It was interesting to read this as a contrast to Outside. Reality feels steadier and more present, less about rupture and more about continuity. I appreciated how you frame it not as a farewell or prophecy, but as Bowie trusting the songs, the band, and imperfection itself. Letting the album stand where it is, without mythologizing it, felt very respectful and true.
I always felt the title encapsulated all that Bowie was trying to share. With “Outside,” I always felt that he was declaring that he had stepped beyond pop, permanently, some argue a response to his ‘80s work. He also took us “Outside” his many identities and personae, and this final shedding of them all revealed the actual man, not the character.
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you hear it as a contrast, as I titled my project, outside of outside.
That’s beautifully put. Thinking of it as shedding identities rather than declaring an ending makes the steadiness of the album feel earned. I really appreciate how your project lets it stand exactly where it is.
My ulterior motive with the Bowie series isn’t about the art. It’s about him. Embracing the chameleon’s skins, each time he fully transferred into another, hopefully increasingly exposes his bones. With “Outside,” some could argue it is the first true Bowie album, sans cartoonish smoke and mirrors. I don’t know, but I do know how he remained himself, comfortable in his own skin, for the remainder of his work and life.
The final project is “Blackstar.” It is not easy as unlike “Outside,” he takes everyone inside himself, and given the nature of the album, and his physical end in this plane of existence, each iteration gets dismissed as I keep missing the sweet spot of staying loyal and aligned to him, the human.
Thanks for sharing that so openly. I really appreciate how thoughtfully you’re holding this, especially the care around staying loyal to him as a human. It makes a lot of sense that Blackstar would feel like a harder place to stay aligned.
It was interesting to read this as a contrast to Outside. Reality feels steadier and more present, less about rupture and more about continuity. I appreciated how you frame it not as a farewell or prophecy, but as Bowie trusting the songs, the band, and imperfection itself. Letting the album stand where it is, without mythologizing it, felt very respectful and true.
I always felt the title encapsulated all that Bowie was trying to share. With “Outside,” I always felt that he was declaring that he had stepped beyond pop, permanently, some argue a response to his ‘80s work. He also took us “Outside” his many identities and personae, and this final shedding of them all revealed the actual man, not the character.
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you hear it as a contrast, as I titled my project, outside of outside.
That’s beautifully put. Thinking of it as shedding identities rather than declaring an ending makes the steadiness of the album feel earned. I really appreciate how your project lets it stand exactly where it is.
My ulterior motive with the Bowie series isn’t about the art. It’s about him. Embracing the chameleon’s skins, each time he fully transferred into another, hopefully increasingly exposes his bones. With “Outside,” some could argue it is the first true Bowie album, sans cartoonish smoke and mirrors. I don’t know, but I do know how he remained himself, comfortable in his own skin, for the remainder of his work and life.
The final project is “Blackstar.” It is not easy as unlike “Outside,” he takes everyone inside himself, and given the nature of the album, and his physical end in this plane of existence, each iteration gets dismissed as I keep missing the sweet spot of staying loyal and aligned to him, the human.
Thanks for sharing that so openly. I really appreciate how thoughtfully you’re holding this, especially the care around staying loyal to him as a human. It makes a lot of sense that Blackstar would feel like a harder place to stay aligned.