; the list is endless. Also just been listening to 'Memory of a Free Festival', my brother's favourite Bowie song, and one of mine. Listening to it today I heard intimations of Damon Albarn's wonderful score 'Dr Dee'. Treat yourself and listen to them both today. Just heard the third track on Blackstar, Lazarus: superb, and strangely early Cure vibe especially in the bass line. The album is full of great, real playing - there's even jazz flute and feedback - hurrah. Bowie's two fingers up to the mundane and the mediocre. Hope he's still doing that, where ever he is now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06whk5g

This lovely funny interview with Marc Riley, 1 hour in to the programme via this link will be listenable for the next 28 days.