How William S Burroughs captivated David Bowie: “I’m definitely under his spell”
There are a number of musical periods that I’m jealous I didn’t get to see, and one of them is the rise of David Bowie. There’s a video circulating online of him performing ‘Space Oddity’ to an adoring (and likely intoxicated) crowd of onlookers, each of them gazing longingly at this otherworldly figure as Bowie sits in a chair and sings into a telephone. He was a true musical pioneer, and it must have been incredibly exciting to watch him early in his career.
Bowie didn’t just represent a new musician who was making it big; he was a representation of an exciting new period in music where artists could become more art-driven in their approach to music. This meant not just focusing on sound itself, but also thinking about fashion, image and style in a bid to create a whole character rather than just be the same musician putting out different music.
When Bowie died in 2016, it was cause for reflection, and fans spent the mourning period flicking through their record collections, enjoying the multiple personas of Bowie and revelling in his unrelenting creativity. He created well fleshed-out characters with depth and a sound that wonderfully complemented the person he had created.
It should hardly be a surprise that David Bowie was a big fan of literature. Half of the personas he created in pursuit of music could have their own novels written about them, so it’s hardly a surprise that he enjoyed immersing himself in a good story. It wasn’t enough for him to just enjoy reading standard stories, though; he had to feel emotionally invested in a character, becoming a part of their life.
One of the greatest authors when it came to creating stories that went against the grain but really submerged a reader deep into the heart of their story was William S Burroughs. He is often credited with being one of the pioneering writers behind the beat generation, which you can understand given the rhythm with which he wrote and his unconventional way of telling a story.
Bowie was a big fan, as he looked at the current art form and thought about the most effective ways he could change it. This is comparable to what Bowie did when he started making music, as he turned the industry on its head with how he approached making singles, albums and eras of music.
“I’m definitely under his spell,” admitted Bowie, “That guy messed me up when I first started reading him in the late ‘60s, and I’ve never gotten over it. That kind of writing and performance I can really throw myself into.”
Bowie no doubt had a number of influences throughout his career; you only need to look at his versatility to understand that. However, regardless of the style of music he was making, he always stayed close to storytelling and giving people a layered character that they could really invest in. Amongst a plethora of inspiration, Burroughs gave him the ability to create compelling stories with his music, and that’s an influence that can never be understated.
