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How David Bowie inspired Neil Gaiman’s iconic ‘Lucifer’
In terms of cultural potency, you don’t get much more legendary than David Bowie. The chameleonic, fluid and ultimately pioneering musician helped to bring us forward in countless ways, and today, some six years after his tragic passing, we can still see the effects of his work everywhere. Whether it be the kaleidoscopic style of Arca to the enchanting soundscapes of Björk, or even Aphex Twin’s off-kilter electronic noises, David Bowie’s presence permeates the contemporary world, and it is likely to do so for many years to come.
It is a testament to just how important his work has been that Bowie’s influence stretches far further than just the music. He’s inspired everyone from Elon Musk to the Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi and even did his bit in welcoming the fall of the Berlin Wall. Duly, it is arguable that Bowie is one of the most culturally significant artists of all time, existing in a realm that is occupied by only The Beatles and Bob Dylan.
Showing just how vast Bowie’s influence extends, it transpires that he inspired the creation of one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time. We’ve all heard of the character ‘Lucifer Morningstar’ from the TV show of the same name, however, the character played by Tom Ellis looks nothing like the original DC Comics character.
Created by the influential writer, Neil Gaiman, we were first introduced to the Lord of Hell in ‘Vol. 2, #4’ of Gaiman’s game-changing series, The Sandman. Much like many of the other characters in the incredibly dense series, Morningstar was based on a real-life musician: David Bowie. In the series, Lucifer eventually abandons the realm of fire and brimstone to have fun on Earth and runs a jazz bar called Lux.
Notably, in The Sandman, the protagonist ‘Dream’ is based on Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy, ‘Desire’ on Eurythmics heroine Annie Lennox, and ‘Delirium’ on Gaiman’s good friend Tori Amos. According to artist Kelley Jones, the cunning Lord of Hell was based on a couple of iconic looks David Bowie had in his early years.
“Neil was adamant that the Devil was David Bowie,” Jones told Vulture. “He just said, ‘He is. You must draw David Bowie. Find David Bowie, or I’ll send you David Bowie. Because if it isn’t David Bowie, you’re going to have to redo it until it is David Bowie.’ So I said, ‘Okay, it’s David Bowie'”.
The first time we meet Lucifer, he is sporting a blonde, curly-haired mop, and was clearly based on the look that the ‘Starman’ singer sported on the front of the 1969 record David Bowie and the 1970 compilation album The World of David Bowie. Then, as we watch Lucifer make his way to Earth, and take up residence as the proprietor of Lux, he is the spitting image of the cocaine-fuelled, dandy persona of the Thin White Duke that Bowie assumed in the mid-1970s.
Perhaps the best tribute to Bowie in existence, if you haven’t already read it, The Sandman is well worth picking up.
