That’s David Bowie’s final video, above. There are tributes to him all over the web; I won’t even attempt one of my own. But my kids offered a tribute that every artist hopes to receive: they woke up to the news and are all visibly sad. They loved Bowie. Lucas, my 11 year old guitarist, taught himself “Diamond Dogs” last fall, and it has become a favorite for them all to sing. A couple of weeks ago, Matthew was calling the few vinyl record shops in our part of the world to see if any of them would have the new Bowie record when it was to be released last Friday. This 69-year-old Englishman, whose music I loved in high school, mattered to a new generation of fans, kids who liked his old stuff and his new stuff. I live with them. Really, it’s just about the best gift an artist can have.
That’s Bowie’s final video above. He had been struggling with cancer for 18 months. You can see it in his face. RIP.
UPDATE: Dang. Lucas, our little guitarist and singer, is still crying. This is real to him. First time this has happened in his life.