As The World Falls Down

The Goblin King

So we're all shocked and saddened by the death of David Bowie.

Some of us more than others, but I think it's fair to say - and I'm not hitting a huge epiphany here because it's likely been said by thousands before me - that Bowie was one of those rare artists that transcended genres, cultures, and appealed to everyone in some way.  Whether it be that one friend of yours who was unhealthily obsessed with Ziggy Stardust through college or how your mother just adored his Christmas duet with Bing Crosby (that was totally my mommy), we all had a little piece of Bowie to hold on to as our own.

For me, and this should come as no surprise, it was all about Labyrinth.

David Bowie, to me, will always be The Goblin King.

I must have seen that movie a good thousand times before I really knew who David Bowie was outside of that twisted maze.  Sure, I'd seen a few videos on Much Music, and the songs that stood out to me were "Modern Love", the remix of "Fame" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack, and his remake of "Dancing In The Street" with Mick Jagger. 

It wasn't until my late teens, when I was working at a summer art camp with kids, that I got any real formal Bowie education.

There's an infamous story of mine and the cute girl, Chelsea, who worked at HMV that isn't really necessary to this fond memory, but it does help. (It's listed at #9 here - http://www.ryanfanclub.com/archive/top11/rfcmilestones.html)
Cute Chelsea, who started emailing me frequently after finding me interesting enough for having my own fan club but not interesting enough to dump her boyfriend and be the first Mrs RFC, ordered in the Labyrinth soundtrack for me when HMV didn't have it.  I was ecstatic.  So much so, that the next day I did an art project with the kids at camp to try and re-create the "Stairs scene" from Labyrinth in 3D our of cardboard, glue, glitter, and Popsicle sticks. 

F-you, it looked pretty awesome when it was done.

Anyway, one of the girls who worked there with me asked if I was a big fan of Escher, who was the inspiration for that scene in the movie. Having not been very cultured yet, I looked at her kind of blankly, and told her I had been on a big Labyrinth kick and wanted to recreate that cool scene.

a bad sketch I did of the Goblin King in 1999

"Oh, so you're big Bowie fan," she responded.  "That's awesome.  So am I!"

I wasn't, remember.  I was really more of a Jon Bon Jovi fan, and certainly a huge Aerosmith fan.  But she was cool, and artsy, and super hot.  So I told her I was totally a big Bowie fan and that I was going to pick up the Labyrinth soundtrack that night. 

When I went to HMV for the soundtrack, I asked Chelsea for some Bowie help to try and impress this girl.  After laughing a little bit at me, she informed me that the girl from work would probably see right through me, and that I should stick to having Prince as my false idol.  I asked about a possible Bowie's Greatest Hits, and she just sighed a little and let me know I wasn't quite ready to be a Bowie fan.

She was right, and I've since never become a huge Bowie fan - though I bet if I did it would have impressed far more cute girls than my posters of Prince and Aerosmith ever did.  That's not to say I don't love Bowie's music.  I'm definitely that guy who bought the "Best of Bowie" collection from 2002 because, "those are the songs I know."

Still, I feel the sadness that my friends who truly loved Bowie's body of work are going through.  I know the day will come when Steven Tyler will die, and I'm sure on that day I will be an emotional wreck.  So I get it.

My favorite Bowie song?  Probably, "Little Wonder" or anything from the Labyrinth soundtrack.

So, good-bye to The Goblin King. 

- ryan