Beyond Bowie

The echoes and influences of David Bowie continue to reverberate through popular culture. With an exhibition of Bowie memorabilia soon to open at ACMI, we look at how his legacy has affected contemporary music.
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Image via feelgrafix.com

A creative chameleon whose career has embraced glam rock, soul, commercial pop and industrial music, as well as acting and the visual arts, English singer-songwriter David Bowie is without doubt one of the most influential figures in 20th century entertainment. His songs from the Seventies and Eighties remain enduring popular, while his latest album – 2013’s The Next Day – was critically acclaimed. And like his music, Bowie’s appetite for reinvention continues to influence artists to this day, with the mercurial Lady Gaga one of many performers clearly in his debt.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts