• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Alert

Westover Library Has Sunday Hours. More Info

Home - Arlington County Virginia - Logo
MENUMENU
  • Join Now
  • My Account
    • Login
    • Borrow, Renew, Return
    • Holds
    • About My Account
    • My eAccounts
  • Hours & Locations
    • All Hours & Locations
    • Holiday Closings
  • News
  • Contact Us

Arlington Public Library

MENUMENU
  • Search
      • Browse New
      • Browse All
  • Events
    • Arlington Reads
    • Featured Events
    • Calendar
    • On Demand Programs
  • eCollection
    • eAudiobooks
    • eBooks
    • Digital Magazines
    • Learning Tools
    • Research Tools
    • All eCollection
  • Research
    • Research Portal
    • Research Tools A-Z
    • Local History
  • Library Services
    • Accessibility Services
    • For Book Lovers
    • Garden Tool Library
    • Maker
    • Meeting Rooms
    • Notary
    • Public Computers
    • Teleconnect Space
    • More Services
  • Explore
    • Catalog
      • Catalog Search
      • Catalog Browse
      • Digital Archives
      • Borrowing Collections
      • Book Lists
    • Kids & Teens
      • For Babies and Preschoolers
      • For Elementary Schoolers
      • Middle and High Schoolers
    • Local History
      • Research Room
      • Community Archives
      • Online Exhibits
    • Support the Library
      • Donating Materials
    • Popular
      • Consumer Reports
      • Overdrive
    • EXPLORE MORE
  • Join Now
  • My Account
    • Login
    • Borrow, Renew, Return
    • Holds
    • About My Account
    • My eAccounts
  • Hours & Locations
    • All Hours & Locations
    • Holiday Closings
  • News
  • Contact Us

Director’s Blog: Golden Years

Published: January 14, 2016

dkglam

They put you down, they say I’m wrong

You tacky thing, you put them on

Rebel Rebel

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.  I have been feeling that way for the past few days while reading the many moving tributes to the late cultural icon, David Bowie.  I have been reminded, too of how much he had been a part of my life without actually being in my life.  Just a handful of years older then I, Bowie personified where I was or, more often, where I wanted to be through his many reinventions. There was Bowie the glam, Bowie the space oddity, Bowie the bi-, Bowie who fell to earth, Bowie the fashionista, Bowie the crooner, and Bowie the Warhol, his sly turn as the High Priest of Pop as if he needed another 15 minutes of “Fame.”

read

On vinyl, film, the stage, in the pages of glossies, on the arms of super-star models, Bowie was the protean taste shifter, the master of surprise, the eyebrow raiser, the envelope pusher. He always seemed to get “there” –wherever “there” was – ahead of everyone else.  When it was hip to be hip, he was the hippest; when cool was the thing, he was ice.  Imagine Bowie as Mr. Freeze instead of Schwarzenegger (“Holy ‘hasta la vista, baby’ Batman”).  Even the recent fuss over Jaden Smith (Will’s son) wearing a dress in an apparent nod to gender fluidity felt pretty “been there.”

David Bowie’s life was devoted to art and over many decades he shared the fruits of his curiosity with all of us.  One gift of his he may not have been conscious of sharing: the gift of courage.  Through his example, he showed all of us how to live a life of purpose and authenticity. How to believe in ourselves, especially when others don’t.  How to be a private person in a very public business.  How to court change and relish difference.  How to keep it real and fresh.  And how to keep on.

I read a few weeks ago about the release of his latest album – number 25, and thought, wow… good for him, still out there doing it.  And as I listen to it now, and realize it’s not the latest but the last, I feel privileged to have been a witness to a life well lived.  About his artistic journey, Bowie once said, “I don’t know where I’m going from here but I promise it won’t be boring.”

No, Mr. Jones. It wasn’t.

Golden Years.

Explore the bulk of Bowie’s stellar recordings, even the before-its-time Tin Machine, for free through hoopla. 

Don’t have an account? Create yours through the Library.

As to books, the Goblin King really enjoyed those too.

January 14, 2016 by Web Editor Filed Under: Director's Blog, News Tagged With: in Memoriam

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michael says

    January 14, 2016 at 4:07 PM

    https://youtu.be/Shnrnqx_wsY

    • Public Information Officer says

      January 14, 2016 at 4:17 PM

      Thanks for the link. We’ve added it. “Soul Train” had so many great guests and it didn’t matter what color you were or what planet you called home.

Footer

About Us

  • Mission & Vision
  • Center for Local History
  • News Room

Administration

  • Policies
  • Library Staff
  • Job Opportunities
  • Propose a Program

Support Your Library

  • Friends of the Library
  • Giving Opportunities
  • Donating Materials
  • Volunteer Opportunities

Our Mission

We champion the power of stories, information and ideas.

We create space for culture and connection.

We embrace inclusion and diverse points of view.

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. YouTube. Flickr. Newsletter.

download appDownload the Library App

Arlington County | Terms & Conditions | Accessibility | Site Map
· Copyright © 2023 Arlington County Government ·