View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: In light of his recent death, how significant was David Bowie.
One of a kind
Very few people can really expect to be remembered much beyond their own family. And even then, true remembrance doesn鈥檛 usually extend past a couple of generations. It is only the truly extraordinary who are remembered by the world.
During the Renaissance there were thousands of artists and composers and architects. How many can the average person name today? I dare say it is only a handful.
Canada has had 23 prime ministers. I am a serious politophile, but even so, the order for me starts getting murky before Lester Pearson and for the period between Sir John A. MacDonald and Sir Wilfred Laurier, I actually have to look them up.
So, when somebody like David Bowie dies, the question arises whether he is destined to be a Leonardo da Vinci or a Domenico Ghirlandaio.
Bowie was an original, to be sure. He was an innovator and a fearless personality (or perhaps personalities). Where his contemporaries such as Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney failed to cross genres, Bowie succeeded and he leaves a catalogue of hit songs rivaled by few.
Of course, it is very difficult to predict who from this era will be widely remembered hundreds of years into the future. One would expect Elvis, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Michael Jackson and Bowie would be among them, but who knows?
Bowie鈥檚 death was particularly significant to me personally, though. Bowie was one of my earliest musical heroes. The first song I ever learned on the bass guitar from start to finish was his 鈥淩ebel Rebel.鈥� The first band I played in did numerous Bowie covers.
There鈥檚 nothing like your musical heroes starting to die off to make you ponder your own mortality.
RIP David Robert Jones.
-Thom Barker
Overdone hero worship
Apparently the greatest musician since Ludwig van Beethoven himself passed recently. Or at least the greatest since some guy named Lemmy died.
Of course I am referring to the death of David Bowie, a musician I recall mostly from his role in the movie Labyrinth, which was truthfully a terrible flick, but stylistically intriguing.
Now I will not suggest Bowie was not influential in his music, although I suspect many lamenting his passing at age 69 on social media would not have been able to name three hits of his either.
And in the grand scheme Bowie is one of a number of performers that could be called influential; Don Henley, Brian Wilson, Tommy Lee, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Mick Jagger, and the list goes on. Historically, Bowie is significant, but no less no more so than many.
But social media was drowned in heartfelt platitudes, which frankly was overkill in my mind.
And that can be said of any famed personality who dies after a long career.
Gordie Howe will pass one day, and I will remember him fondly as one of the top three or four players in the history of hockey. But it鈥檚 hardly a life one would lament when he passes at a ripe old age as they say. He accomplished more in the sport he loved than most ever will. He lived a great life, excelling at something he loved.
And he will pass, as we all will, including Bowie. The outpouring simply comes across as forced for me, and I do not get the need to join the lemming run of social media posts lamenting the losses as if they were somehow earth shattering moments.
- Calvin Daniels
A full life
As everyone knows, David Bowie recently passed away after an 18-month battle with cancer.
Now while many people are absolutely stunned and hurt about it, I鈥檓 not.
I see his passing as just another death. These things happen when people get older or get sick, so it comes as no surprise that it happened to David Bowie.
In fact, Bowie reached an age that most musicians and music legends never do. He lived a full life and lived life to the fullest and died, essentially, of natural causes while his peers died from drug overdoses, suicide, etc.
Don鈥檛 get me wrong, just because his death isn鈥檛 a big deal to me doesn鈥檛 me I don鈥檛 respect the things he has done.
I agree that Bowie is a legend. He changed music, affected lives and did things in his career that most musicians and artists can only dream of.
I鈥檓 just not shocked or saddened by his passing because, well, it happens.
If he was 25 and died it would be far sadder; but the fact he was 69 and lived one heck of a life makes it a much easier thing to accept.
Rest in Piece Mr. Bowie, maybe I鈥檒l go and give your music a listen.
-Randy Brenzen
