Career Lessons Learned From David Bowie
David Bowie turns 69 on Friday, Jan. 8 — not that you’ll know it from him. Bowie doesn’t speak much these days. In fact, it’s been nearly 10 years since he stood onstage, all of his powers intact after emergency 2004 heart surgery.
Since then, Bowie has played by his own rules: no press, albums released with little to no forewarning (including this week’s Blackstar — easily one of the top 10 albums of his career), his private life off-limits. These have largely always been Bowie’s rules. We’ve always needed David Bowie more than he’s needed us.
His life of putting art before celebrity is a masterclass for today’s musicians who search for their their best camera angle or hashtag before seeking out their unique contribution.
Before Bowie disappeared from public view, he made the rounds in 2002-03 promoting his album Heathen. His various interviews – and a few choice moves in the years since — provide the syllabus for the class. Here are four key takeaways from Professor Bowie’s Musical Bravura 101.
You Don’t Need to Show Up for Everything
Bowie’s take on the hypocrisy of awards and the hunger for attention are perfectly summed up in this 2002 Late Night interview with Conan O’Brien. “I only want [the ones] that you really mean.”
Keep Your Private Life Private
Over the years, Bowie famously professed bisexuality and played the eligible bachelor (he also had an unsuccessful tumultuous first marriage). In 1992, however, he married supermodel Iman, and together they have become the prototypical married couple. Aside from Paul and Linda McCartney, there isn’t another rock couple that keeps their balance and priorities more in check. Iman shared their secret in this 2012 interview.
Remember the Element of Surprise
Bowie released his first album in 10 years, The Next Day, in March 2013 without advance warning or publicity. It’s the move of a confident artist who not only knows the work speaks for itself, but also has no need to speak about anything else. Beyoncé imitated the move later that same year.
MAKE ART!!
Above all else, David Bowie’s public life has been a lesson in the importance of placing one’s own creative journey above all else. Look at any of his videos; listen to any of recordings. You’ll see and hear a man who is first and foremost chasing his own muse and searching for his own truths. The commercial consequences of that search are the byproduct, not the motivation.
Class dismissed. Happy birthday, David Bowie. We await your next move.
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