David Bowie in 1978
LONDON, THE CITY WHERE HE WAS BORN
On January 8, 1947, he was born David Robert Jones in the London neighborhood of Brixton called to, in the words of Rolling Stone magazine, "symbolize modern rock as a language in which literacy, art, fashion, sexual experimentation, and social commentary can come together as one." There he discovered jazz at the hands of his stepbrother and formed his first band, The Konrads , with which he gave concerts at camps, high school dances and churches on the outskirts of London .
David Bowie (as Ziggy Stardust) arrives at a concert at Odeon Hammersmith on 3 July 1973 (London)
TIBET, THE ROAD TO BUDDHISM
Although in recent years he declared himself agnostic, Bowie converted to Buddhism at the age of 18. because he was attracted, in his own words to the newspaper El Mundo, "that no one interfered in your relationship with God." The British traveled to Tibet when he was young and the memory of that trip, of political tension and spiritual burden, served as inspiration for his album Earthling.
His spirituality, a source of inspiration
BERLIN, THE CITY WHERE HE WAS BORN AGAIN
In 1977 Bowie moves from Los Angeles to the German capital to get off cocaine. In his own words, in berlin he found liberation, purity and entertainment. He settled in Schöneberg with Iggy Pop and lived in the Hauptstrasse 155 . And, how could it be otherwise, Bowie left his mark on Berlin. For example, in the Neues Ufer coffee (Haupstrasse 157, a few meters from his home) every January 8 they celebrate his birthday. Y berlin , meanwhile, was also in charge of marking the British singer: the Hansa Studios (Köthener Strasse 38) hosted the recording of his legendary 'Berlin Trilogy'. The SO36 , the Coffee Exile (converted into the Horváth restaurant), or the paris-bar they were part of that Berlin that obsessed Bowie. Because, as he told French radio years ago, “ Berlin has the uncanny ability to make you write only important things . Anything else, you don't mention it... and in the end you produce Low”.
David Bowie in Berlin during the filming of 'Just a Gigolo'
LOS ANGELES, THE CITY OF THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE
It was in 1990, when David Bowie met the woman who would be his wife, Somali supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. How was the meeting? David and Iman shared a hairdresser in The Angels and he was in charge of inviting them to a party that turned out to be a blind date. For the singer it was love at first sight. For the first black African model to appear on a US Vogue cover, things slowed down.
City of the meeting between David and Iman
FLORENCE, 'YES I WANT'
After living together for 20 months, the British singer he decided to propose to Iman in Paris. For this he rented a small boat and the services of a pianist to give a walk through the Sign . Under the **Pont Neuf,** it was declared. Although they were married in a civil ceremony in Lausanne , David and Iman decided to celebrate a religious ceremony as well. The location chosen for the occasion was the Episcopal Church of Florence , on June 6, 1992. Among the guests were names like Yoko Ono or Bono.
Florence, the city of 'I do'
NEW YORK, HIS CITY OF ADOPTION AND HIS FAREWELL
He came to the city of skyscrapers for the first time in April 1974 to stay only one year. Years of comings and goings would come later, until 2002 , the date on which he settled definitively in ** New York .** This city experienced his last live performance in 2006 for charity purposes.
Before, you've already witnessed memorable Bowie moments. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Briton interpreted in The Concert for New York City in the Madison Square Garden the classic America of Simon and Garfunkel , followed by his Heroes.
In January 1997, he celebrated his 50th birthday , also at Madison Square Garden, with a concert in which he was accompanied by musicians of the stature of Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith, Billy Corgan, Foo Fighters and Frank Black.
In the mid-1970s, a collaboration with John Lennon in the subject fame turned into a jam session at the Electric Ladyland and was added at the last minute to the Young Americans album. The result? Bowie's first number 1 single in the United States.
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Portrait of Bowie in Brixton (the artist lived at 40 Stansfield Road, Brixton, from his birth in 1947 to 1953)