David Bowie Pg. 3

  The 1980s

David Bowie entered the new decade healthier than he had been in years. Berlin had helped him escape the destructive lifestyle that had nearly consumed him in Los Angeles, and the creative partnership he had forged with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti had produced some of the most influential albums of his career. Yet Bowie had no interest in remaining in Berlin simply because critics admired his work there. Once again, he was ready to change direction.

That transition began with Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), released in September 1980. The album successfully combined the experimental spirit of the Berlin Trilogy with more accessible songwriting and stronger commercial appeal. Songs such as "Fashion," "Up the Hill Backwards," and the title track demonstrated that Bowie could still challenge listeners without sacrificing memorable melodies.

The emotional centerpiece was "Ashes to Ashes." More than a decade after introducing Major Tom in "Space Oddity," Bowie revisited the character from an entirely different perspective. Rather than portraying him as an adventurous astronaut, Major Tom had become a damaged, isolated figure drifting farther from reality. The song reflected Bowie's own experiences with addiction and self-destruction while reinforcing a theme that had quietly followed him throughout his career: the lonely outsider searching for a place to belong.

Its groundbreaking music video became one of the defining visual achievements of the early MTV era. Filled with surreal imagery, theatrical costumes, and dreamlike symbolism, it reminded audiences that Bowie continued thinking as much like a filmmaker and visual artist as a musician.

His private life also changed significantly. Following his divorce from Angie Bowie, David was awarded sole custody of their son, Duncan Jones, in 1980. Friends noticed that fatherhood gradually became a stabilizing influence in his life. Although Bowie's demanding career often kept him traveling, he made a conscious effort to provide Duncan with a more settled upbringing than his own career might have suggested. Duncan would later establish a successful career as a film director, earning acclaim for movies including Moon and Source Code.

His acting career also continued to expand. Although Bowie had earned widespread praise for portraying the alien Thomas Jerome Newton in The Man Who Fell to Earth during the previous decade, the 1980s saw him become an increasingly respected screen actor. He appeared in the German film Christiane F., whose soundtrack prominently featured his music, before starring opposite Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon in the stylish vampire film The Hunger. Later he delivered one of his finest dramatic performances in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, earning praise from critics who realized his acting ability extended well beyond simply playing versions of David Bowie.

Professionally, Bowie was also taking greater control of his business affairs. Earlier management agreements had cost him ownership of significant publishing rights and income during the 1970s. Determined not to repeat those mistakes, he became much more involved in the financial side of his career, ensuring that future decisions reflected both his artistic ambitions and his long-term interests.

Then came 1983. Let's Dance transformed David Bowie from a celebrated rock innovator into one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. Working with producer Nile Rodgers, Bowie deliberately set out to make a record that was bright, energetic, and immediately accessible. Rodgers brought a dance-oriented groove that contrasted sharply with Bowie's recent experimental work, while a little known Texas guitarist named Stevie Ray Vaughan supplied many of the album's unforgettable guitar solos.

The gamble worked beyond anyone's expectations. "Let's Dance," "China Girl," and "Modern Love" became worldwide hits, while the album topped charts across the globe. Bowie suddenly found himself filling enormous stadiums and reaching listeners who knew little about Ziggy Stardust or the Berlin Trilogy.

Ironically, the enormous success created another familiar dilemma. Throughout his career Bowie had resisted becoming trapped by any single identity. Now millions of new fans viewed him primarily as a polished pop superstar. Although grateful for the success, Bowie later admitted that he sometimes felt uncomfortable with the commercial expectations that followed. He feared becoming known for only one version of himself.

The Serious Moonlight Tour became the largest concert tour of his career to that point. Performing before massive audiences around the world, Bowie demonstrated that he could command stadium stages as effortlessly as intimate theaters. Yet despite the financial success, he gradually missed the artistic freedom that had defined so much of the previous decade.

His next two studio albums reflected that growing uncertainty. Tonight, released in 1984, produced another major hit with "Blue Jean," but many critics felt the album relied too heavily on the commercial formula established by Let's Dance. Never Let Me Down followed in 1987 with respectable sales but similarly divided reviewers. Bowie himself would later admit that he had become dissatisfied with much of his work during this period, believing he had focused too much on pleasing audiences and not enough on challenging himself.

The accompanying Glass Spider Tour became one of the most ambitious productions of Bowie's career. Launched in 1987 to support Never Let Me Down, the massive stadium tour featured an elaborate stage dominated by a giant spider structure, along with dancers, theatrical choreography, props, and carefully staged visual sequences. Although commercially successful and spectacular in scale, the production received mixed reviews, with some critics feeling that the elaborate staging sometimes overwhelmed the music. Bowie himself later expressed dissatisfaction with aspects of the tour, and the experience helped convince him that he needed to move away from the enormous expectations and excesses surrounding his mid-1980s superstardom.

Instead of simply making another commercially successful album, Bowie chose a more difficult path. Late in the decade he formed Tin Machine with guitarist Reeves Gabrels and brothers Tony and Hunt Sales. Rather than presenting himself as the unquestioned leader, Bowie insisted that Tin Machine operate as a true band in which every member contributed equally. Their music abandoned polished pop production in favor of raw guitars, aggressive performances, and straightforward rock.

Many fans were bewildered. Why would one of the world's biggest solo artists voluntarily disappear into a group where he was no longer the obvious center of attention?

For Bowie, the answer was simple. He had never been interested in protecting his reputation if doing so meant sacrificing his curiosity. Tin Machine allowed him to rediscover the excitement of collaboration while freeing him from the enormous expectations attached to the David Bowie name. Whether audiences approved mattered less than whether he felt creatively alive.

By the close of the 1980s, David Bowie had once again completed a remarkable transformation. He had become one of the world's biggest recording artists, established himself as a respected actor, regained control of important aspects of his personal life, and then willingly stepped away from commercial safety in search of fresh artistic challenges. It was a pattern that had already defined much of his career and would continue into the next decade.

< Last Page

Return to Bios

Next Page >