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 OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts