Tony Visconti does not appreciate the Harry Styles and David Bowie comparisons
Everything about Harry Styles‘ solo career has been a homage to classic rock. From the way he struts onstage to the deep cuts on his albums, you can get a bit of influence from everyone from Paul Simon to Fleetwood Mac. If there’s one person that Styles has more than a little bit in common with, though, it’s David Bowie.
Like his hero, Styles has taken to wearing outlandish outfits to award ceremonies and even appearing in a dress during a handful of photo shoots like Bowie did on The Man Who Sold the World.
Although Styles made off like a bandit during the Grammys ceremony, one of Bowie’s close friends wasn’t too impressed with the former One Direction singer. Taking to social media, Tony Visconti was not that pleased with Styles being compared to Bowie, saying: “Someone just told me that Harry Styles is the new Bowie? From what I saw tonight he’s not worthy of shining his shoes.”
Although Visconti might not be a fan, it’s hard to deny Bowie’s influence on Styles. Just like the Starman, Styles has been committed to changing things up on every record, going from the pure classic rock of his debut to getting in tune with more prog-minded pop on Fine Line.
After turning in some Peter Gabriel-sounding pop, Harry House takes elements of the more danceable sides of rock and roll, like the Prince pastiche ‘Music For a Sushi Restaurant’ and makes his own version of a Phoenix song on ‘As It Was’.
Bowie isn’t even the first rock god Styles has been compared to. During the album rollout for Harry’s House, Mick Jagger sympathised with Styles saying: “He doesn’t have a voice like mine or move on stage like me; he just has a superficial resemblance to my younger self, which is fine — he can’t help that.”
Regardless of the critics, Styles has remained grateful for everything that’s brought him to where he is. After accepting his award for ‘Album of the Year’ last night, Styles remained diplomatic about his place in pop music, saying: “There is no such thing as ‘best’ in music. I don’t think any of us sit in studio thinking — making decisions based on what is going to get us one of these. This is really, really kind. I’m so, so grateful.”
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