It’s been a year today since we woke up to a world without David Bowie.
Although the 12 months since has been marked with the loss of many other world-class entertainers, nevertheless there is still a place marked in many a fan’s heart for that great cultural adventurer who made it not just acceptable, but positively aspirational to be an outsider during five decades of art.
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We've had a long year without David Bowie
Bowie
We may not have David Bowie to guide us any more, but we remain the fortunate beneficies of his music, his art, his humour and unique worldview. Here’s just a taste...
1. Giving hope to introverts everywhere...
As an adolescent, I was painfully shy, withdrawn. I didn’t really have the nerve to sing my songs on stage, and nobody else was doing them. I decided to do them in disguise so that I didn’t have to actually go through the humiliation of going on stage and being myself.
2. Don’t overthink it...
What I do is I write mainly about very personal and rather lonely feelings, and I explore them in a different way each time. You know, what I do is not terribly intellectual. I’m a pop singer for Christ’s sake. As a person, I’m fairly uncomplicated.
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David Bowie teamed up with Mick Jagger for Live Aid in 1985, but they were long time party pals
RB via Getty Images
3. All that posing masked the perfect tongue in cheek...
I re-invented my image so many times that I’m in denial that I was originally an overweight Korean woman.
4. Not all celebrities are created equal...
Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them.
5. We believe him...
I’m an instant star. Just add water and stir.
6. He’s not wrong...
I think Mick Jagger would be astounded and amazed if he realized that to many people he is not a sex symbol, but a mother image.
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7. No one worked a Fedora like Mr Bowie...
I find only freedom in the realms of eccentricity.
8. Even for Bowie, eventually it was time to find happiness in normal stuff...
I never thought I would be such a family-oriented guy; I didn’t think that was part of my makeup. But somebody said that as you get older, you become the person you always should have been, and I feel that’s happening to me.
9. Long before many other highly-paid music execs really got a hold on this ‘internet business’, David Bowie predicted the end was nigh...
Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity. So it’s like, just take advantage of these last few years because none of this is ever going to happen again. You’d better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that’s really the only unique situation that’s going to be left.
10. It’s the circle of life...
The truth is of course is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.
11. Sad, but true...
As you get older, the questions come down to about two or three. How long? And what do I do with the time I’ve got left?
12. However, as ever, David Bowie was able to provide the perfect bon mot...
I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.
Bowie's hair was always iconic, even when was still known Davy Jones, as proven by this shot of hairdresser Sylvia Halliiday placing a hairnet on his head at the BBC Television Centre before his group The Manish Boys Performed on the programme 'gadzooks'.
Bowie first appeared on TV in 1964, when he was aged just 17 and was invited onto BBC2's 'Tonight' show as part of 'The Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Men With Long Hair'. (credit:REX)
(02 of27)
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An early photo call in 1967 saw Bowie developing his androgynous style in a cropped embroidered jacket. (credit:REX)
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A softer side of Bowie's image was captured in this makeup free shoot at his home in Foxgrove Road, Beckenham, in 1969. (credit:REX)
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Bowie's bouffant drew some admiring looks at the London Palladium on 30 November 1969. (credit:REX)
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Bowie began the transition from 60s hippy to 70s glam when he donned a pair of spray-on glittery leggings at a 'David Bowie and the Hype' gig at the Roundhouse, London, on 11 March 1970. (credit:REX)
(06 of27)
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A portrait shot on 8 June 1972 to promote his third album 'The Man Who Sold The World', during the Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars Tour.
Bowie has spoken openly about how his alter egos helped him to overcome crippling shyness. "Offstage I'm a robot. Onstage I achieve emotion. It's probably why I prefer dressing up as Ziggy to being David,” he once said. (credit:REX)
(07 of27)
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Bowie's getup on the cover of his 1971 album 'The Man Who Sold The World' raised a few eyebrows.The silk maxi dress was designed by Michael Fish, who specialised in 'man dresses' and ran a boutique in Marylebone.
(08 of27)
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David Bowie at Empire Pool Lenort1972 in a brightly-coloured quilted ensemble and red lace-up boxer boots.
The shock of red hair was styled by Suzy Fussey of Evelyn Paget ladies' hair salon on Beckenham High Street. The colour was inspired by a picture of Marie Helvin. (credit:REX)
(09 of27)
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Ziggy Stardust may be one of Bowie's most iconic personas, but he wasn't with us for long.
Appearing first in the Brian Aris photoshoot for the cover of album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust' in 1972 - the fall came just 18-months after the rise, at Bowie's dramatic Hammersmith Odeon “retirement” gig in July 1973. (credit:REX)
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"I can take on guises of different people I meet," he said in 1973. "I can take on their accents - Im a collector." (credit:Michael Putland via Getty Images)
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Bowie took to the stage at the Hammersmith Odeon 1973 gig in beautiful creations designed by Kansai Yamamoto. (credit:REX)
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There is some dispute over why Bowie made the decision to shave off his eyebrows during this period.
Some say designer Kansai Yamamoto advised him to do so, but according to other reports he drunkenly shaved them off when Seventies glam-rock band Mott The Hoople rejected the song 'Drive In Saturday' that he had written for them - named Drive In Saturday. (credit:REX)
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David Bowie in concert at Hammersmith Odeon, London, in 1973.
This catsuit was designed by Yamamoto and was later worn by Kate Moss when she went to pick up Bowie's Brit award in 2014 and for a 2003 Vogue cover shoot. (credit:REX)
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The Aladdin Sane cover look that launched a thousand makeup tutorials.
In 1973, Celia Philo directed the shoot for David Bowie’s album Aladdin Sane.
"You have to realise that, in 1973, men weren’t walking down the King’s Road with brightly coloured hair and wearing make-up," said Philo.
"London was on the cusp of all that, with glam and then punk fashions about to explode.
"But with Bowie it was always theatrical, not fashionable – it was all about adopting different personas, an act during which he became someone else."
The makeup was masterminded by makeup artist Pierre La Roche from The House of Arden, who continued to work closely with Bowie throughout 1973.
(15 of27)
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The dazzling blue eyeshadow and pink lip look from the 'Life On Mars' video released in 1973 was also the work of La Roche.
On working with Bowie La Roche is often quoted as saying: "He has a perfect face for makeup you see.
He has even features, high cheekbones and a very good mouth.
"I have to be careful though because his skin is very fine and some of the base powders I use are very strong. They can make the face quite soft."
(16 of27)
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Bowie's most visually arresting persona was Aladdin Sane.
Here Bowie poses in Kansai Yamamoto’s wondrous monochrome PVC bodysuit - which he wore on tour to the delight of fans. (credit:Masayoshi Sukita)
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Bowie at Hilversum TV studios proving high heels can be masculine.
The reason Bowie/Ziggy wore an eyepatch in 1974? He had a terrible case of conjunctivitis, but he wasn't going to let that stop him looking chic. (credit:REX)
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Bowie's transformation from Aladdin Sane into The Thin White Duke was a stark change.
Gone was the shock of red hair and PVC outfits and in their place was a slick suited gentleman with grey eyeshadow up to his brows. (credit:1976, Gijsbert Hanekroot via Getty Images)
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Bowie's locks returned to red for his appearance in 'The Man Who Fell To Earth,' in 1976 (credit:REX)
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'The Man Who Fell to Earth' - Candy Clark and David Bowie in 1976. (credit:REX)
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Turn ups and tailoring, Bowie slayed in a low key look on Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Xmas' in 1977. (credit:REX)
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Bowie's hair, brows and leggings fought to be the centre of attention in his role as the Goblin King in the 1986 film 'Labyrinth'. (credit:REX)
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David Bowie performing in concert - Los Angeles, CA, USA - 1987 (credit:REX)
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Bowie brought back the heels - this time kitten - for his performance at the Brit Awards, in Earls Court, London in Feb 1996. (credit:REX)
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In the video for his last single 'Lazarus' Bowie takes on a darker, unsettling look.
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At the end of the video, Bowie is dressed in a paint-striped outfit similar to one he wore during 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' period, before he steps back into a wardrobe.