Dance Magic Dance(Or why David Bowie is the coolest man alive)

For nearly half a century, David Bowie has not only redefined how creative an entertainer can be, but how he can be creative in various entertainment settings. This isn’t going to be in depth review of his career and life, because frankly I’m not extremely well versed in the ways of Bowie, but it’s going to be a quick piece about how unrelentingly cool he is. Let’s get started!

First example of how great and important he is the fact that he’s still making records that not only bring about his vision, but that he has over twenty albums that the world can listen to and love. A multitude of them are genuinely brilliant, and go freely among genre’s. Some are obviously better than others, but with that much exposure and experimentation, it’s logical that that would happen.

I mean, think of all the amazing, timeless songs you’ve heard from him. He’s been responsible for the hauntingly distant “Man that Sold the World,” as well as the flashy and elegant “Fame.” Among some of the best albums, “Low,” which was the a big inspiration for Trent Reznor in terms of a sound he liked. Also he’s the man responsible for the iconic album “the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars.” If you haven’t listened to either of those albums, I highly recommend listening to these.

Many rock stars are also known for pushing the boundaries of fashion, and in that regard, Bowie is a man who has for years worn cool shit. It speaks to the wherewithal to using any tool to create a certain package for whatever you might be working on. Bowie is excellent at this, and has been everything from Soldiers, to Aliens, to the normal man in his age range, and for the most part, they’ve all worked in the capacity they were meant to.

Lastly I want to discuss his filmography, and how he’s jumped in and out of awesome movies. The two best examples of this are his work as the menacing Goblin king in the 80’s classic “The Labyrinth,” and of course, playing real life bad ass Nicola Tesla in Nolan’s “The Prestige.”

One could argue that “The :Labyrinth” doesn’t hold up, but I’d highly disagree. It’s a whimsical film, and the dark and violent undertones of what his character does in attempts to find his love is way more messed up when you realize what’s happening. Also his cod piece is kind of incredible, and gives even more weight to his badassdom. I mean, with THAT codpiece no one should be surprised that he’s alleged to have relations with Iggy Pop, as well as being married to the powerful and confident Iman.

But for me, “The Prestige,” is a truly wonderful movie, and misportrayal is calculated and intense in the way that a Tesla should be.  The whole movie is a giant intricate web, but it’s Bowie’s portrayal that adds a layer of realism and mystique that really sets the film on a different course once he’s introduced.

In closing, Bowie is a man of many tastes, and he’s even a person who can get impersonated by “Flight of the Conchords”and somehow become more awesome, even though he technically didn’t have anything to do with the episode.