David Bowie is Back, surreal and weird new video for "Blackstar"

a reply to: athousandlives

I'm not feeling this song...not going to jump on the Bowie bandwagon just because who he is...this is too artsy fartsy for me...

From Spaceman to Prophet...

Well I just.... I'm still reeling from the sad news this day.
This album just makes so much more sense now we now he had been ill for so long.
Thanks for this gift David and all the memories...
Now you are free, the universe is yours, Starman


Lazarus, released a few days ago.
Dark and haunting and creepy, but watching it again today I cried. "Of course" I thought, couldn't have been more direct, no need for vain interpretations this time, no, he was showing us exactly what he was going through.



RIP

I took it as three different stories. The first half of the video was... what became of Major Tom. How he froze to death. Then a planet of psychics found his remains and channeled his very cold death. the second half of the video was a big F-you to his personal detractors. This part was definitely about his life. The third part was the lyrics themselves. I thought he was using symbolism to suggest he was the Antichrist. I don't know about him being the Antichrist but, he certainly was a genius. I will miss Ziggy.

If we are here to make of our life a work of art, Bowie surely did- even of his death.

The song and video are haunting- but what else would you expect from a man on the threshold of his death?

I suspect that instead of having real distinct meanings, the words, sounds and images were meant to bring about general non-verbal sensations and emotions.
Perhaps they have some associations in the collective consciousness, shared by us all, but we might translate into words differently.

a reply to: athousandlives

Very sad, the album makes a great deal of sense now..it's about mortality, made me leak a bit as well
I think this album is well on it's way to being #1..a first for David as so very much deserved/meant to be.
R.I.P. and thank you David.

He has many followers a reply to: darkstar57

a reply to: olnumber8
I agree. People want to find something malicious in this, but it's no more than his beliefs. Lift the mask and you find a bejeweled soul underneath, to be worshipped by women (the bearers of humanity), his eyes are buttoned shut while on this earth, but open after death. We are all connected universally. As for the star, I don't know. But he did :-)

originally posted by: athousandlives
What do you think?

I think this is one of the best song Bowie ever did in his entire career, spanned full of occultism and huge hidden meanings about his belief, his career, and his view of what was coming up for him.

I also think if this thread was released after his death with the new breakdowns of the symbology online, it would have gotten way more attention on here given it is just packed full of crazyness.

One nice breakdown
I wouldn't mind a new thread simply pointing back to this thread

a reply to: SaturnFX

Yep, it's one of my favorite bowie songs too, especially for its length, I always get the felling that many great singles or songs don't always express their full potential by limiting themselves to the mainstream radio-friendly 3 or 4 minute length.
This isn't particularly one of bowies most radio friendly songs anyways, i guess.

It's crazy, I was never so affected by a musicians death before. Even if it's only recently that I started really discovering his 60's and 70's work as Ziggy and then thin white duke. I feel such a loss as if almost a part of my entire life, and a lot of people are saying that.
I'm thinking that his constant changes in direction and his abandonment and fearlessness in exploring the many faces we all have and do something new every time really struck a chord with a lot of people.
Not to mention his intelligence and good looks.

Blackstar being borne out of illness and death, is very personal and dark, but I can't but help and feel that maybe he felt that this wasn't particularly the definite end to everything.
That just like his previous personas this too was just a stage or step to something else. his last official pictures show him with a big smile dressed smartly taking a step with one foot in front of the other, as if saying Im ready for what's next.

Apparently he recorded around 5 songs as a follow up to Blackstar, Tony Visconti has hinted he will probably finish them and release them in the future. If he was given that task by bowie himself in case he died before completing them, I can't wait to hear his return from the after life.
Just like Lazarus.

What a genius.

That's a great article by the way, thanks

originally posted by: athousandlives

That's a great article by the way, thanks

Actually, if you want to truely explore the oddness of not just this song, but the overall theme of occultism with Bowie, this I found to be really well put together (for a conspiracy style research)
Occult Universe of David Bowie

I love reading about occultism. not sure why, just a general fascination into what may be either a simple fantasy, or a poking into the unknown