DAVID BOWIE

FEATURE
DAVID BOWIE:
ARTIST, ICON,
JAPANOPHILE
BY ROB SCHWARTZ
If you’re interested in David Bowie, by now
you’ve probably read the multitudes of tributes
and seen all the accolades that have
been heaped on him after his untimely passing
on January 10 from liver cancer, at age 69.
Don’t worry: I couldn’t agree more with all
of those singing his praises. It’s hard to think
of a popular artist whose musical career is as
rich, as varied, and as accomplished as Bowie’s.
What’s more, his massive contributions span
so many fields and genres, from fashion, film,
and performance, to gay rights and gender issues—and
the list goes on. I don’t believe there
is any solo musical artist in the later decades
of the 20th century whose output, legend,
influence, and creative energy cumulatively can
compare with Bowie’s. For pure iconographic
power, the only solo artist who might spark
debate is Michael Jackson—with Elton John,
Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and Carlos
Santana getting honorable mention. In terms of
pure fame, Jackson probably outweighs Bowie;
but in terms of length of career, volume, and diversity
of quality output and, most importantly,
influence across genres, it’s all Bowie.
Being based in Japan, we have a special
connection to Bowie, who had an extraordinary
relationship with the country and the culture.
He clearly valued the traditions and was deeply
influenced by Japanese artistry.
David Bowie’s creative relationship with
Japan started when he studied dance in the
mid-1960s with the mime artist, dancer, and
choreographer Lindsay Kemp. Kemp was much
influenced by kabuki theater and the onnagata
style of men performing female roles—and
Bowie absorbed the influence.
This is evident on Bowie’s year-and-a-half
’72-73 world tour for the albums Ziggy Stardust
and the Spiders from Mars and Aladdin
Sane. The Ziggy face paint references kabuki
style, and the androgyny of onnagata is clear
throughout the performance. Though they had
yet to meet, Bowie adopted some of the clothes
of designer Kansai Yamamoto, through Yamamoto’s
assistant Yasuko Hayashi, for the tour
and the love affair with Japan was in full swing.
Indeed, Bowie’s lyrics in the eponymous song
about the glam spaceman include the line “like
some cat from Japan.”
Legendary Japanese guitarist Tomoyasu
Hotei notes, “As performance art, I think he
was greatly impacted by kabuki theater, and
this also had an influence on his fashion sense.”
In 1979, Bowie would use Yamamoto to design
his famous “Space Samurai” pants, which drew
inspiration from traditional hakama, worn by Japanese
martial artists and part of some traditional
Japanese formal wear. The relationship, both in
designing outfits for Bowie and a personal friendship,
would last the rest of Bowie’s life.
Bowie’s love of Japan led him to photographer
Masayuki Sukita, who would serve as
one of his main cameramen throughout his
career. Sukita shot the album jacket of Bowie’s
celebrated 1977 release Heroes. And then in
2012, the visual artist put out a 300-page book
of Bowie photos called Speed of Life.
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