David Bowie was an artist. It is that simple. Like most amazing artists, he was ahead of his time and not always well understood. He pushed the boundaries in all aspects: musically, visually, socially and of course through performance.  When I was growing up, I remember Rebel Rebel and Suffragette City hitting the radio and it became very clear that this was an artist who could make pop records that felt edgy at the same time…no different than that of the greatest of all time…the Beatles and the Stones.

There was a strange irony for me in the timing of Bowie’s passing. For the last four months, my son Jason and his peers have been working on a Bowie Tribute at the School of Rock in Tenafly, NJ.  Somehow I felt that these kids were blessed with a chance to honor this legend and for me it was extra special to have my boy participate.   Lets Dance (snippet)…by School of Rock Tenafly

With so much going on in the world, I am grateful for the chance to teach kids music and art. We also get to teach about life and history and culture. And, we get to celebrate legends whose contributions will last forever.

RIP David Bowie.

PS: If you haven’t seen the recently released Lazarus video, it is haunting in life and death: David Bowie Lazarus Video

Also, some cool links on Bowie and visual art:

David Bowie the Painter, NY Times

David Bowie on Art Collecting, Art News