Bowie: A Biography - JFK247

Corgan, Placebo’s Molko and Frank Black, surely
stood as a high point in one’s career and personal
life. It was the kind of seal of approval that Bowie
would soon distribute to yet another new wave of
bands (the Strokes, the Killers, TV on the Radio, the
aforementioned Arcade Fire), like the queen
handing out medals in velvet boxes. These later
bands were influenced by bands influenced by
bands influenced by David Bowie.
The after-party was held in Julian Schnabel’s
Greenwich Village apartment, with a beaming Bowie
greeting and thanking the performers and being
completely in his element as the center of all
attention. Shortly after his fifth birthday, Bowie
embarked on a tour of large theaters, intent on
building an interest in his new sound from more
modest-sized venues up. If he arrived at the drum
and bass party a bit late (and with the enthusiasm of
a fan rather than a maverick), it should be pointed
out that he was dead right about the technology, as
well as the rapidly developing delivery system for
music and information. It’s almost impossible to
imagine just how radical David Bowie’s website was
when it was first launched in the late summer of
1998. There had been Bowie-devoted websites up
and running. Teenage Wildlife, for one, launched as
early as 1994. But Bowienet, which was launched on
September 1, 1998, would be the first time an artist
of Bowie’s stature welcomed fans into his virtual
home. Earthling’s “Telling Lies” would be the first
digitally downloadable song offered by a major artist.