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David Bowie

David Bowie Quotes

Musician

David Bowie (January 8, 1947 – January 10, 2016) was a legendary British musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. Known as the 'chameleon of rock,' he was celebrated for his eclectic musical style, avant-garde stage personas, and constant reinvention. His career spanned decades, blending rock, pop, electronic, and soul. Iconic works include 'Space Oddity,' 'Heroes,' and 'Let's Dance.' Through characters like Ziggy Stardust, he challenged gender and identity norms, leaving a profound impact on popular culture.

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All Thinking People Ifs Writing Kind Artist Rocks Wanted Feels I Can Knows Mean Song Want Way Years Superhuman World Art Looks

Famous David Bowie Quotes

“The name Bowie just appealed to me when I was younger. I was into a kind of heavy philosophy thing when I was 16 years old, and I wanted a truism about cutting through the lies and all that.”

Years Kind Philosophy Wanted Lying Names Cutting Heavy Bowie Truism

Book:David Bowie: The Last Interview

Source: David Bowie: The Last Interview

“I would like to believe that people knew what they were fighting for and why they wanted a revolution, and exactly what it was within that they didn't like.”

People Believe Wanted Fighting Revolution

Book:David Bowie: The Last Interview

Source: David Bowie: The Last Interview

“I don't think I did anything that my contemporaries didn't; it was just that I was the only one who talked about it. In the Sixties anyone who had a sense of style seemed to be gay. I wanted to indentify with that.”

Thinking Wanted Style Gay Sixty

Author:David Bowie

“I guess a certain contingent of the musicians in London at the beginning of the '70s were fed up with denim and the hippies. And I think we kind of wanted to go somewhere else.”

Thinking Kind Wanted Certain Musician London Feds Somewhere Else Hippie Fed Up Denim

Author:David Bowie

“We were terribly excited, and I think we took it on our shoulders that we were creating the 21st century in 1971. That was the idea. And we wanted to just blast everything in the past, rather like the vorticists did at the beginning of the century in the Britain or the dadaists did Europe, you know. It was the same sensibility of everything is rubbish, and all rubbish is wonderful.”

Thinking Knows Ideas Wanted Past Wonderful Century Creating Europe Excited Shoulders Britain Sensibility 21st Century Blast Rubbish

Author:David Bowie

“When I was 9 years old, I wanted to be the baritone sax player in the Little Richard band.”

Years Littles Wanted Player Band Baritones

Author:David Bowie

“I probably also wanted to be black at that particular time [ 9 years old] as well.”

Years Wells Wanted Black Particular

Author:David Bowie

“I really wanted to do, more than anything else, up until I was around 16, 17, was write musicals.”

Author:David Bowie

“I wanted to rewrite how rock music was perceived.”

Wanted Rocks Rock Music

Author:David Bowie

“There was a time in America not long ago when rock 'n' roll was called race music, and white kids who wanted to go see Chuck Berry were completely forbidden.”

Long Kids Wanted America White Race Rocks Rock N Roll Long Ago Forbidden Chuck Berries

Author:David Bowie

“I think I quite desperately wanted to have that kind of special companionship [like marriage ] . . . a special relationship, yet I hid from it for many, many years and pretended to be cynical about it.”

Thinking Years Kind Wanted Special Cynical Companionship Special Relationship

Author:David Bowie

“I think every time I said, "I'm working with Nile [Rodgers]," the reaction was, "Oh, great. I love 'Let's Dance.' " I think that's pretty expected. I'm not sure Nile and I went in consciously not to make "Let's Dance." We just wanted to work together again.”

Thinking Said Wanted Together Expected Reactions Not Sure Working Together Together Again Nile

Author:David Bowie

“On "Tonight" I think I was torn dreadfully between writing what I wanted to write, but keeping it in a style that would follow up what I had just done. That's where I feel I was untrue to myself as an artist . . . that album and, to a lesser extent, "Never Let Me Down."”

Thinking Feels Writing Done Wanted Artist Style Let Me Albums Tonight Torn Untrue Follow Up Let Me Down

Author:David Bowie

“When I was going through those very fast changes, I think it was terribly important to me that I was seen to be inventive. I think that was the characteristic of my work that I wanted people to see.”

People Thinking Important Wanted Characteristics

Author:David Bowie

“I felt I really wanted to back off from music completely and just work within the visual arts in some way. I started painting quite passionately at that time.”

Way Art Wanted Felt Painting Visuals Visual Art

Author:David Bowie

“I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go.”

Way Littles Might Wanted Moving Artist Culture Bits Challenges Interesting Little Bit

Author:David Bowie

“I wanted to prove the sustaining power of music.”

Wanted Prove Sustaining Power Of Music

Author:David Bowie

“I feel that what I do is always contemporary with the society I'm living in... If I wanted to explain myself, that's how I'd explain myself: that I'm a diarist.”

Ifs Feels Wanted Contemporary

Author:David Bowie

About the Author

Born: January 8, 1947
Died: January 10, 2016
Known for: Musician
Quotes: 412

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Thinking People Ifs Writing Kind Artist Rocks Wanted Feels I Can Knows Mean Song Want Way Years Superhuman World Art Looks

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Books & Sources

David Bowie: The Last InterviewRelated source material

David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - Off the RecordRelated source material

David Bowie: The Last Interview: and Other ConversationsRelated source material

The pocket book of David BowieRelated source material

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