Bow E
I have listened to David Bowie’s song Life on Mars approximately 12 times today. Holy fuck: that’s a good tune. I am not smaht musically,
but there is surely a term for something that is so asymmetrical while still maintaining a rhythm and/or beat. DB excels at this, as evidenced in the aforementioned Life on Mars as well as his Letter to Hermione.
As a side note, I hadn’t listened to much shit from Mr. Bowie until Sean made me get the Outside album in the early-to-mid 90s. I fell in love with it and consumed it whole. After that, it was the BBC series Life on Mars that made me listen to the eponymous song late last year, and Ricky Gervais introduced me to Letter to Hermione in 2007.
I guess I’d heard Major Tom on WBCN or something, but it is nowhere near as pissah as the things mentioned above.
The Corcoran Brothers 
Also, whenever Courtney’s theater geek people asked me what I did in the arts, I used to tell them I was working on a project in which I was bringing Bowie (pronounced like the post title) to Broadway by revamping his Outside album. If anyone questioned me, I would start singing “I Have Not Been To Oxford Town” to prove my sincerity.
I must have listened to Hunky Dory about 1,000 times over my life.
Best Bowie moment… 1989, Sean and I went to see Tin Machine at a small club in Providence. Easily a top 10 show. Iggy Pop’s rhythm section (and Soupy Sales’ kids) pounding a rhythm over Reeves Gabrels and Bowie. Some random in the back playing rhythm guitar to round it out.
the earth revolves around the sun, the earth revolves around the sun!!!
douche
Pushing interplanetary physics to the side for a moment (my apologies Eddie), whenever I think about Bowie I start thinking about this guy Mick Mondo who did a dead on set of 70s glam rock covers, including a couple from Ziggy Stardust. He had the best song introduction ever: “I wrote this next song for my Japanese lover.” The band then kicked into “My Woman From Tokyo.” Regarding “Hunky Dory” in particular, I remember buying the cassette at Nuggets in Kenmore Square and listening to it over and over again on my commutes to and from UMass. Rick Wakeman’s piano playing on that album is some of the most recognizable playing in pop, yet it seems to be some of the most underappreciated playing in pop.
When discussing Bowie’s genius, please let’s not forget The Laughing Gnome.
You remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power. What power?
i love the sweet irony that in your head you assumed by spelling the title of the post that way, most of us would read “bow” as in “take a bow” not as in “hunting bow”. i am of course referencing comment 1.
Good point, that. Bauhee would probably be more clear. Or not.
Yeah. I still read it “BO-ee”…
Maybe “BAH-wee”?
maybe you are a douche.
i hear the band called the beattles is pretty good too.