We Could Be... Bowie And His Heroes by Tom Hagler

Author: Tom Hagler 

Title: We Could Be... Bowie And His Heroes 

Publisher: Cassell

Published: 2021

Pages: 400

Genre: Biography 

 

     David Bowie's story has never been told quite like this. Tracing the star's encounters with fellow icons throughout his life, We Could Be offers a new history of Bowie, collecting 300 short stories that together paint a portrait of humor, humility, compassion, tragedy, and more besides. He embarrasses himself in front of Lennon and Warhol. He saves the life of Nina Simone. He is hated by Bob Dylan. He teaches Michael Jackson the moonwalk. Individually astonishing, together these stories - including details never before revealed - build a new picture of Bowie, one which shows his vulnerability, his sense of humor, his inner diva.

     Honestly, I can't really remember when my love of Bowie's music started. To some extent, he's always been there although I don't really remember anyone I know listening to him. I do know that the second cd I ever bought was one of his greatest hits. I played that thing over and over again much to the annoyance of my parents no doubt. One which I still have to this day although a little less played these days. I suppose when an artist's body of work is longer than you have been alive it makes it easy to think they will always just sort of be there. But as always in life, things have to come to an end at some point. And with his death, it meant no more reinventions no more filling venues of adoring fans. But it was only whilst skimming shelves at the local book store was it that I came across this book. I suddenly realized I knew very little about the man himself.  What had he hoped for, or the people he had loved or called friends. Sure I saw the odd interview and some of his films but it's all hardly the same things. Can we ever really know the musicians and actors we idolize. And to some extent should we, maybe we need these heroes to hold up high like in ancient Greece even if they are very much fallible humans. 

     First of all, something you need to get your head around when it comes to this book is that it doesn't follow the usual biography standards. The author doesn't give us a constant flow in his narrative about Bowie. Sure there is a timeline but here it is more about those people he came into contact with and to a certain extent how they viewed the man himself. Here we get to see the great and the good of not only the music industry but a smorgasbord of celebrities from each of the decades and a few a bit closer to home. With this said I still sat there with my phone by my side having to google more than a few to find out who they were. But hey who can be expected to know some of these people even if they were the biggest stars of their age. It did however lead to some time away from the book reading up on some of their extraordinary lives. It also helped me to have some context as to how they related to him. As they say, we will always be the villain in some people's stories no matter how hard we try. 

     In many ways, this book is like picking small exert from others' biography detailing the time they met this rock god. He is a man who I would imagine will be held high for a great many years to come. One of the few whose names will echo on never quite being lost to time. Hagler could have just cherry-picked the very best moments from Bowie's life in hopes of continuing on these lofty realms. And that would have been fine. Sometimes we don't want to look too hard for fear they might just fall off the pedestal we have put them on. But for me, I was grateful that the author choose a different path. Here we do get to see his high for which there are many, but also the very human man behind the Ziggy Stardust farecard. And I'm not going to lie there were moments especially early on in his career where I thought what an arrogant ego-driven dick he was. How could he act like that, should he not have been more grateful just to have a place at the table. But I am not he and for me to judge is also a little wrong. Each of us has a path to walk and his is most definitely not mine. It is still interesting though to see how he struggled even with his own success. A man it would seem was much more insecure than I would have given him credit for. After all to walk out on stage in a look that at the time sent many screaming for the hills. Singing songs about space and twisted worlds you would think would take a certain amount of courage. 

     For me, Bowie is one of those arts I feel has an era of music that can probably fit anyone's tastes in music. A man who has possibly reinvented himself more than any other musical artist. And with these mistakes will happen, people will feel snubbed and others will have found a lifelong friend. Even if that is only hearing it through our speakers. After all, no matter what happens in our live music is one thing that will always be there when we reach out in the dark. What Hagler has given us is a very tangible rock god. One in some way we can relate to. Could he be cold and aloof, sure but he could it would seem to be very warm a compassionate as well. His music has given many a person a refuge for a world that didn't want to understand us. That normal was fine but it was just as much fun to go off and find the real you no matter if people understood you or not. This man not only told us it was ok to be weird but it was something to be celebrated. 

     For me, this book Hagler has curated is an amazing body of work. he has managed to write a book as unique as the man it's about. For better or worse he has tried his best to give an overall picture of bowie without input from the man himself. A feat difficult enough to fathom but he seems to have found a balance and one would hope has given us a more even balance of who he was. At the end of the day you no doubt will make up your own mind and for me, this gives you a great shot at that. Definitely, one for his fans as I'm sure you will most certainly come across a few hidden gems even if we have all heard the Dave Grohl story.