Something Truly Unique
Ever since I became a fan, I've been fascinated by the strange postures Bowie adopts on stage. Many of them are all his own and have become a distinctive part of his public image and mystique.
Here is a collection of photos of some of these postures and my thoughts on them.
Backwards Arms
1.
Hands on hips with elbows facing forward instead of back.
2.
I haven't seen this posture used in any performance but Bowie's, and I'm not sure what, if anything, it might mean. It could possibly be a metaphor for a lost or confused person who doesn't know if he's facing forward or back.
3.
It certainly seems like it should have some planned meaning, the way his miming performances do, but I could also see it being something intuitive that he does on the spur of the moment. (Does anyone know if it's used during a particular song?)
4.
5.
6.
7.
Sumo Stance
8.
Standing, legs spread wide and bent 90 degrees (or near it) at the knee, back held straight. He sometimes hops forward in this position, and it is often combined with the backwards arms for a particularly uncomfortable-looking pose.
9.
This one seems to be inspired by Sumo. It only appears in his stage show after his first visits to Japan.
10.
There's a movement he does which is similar to this, where he walks forward in this position, swinging one leg forward, then the other, hands on thighs (elbows facing back/normal). It can be seen in Ziggy Stardust The Motion Picture, and I seem to recall that it is a movement from Kabuki theatre designed to express power.
11.
12.
13.
Here it is in motion! A weird thing to witness.
14.
15.
16.
17.
And here it is combined with...
Space Goggles!
18.
I'm pretty sure he didn't invent this one, but it's typical to him just the same. He uses it during the line "I'm a space invader" in Moonage Daydream.
19.
20.
???
21.
I'm not really sure what to call this one. One arm behind the back, one raised, both hands opening and shutting. I think he might also move sideways across the stage with this one, but I can't remember; I've only seen it maybe once or twice on film (anybody have a video link?).
22.
I have no guesses as to what this one might mean. It's almost like blinking stoplights or something.
23.
I think it originated around '76.
24.
25.
Motorcycle
26.
Knees bent low, as if seated, mic stand between legs like a vehicle, arms stretched out straight in front with hands gripping invisible handlebars.
27.
28.
29.
The Sighted Statue
30.
Frozen in place with one arm pointing far and high into the distance, gaze following arm, seeing something far away.
31.
This pose is used during The Width of A Circle, if I recall correctly. It can be seen in Ziggy Stardust the Motion Picture (which is generally a great movie that every Bowie fan should see! Don't watch it on YouTube, if you can avoid it. Go find it on eBay and watch it on a real TV. You'll thank yourself when you get eyeful after eyeful of scantily clad Ziggy in high resolution!).
31.5
The stillness he uses is very active. There is no movement in this pose, but it is riveting just the same. One feels as though something important is about to happen when he uses this posture.
32.
A variation on the above. This speaks to me of...
33.
...archery.
The Kick
34.
Bowie is very flexible and fond of doing very high kicks!
35.
I think of this as the Suffragette City kick, as he often uses it for punctuation at the end of the song when performing live.
36.
37.
Note the Ziggy Stardust boots. I hear he keeps many of his costumes.
38.
I can't help thinking of can-can dancers when I see a high kick like this.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
From Kether To Malkuth
44.
Here's one that can only be expressed well on film/video. One arm sweeps back and upward, then is brought down and forward to touch the ground. This movement represents the idea of "one magical movement from Kether to Malkuth", a lyric in Station To Station.
David was deeply interested in Kabbalism and other esoteric forms of mysticism from around 1975 onward, and this phrase is a Hebrew one which can be translated as 'from crown to kingdom'.
I haven't done a lot of research on this except to know the basic idea expressed, which seems to be 'As above, so below - As it is in the heavens, so it is on earth'. God is expressed in the human being.
http://www.crowndiamond.org/cd/ephesus.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~xristos/GoldenDawn/rituals06.htm
David Bowie is one of those rare people who is actually unique and does exactly as he pleases. This includes his stage performance. I can't think of any other pop music artist who is as strange, inventive, and original as he is. Long Live David Bowie!
This video of Suffragette City has the Motorcycle, Backwards Arms, the Sumo Stance, and the Kick! Very energetic, fun live performance!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIAZWzmOdf8
And here's a TV ad with excellent examples of the Sumo and Kick (beware, this ad is sort of terrifying - David looks like he's risen from the dead):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u61aNfdfwTs
Today (the 28th) until midnight PST is your last chance to enter the Bowie Trivia Contest!
http://community.livejournal.com/bowie_daily/1036060.html
Here is a collection of photos of some of these postures and my thoughts on them.
Backwards Arms
1.
Hands on hips with elbows facing forward instead of back.
2.
I haven't seen this posture used in any performance but Bowie's, and I'm not sure what, if anything, it might mean. It could possibly be a metaphor for a lost or confused person who doesn't know if he's facing forward or back.
3.
It certainly seems like it should have some planned meaning, the way his miming performances do, but I could also see it being something intuitive that he does on the spur of the moment. (Does anyone know if it's used during a particular song?)
4.
5.
6.
7.
Sumo Stance
8.
Standing, legs spread wide and bent 90 degrees (or near it) at the knee, back held straight. He sometimes hops forward in this position, and it is often combined with the backwards arms for a particularly uncomfortable-looking pose.
9.
This one seems to be inspired by Sumo. It only appears in his stage show after his first visits to Japan.
10.
There's a movement he does which is similar to this, where he walks forward in this position, swinging one leg forward, then the other, hands on thighs (elbows facing back/normal). It can be seen in Ziggy Stardust The Motion Picture, and I seem to recall that it is a movement from Kabuki theatre designed to express power.
11.
12.
13.
Here it is in motion! A weird thing to witness.
14.
15.
16.
17.
And here it is combined with...
Space Goggles!
18.
I'm pretty sure he didn't invent this one, but it's typical to him just the same. He uses it during the line "I'm a space invader" in Moonage Daydream.
19.
20.
???
21.
I'm not really sure what to call this one. One arm behind the back, one raised, both hands opening and shutting. I think he might also move sideways across the stage with this one, but I can't remember; I've only seen it maybe once or twice on film (anybody have a video link?).
22.
I have no guesses as to what this one might mean. It's almost like blinking stoplights or something.
23.
I think it originated around '76.
24.
25.
Motorcycle
26.
Knees bent low, as if seated, mic stand between legs like a vehicle, arms stretched out straight in front with hands gripping invisible handlebars.
27.
28.
29.
The Sighted Statue
30.
Frozen in place with one arm pointing far and high into the distance, gaze following arm, seeing something far away.
31.
This pose is used during The Width of A Circle, if I recall correctly. It can be seen in Ziggy Stardust the Motion Picture (which is generally a great movie that every Bowie fan should see! Don't watch it on YouTube, if you can avoid it. Go find it on eBay and watch it on a real TV. You'll thank yourself when you get eyeful after eyeful of scantily clad Ziggy in high resolution!).
31.5
The stillness he uses is very active. There is no movement in this pose, but it is riveting just the same. One feels as though something important is about to happen when he uses this posture.
32.
A variation on the above. This speaks to me of...
33.
...archery.
The Kick
34.
Bowie is very flexible and fond of doing very high kicks!
35.
I think of this as the Suffragette City kick, as he often uses it for punctuation at the end of the song when performing live.
36.
37.
Note the Ziggy Stardust boots. I hear he keeps many of his costumes.
38.
I can't help thinking of can-can dancers when I see a high kick like this.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
From Kether To Malkuth
44.
Click to viewHere's one that can only be expressed well on film/video. One arm sweeps back and upward, then is brought down and forward to touch the ground. This movement represents the idea of "one magical movement from Kether to Malkuth", a lyric in Station To Station.
David was deeply interested in Kabbalism and other esoteric forms of mysticism from around 1975 onward, and this phrase is a Hebrew one which can be translated as 'from crown to kingdom'.
I haven't done a lot of research on this except to know the basic idea expressed, which seems to be 'As above, so below - As it is in the heavens, so it is on earth'. God is expressed in the human being.
http://www.crowndiamond.org/cd/ephesus.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~xristos/GoldenDawn/rituals06.htm
David Bowie is one of those rare people who is actually unique and does exactly as he pleases. This includes his stage performance. I can't think of any other pop music artist who is as strange, inventive, and original as he is. Long Live David Bowie!
This video of Suffragette City has the Motorcycle, Backwards Arms, the Sumo Stance, and the Kick! Very energetic, fun live performance!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIAZWzmOdf8
And here's a TV ad with excellent examples of the Sumo and Kick (beware, this ad is sort of terrifying - David looks like he's risen from the dead):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u61aNfdfwTs
Today (the 28th) until midnight PST is your last chance to enter the Bowie Trivia Contest!
http://community.livejournal.com/bowie_daily/1036060.html