There will be many posts about Bowie, and I might add another to this one as well. For tonight, I want to focus on his amazing creativity, and how we can all apply it to our lives.
Early in his career, Bowie became what was called "flamboyant". Unconventional clothing and makeup accompanied an openness in his songs about his personal life. While those things did not interest me, the music stood out and attracted me.
Not every album or style of music resonated with me. Even when I had more disposable income, I did not rush out and buy all that I could. However, I admired him to his Proteus-like persona and for trying something new.
How do we apply that to our lives? For me, I try not to write int he same style and about the same topics. As an educator, I do not like falling into the same old rut. I am certified in three content areas, as we call them (English, German and Social Studies). Staying with English, I have been willing to change what I do from the so-called "numbered" English. I have not taught English I, but have taught II, III and IV. ( I is Freshmen, II World, III American, IV Brit, although that has been mixed up quite a bit). for the last five years I have taught Intro to Mythology, and enjoy playing with that. As a result, I am not bored, and not too many students are. I do tell them that the universe does not exist to entertain them.
When the following song came out, I played it for my Journalism class (another example of mixing it up). One day we had a disagreement, politely expressed, about how to pronounce his name. We used our chrome books and found both ways were possible: Bough- ee or Boo-ee. I prefer the latter. The song talked about Berlin- Potsdamer Platz, home to the famed Josty's and also mentioned the Dschungel; I was there before it became a trendy spot, and I believe I had more fun.
I append (12 January) a Guardian link to Bowie's Berlin. An earlier version had a map. The Dschungel mentioned was near Ka-De-We- (Kaufhaus des Westens), and the one my frineds took me to was I belive in Schöneberg, not far from where Bowie lived, and not too far from Neuköllm where I lived with my friends. I remember we too the double decker bus there, not the U-Bahn. Ach!
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/aug/05/berlin.bars.musictour
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4616169.Arthur_Turfa
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