'David Bowie' has left an eternal flame of inspiration burning brightly in the collective heart of humanity, within his extraordinary body of creative work spanning almost 50 years.
One very funny story came to mind this week when I was reflecting on his mass appeal - many years ago my daughter (who was probably about 8 at the time) was going through a Labyrinth 'o b s e s s i o n' ... she lived & breathed that film and could recite it, pretty much, line by line.
One day while she was at school, I set out on a mission to feel like a 'new woman'. I have always had problematic curly (though on most days it earned the label frizzy) hair, and having done substantial research (in an internet free world) to ensure that it wouldn't be an ongoing issue for a while, I went to have my hair chemically straightened. I specifically tracked down a salon, in an inner city area, that was run and frequented by African-American women as I thought "who else would excel more at straightening problem hair?"
Several hours (plus) later and feeling like Rapunzel, or at the very least the Queen of Silken Locks, I returned to the designated pick-up point to collect my daughter from school. She routinely climbed into the car and put her seatbelt on, and as I (routinely) asked her how her day was, she looked up to answer.
I wish I had been able to catch her reaction on film, seriously; here was this petite tiny thing looking up at me with a somewhat perplexed face, who then proceeded to ask "How come you look like the Goblin King in Labyrinth?" Hahahaaa! It still makes me laugh aloud, remembering that moment in time. No more than an hour later I was at my local hairdresser, having as much of my hair (which, when faced with the cold hard facts, looked EXACTLY like the Goblin King's) cut off as possible - I only wish selfies were in back then. It would definitely have been my 'go to' thing, any time I needed a good belly laugh.
On a side-step, over the last couple of days I've been reflecting on David Bowie's passing and I've felt compelled to express so many thoughts and feeling about the wonderful creative legacy he's left behind - I hope the following words honour his 'timeless' musical journey. (PS. really love the raw emotion of 'Blackstar' and 'Lazarus')
RIP David Bowie.
01/13/2016
