Guess who?

For some time now I’ve been looking forward to the day when Bowieism will officially be recognized as a viable option when it comes to choice of religion. (None of the presently available ones really suits me; if push came to shove I’d probably check the box for “agnostic,” unsatisfying as that might be.)

But I suppose it will only happen after David is gone, and I’m in no hurry for that. Although he doesn’t seem inclined to give us any more music at this point (or to ever again update his website, for that matter), I hope he enjoys a good, long, healthy retirement. The prospect of a planet without David Bowie on it is not one that I relish.

Of course, Bowieism would require accepting the fact that God recorded “The Laughing Gnome,” made albums like Tonight and Never Let Me Down, and let Hunt Sales sing in Tin Machine. But compare these with some of the things other gods are guilty of. War, famine, pestilence, the existence of evil in the world — are these things not worse than that disco version of “John, I’m Only Dancing”?

Much as some people judge others based on their feelings about Jesus, Allah, or JHVH, a person’s attitude toward Bowie can change my opinion of them for better or worse. Now not everyone who loves Bowie is a mensch; and not everyone who doesn’t is a fool; I’m just saying that all things being equal, I am much more likely to get along with the Bowieist than the non-Bowieist.

At this very moment I am listening to “TVC15” and hearing some vocal harmonies on the right channel that I never noticed before. I must have heard this song hundreds of times. Of course I can be a little dense but still…remarkable when you keep finding new things in the seemingly familiar…that is Art, my friends.