Good morning, sailor!
It’s your birthday again, and I haven’t heard back from you since
the last time I wrote. It reminds me that you likely won't be dropping me a
line anytime soon. Still I cling to quasi-religious notions that somehow you
live a cosmic existence just out of my reach. You don’t.
It has been a boring year since your last birthday. After
the celebrations in Philadelphia and Dublin, I had one week in Chicago, then attended
the Armory show and the Scope show in New York, and suddenly the world ended!
Some crazy virus spread from Europe to New York and people whose
bodies weren’t piling-up in mounds outside the hospitals fled to homes in the
mountains or, like me, locked themselves in their apartments.
Offices closed, then restaurants closed, then stores closed,
then pretty much everything was closed.
We all started wearing masks (well, the stupid people didn’t
wear masks, but smart people started wearing masks). I suspect you would have
worn a mask. I have a few Bowie-esque masks. It’s too bad you weren’t in New
York to market your own line of masks. You and Mask could have designed masks
together. Alas, I had to purchase Bowie-esque masks from someone else. They are
quite fab!
The world got very quiet. The streets were empty and devoid
of traffic for months. New York was eerie!
Then the world got busy again when yet another African
American man was murdered by yet another white police officer for having the
audacity to exist in Minneapolis. The racists will tell you stories of all the
crimes George Floyd (the victim) allegedly committed (this is how white
Americans justify the brutality with which they treat people of color); but it
was pretty much a cold-blooded murder. The murder was a catalyst for an amazing
level of social discourse about racism and law enforcement. The phrase “Black
Lives Matter” became the cry of decent Americans. In response, “all lives
matter” and “blue lives matter” became the cry of racist scum who want black people
to shut-up or die, and white people like you and me to shut-up or die.
The social unrest coast-to-coast was remarkable. The police
know how to handle things like this, though, and rioted at every opportunity to
discredit the taxpayers who were assembling for peaceful protest. Never has it
been so obvious that the police are in place to maintain white supremacy, and
not to protect taxpayers.
Things are still bad with race relations. The media is filled
with horrible right-wingers, er, wrong-wingers spouting racist garbage, and
liberal apologists pretending they are not part of the problem. I would love to
hear what you think of the state of America today. Some of your fans who are
racists or apologists seem to forget that you were married to an African woman
and have a daughter who is African American. Racists are weird because they can
detach from the evil of racism when it’s convenient for them, but then turn it
on whenever they want. You probably remember some of them from the old message boards.
The police and press have fomented a culture of indignant
racism, blaming others for all their problems, ignoring requests to quarantine,
refusing to wear a mask, bad-mouthing the medical industry, and the such. You
would actually not recognize this world if you were to return.
Remember when you invented the internet? Those were good
times! Chat. Message Boards. Contests. Pre-release teasers. Access to concert
tickets. Roseland shows. You really were king of the internet for a while. Now
the internet is a bastion of insanity (and I am a participant).
I made a quarantine playlist that included “D.J.”
(‘lost my job and incurably ill’) and a bunch of songs about being alone, isolated,
ill, touched, etc., you get the idea. I’d love to have a copy of your
quarantine playlist. Hey . . . maybe we could trade playlists!
Over the Summer, the infection rate went down and by September
it started feeling safe to go out again. Some BowieNetters got together in Ohio
for a long weekend: we went to a zoo and a museum and an outdoor restaurant. It
was great fun. I saw PrincessRamsey, Cavebat, David(MillerNotBowie), and Saxxony.
When I returned to New York, I started going to MoMA with
BreakingGlass, and attended some gallery openings in your old neighborhood, one
of them with NNMaddox. It was great fun to have art back in my life.
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| Magic Spell |
The respite from growing infection rates came to an end by
November. So . . . it was back into isolation, and that’s where we are today:
in the house 23+ hours a day, working from home, ordering groceries online,
using video calls to stay connected to friends and attend meetings, etc.
But . . . I have my art collection, and I have your music,
and I have my daughter for company, so we will make it through this. Sometimes
it is very fortunate to be a survivor.
I got a copy of the Metrobolist vinyl. I like it.
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| Flash |
A bunch of Republicans attempted to overthrow the United
States government this week. It was weird to see the Capitol Building in
Washington, D.C., being overrun and pillaged. The coup failed, but five people
died. The action was undertaken by white supremacists, and the police basically
let it happen, since they are white supremacists, too. The military (also a
tool of white supremacy), failed to open fire on the invaders, and the entire
thing is a major cluster-fuck. Hopefully some of the leaders will be
imprisoned, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Like all wars, only the low-ranking people
get punished while the leaders celebrate with battle cries and champagne.
You would not recognize the America you loved and sang about.
Mike Garson is producing a global virtual tribute concert for
you tonight. So many of your collaborators are participating that it’s actually
very exciting. Ignore the people who denigrate the event, they are dullards
(and you remember my position on them). Next week, Tony is going to do a talk
about some of your songs. It’s always a joy to listen to him - such a lovely
man. And this weekend, they are streaming the film version of “Lazarus” online.
You didn’t get to see that movie. I saw the movie when they did a single
showing of it at Kings Theater, in Brooklyn. Brooklyn misses you.
We did not go to Dublin this year because of the pandemic;
and our trip to London in April for Holy Holy isn’t looking good. So, I look
forward to all the virtual events celebrating your life.
I guess that’s it . . .
I’m certain I am forgetting something . . . maybe I should write
more than once a year.
When you have a moment, open the window and holler down the
road to me, like you used to do. I miss that.
Happy birthday, old man.
Everyone says Hi!
