What Culture
Following the legendary David Bowie’s tragic, unexpected passing this week, there’s been tribute after tribute, in print and online: about his incredible music, about his influence on popular culture, about the effect he’s had on so many of us, and the huge, impossible space he leaves behind.
One thing that hasn’t been getting so much love is his creative output as an actor. There’s a negative association with rock stars and acting that’s been going on for decades, ever since the unholy trinity of Sting, Madonna and Prince assaulted the silver screen with their vanity projects and failed attempts at Hollywood stardom, and kickstarted the kvetching from an avalanche of critics.
Stardust, IFC Films' new movie about David Bowie, focuses on him trying to launch his career in the United States as Ziggy Stardust.
Now I know this is not a remake movie because if it was that would be a damn disgrace, but come on! We don’t want a Labyrinth sequel for god sake, maybe years ago when the late David Bowie was with us yes.
Chris Creamer from Film Takeout writes:
"I never met David Bowie. Maybe a young kid in the Midwest couldn’t be expected to, but I, nevertheless, felt like I knew him for the same short time I knew his music. I had heard Space Oddity in a tangential way during high school- I knew it was the song Chandler Bing melodramatically sang into his video camera in an episode of Friends—and that it was about an astronaut maybe-dying, and I knew of the existence of something called Dancing in the Street and that it featured the leading man from my other favorite band. But that was about it. I was a late bloomer."
