Haven't had a greater loss in terms of Music since Lennon...

The Thin White Duke... what an absolute badass. Truly a one of a kind.

Cat People is one of my all time favorite songs.

 

Michael Jackson?

 

David Bowie's influence on culture was astounding and the more I think about it I'm inclined to agree that he was as influential as Lennon.

 

relax...he made great music in the past, but it's not like he's leaving a bunch on the table that the world is missing out on. the guy was 70.

this isn't really comparable to lennon, music-loss-wise.

 

Fame wouldn't have been completed without Lennon himself.

 

Agree with both the OP and cardpire in a way. True, he wasn't doing much innovation right now, so we're not "missing out" on a huge creative trove that was still to come (like we arguably did with Lennon), but he was a giant, influential figure, so his passing really marks the end of a certain age.

Welcome to your new autotuned overlords!

 

Bowie doesn't have the same hits as Lennon did but it is his melding of music with art, with high fashion, and acting that really changed a lot of culture and really what we think of as celebrity. I heard some commentators say that without Bowie there isn't Madonna, Lady Gaga or Kanye West. Bowie also influenced people like Kurt Cobain too who rejected the glam rock movement and sound that Bowie pioneered to also embrace the darker and more psychological aspects of the Bowie.

Bowie might not have the memorable universally loved hits like Lennon but he probably changed music as much as Lennon and changed pop culture more.

 

we are talking about two different things here.

 

Yes and no. If you are just talking about just the songs themselves then yes but music, particularly rock, has always been more about just the songs but also about the attitude and presentation. Since the rise of MTV rock music and musicians are rarely just considered on how they sound. David Bowie himself helped to redefine what it meant to be a rock star.

Anyway just for music alone Bowie has had a lot of memorable hits and because he has covered such a great range of sounds has had a huge influence on many other musicians.

 

Comparing Lennon and Bowie is, to use a very tired phrase, like comparing apples and oranges, in my humble opinion. Both were great and very, very tasty. They just tasted a bit different from each other, that's all. Yeah, "that's all," like that means anything. Both are giants who will be remembered a century from now for the influence they had. So many that will remain nameless who would be lumped together with them, for whatever bizarre reason, simply pale in comparison.

Here's a nice quote from Will Gompertz, BBC Arts editor:

David Bowie was the Picasso of pop. He was an innovative, visionary, restless artist: the ultimate ever-changing postmodernist.
Along with the Beatles, Stones and Elvis Presley, Bowie defined what pop music could and should be. He brought art to the pop party, infusing his music and performances with the avant-garde ideas of Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Andy Warhol.
He turned pop in a new direction in 1972 with the introduction of his alter ego Ziggy Stardust. Glam rock was the starting point, but Ziggy was much more than an eyeliner-wearing maverick: he was a truly theatrical character that at once harked backed to pre-War European theatre while anticipating 1980s androgyny and today's discussions around a transgender spectrum.
He was a great singer, songwriter, performer, actor, producer and collaborator. But beyond all that, at the very heart of the matter, David Bowie was quite simply - quite extraordinarily - cool.

 

bowie never stopped making great music. they guy was almost 70 and just put out one of his best albums in 35 years. 69 year old bowie was doing stuff more interesting, creative, soulful and progressive than most of the current acts out there right now.

 

Bowie didn't have a great voice but and his music wasn't necessarily great although he had some great songs. Although there are really good Bowie songs that I listened to a lot, I don't ever recall just putting on a Bowie album and listening to the whole thing all the way through. David Bowie to me was more of an artist. Going to a David Bowie concert was less like going to a rock concert and more like going to a theatrical production.

I saw Bowie back in the 80's when he did his Glass Spider tour with Peter Frampton. It was an amazing show, definitely one of the best. I thought that was an exceptional concert.

Lennon was a musical icon and part of one of the all-time great (if not the greatest) musical bands. And he was a tremendous political influence. But he was not Bowies equal as an artist like Bowie was not his equal as a musician. Although both were technically rock and roll musicians, I don't look at them the same.

 

Yes he is is in the same class as Lennon.... Enormous loss... Was also still putting out exceptional music.

 

Pretty much lost me with this first sentence. To each his own, yes, but I liked Bowie's voice, kind of a high baritone with a wide range.

I went back and discovered his earlier albums and there were some excellent ones. Not the melodic monster like Elton John or such, but an innovator and, as you mention, true artist.

 

You're still talking about something entirely different than he was.

 

I never realized how many songs that I've heard my entire life that where his. I browsed his catalog on Apple Music yesterday and Space Oddity is EVERYTHING.

 

Whats fascinating about Bowie is that the crossed so many genres successfully: Glam rock, pop, Funk, New Wave, alternative. He did them all with success. The man rocked Soul Train, had videos premier on 120 Minutes, and sang a duet with Bing Crosby. He was versatile and well-liked by musicians in all genres. He set the standard for androgynous rock stars, yet were High-fashioned suits a few years later and still NOBODY called him a sell-out. He made music for himself..and the masses still bought albums. He was the first major rock star to come out and say who needs a label anymore..because in a few years music will be disseminated differently (2002).
think about this....these are all the same person...

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