David Bowie: Starman

English review at the bottom"Todo el mundo era accesible, él era inalcanzable"David Bowie fue, y seguirá siendo, el camaleón del rock n 'roll. Es la prueba que no importa si usted no es, naturalmente, el mejor, si trabajas lo suficientemente duro puedes convirtirte en el mejor, ser más que un ídolo Ser una Leyenda. "Los buenos artistas copian, los genios roban."Él hizo todo lo que necesitaba hacer para se convirtirse en una estrella ¿era cruel? Probablemente, pero nadie se sintió herido [...]

Unlike most people who've reviewed this book online, I haven't already read five other David Bowie biographies. Till recently I didn't know a whole lot about the man, and had heard shockingly little of his work, especially considering that I first listened to a whole Bowie album in 1993 and I've always considered him inspiring and iconic in a somewhat abstract sense as well as hot.So whilst I can't compare this with other books about David Bowie, nor nitpick at the veracity of anecdotes, what [...]

A comprehensive, sympathetic recounting of David Bowie’s life and extensive career. Following Bowie’s recent death, I realized how little I knew about Bowie, and how shallow my knowledge of his music was. And yet, he’s been a constant presence in my life. I have his Changes greatest hits collection on vinyl, I’ve laughed at Bowie and Jagger trying to out outrageous each other in their video “Dancing in the Streets,” watched Bowie on MTV in his Let’s Dance video, and seen Bowie in t [...]

Two words, David Bowie. And its two words that i say to myself for the past 40 years or so. I wouldn't say I was obsessive about the man and his work, but for sure a fan. And I don't think he's a genius. I think he is a highly motivated hard worker who had to study his craft to become what he had become. Which, of course, is a great pop star - and an incredible singer. But also a wow gee songwriter. In other words he has the whole package.The theater world, the black american music world, the ga [...]

This book is fine for a basic year-by-year chronology of Bowie, but it seemed very skewed. Trynka leaves out really important controversies and moments throughout Bowie's life, as if it would hurt his overall thesis, which is: Bowie was someone who only thought of Bowie, and who used musicians and then dumped them. Interesting, since when Bowie died almost a year ago not a single person made any comment of the sort. He doesn't mention Angela Bowie's vicious tell-all (clearly because he interview [...]

This purports to be the "definitive" biography of David Bowie and is indeed hefty and pretty all-encompassing. Paul Trynka was the editor of Mojo magazine, which pioneered the legacy-expanding form of rock journalism in the UK from the mid-1990s. Bowie was certainly one of their faves, since they liked focusing in more depth on a particular album or phase of an artist's career and for this Bowie's phases were ideal. Does Starman deliver?Well, yes and no. Trynka is pretty thorough on his beginnin [...]

The best feeling in the world is to read a biography about some bloke you admire and discover despite occasional jerkish behavior, the bloke's not that bad. Heck, he may even be better than some folks you call friend.Reading this, I wanted to be David Bowie's buddy. I don't want to be an awestruck admirer (I'm not a fan: I refuse to get some of his sucky records because they suck and I don't own scraps of his Ziggy costumes); I want to be his bro. Show up at his door: "Hey David, let's get some [...]

Finished last weekend, and it was a good zippy read. The writing is good, concise for the most part although the author would benefit from tighter editing and proofing at times; also though on one level it's reassuring to have your own views on The Dame's career echoed (bit of a wet hippy start, let's ignore the mime, classic middle section, should have ended in a bizarre gardening accident no later than 'Scary Monsters'), but then again it would be good to have been shocked or surprised at time [...]

Paul Trynka's biography of David Bowie is pretty good, and at 544 pages, not overly long as far as rock bios go. It still took me a long time to get through it, though, because I'm reading six other books at the same time. Slow going.This book has a lot of detail -- sometimes too much -- while also leaving out a lot of detail on things. I found it interesting to see what the author chose to focus on and what he chose to virtually ignore. There's the requisite growing up period of the young Davy [...]

No soy muy dado a leer biografías, pero tenía la necesidad de saber más sobre David Bowie.Quizás una de las mis dudas más importantes sobre el libro, es que se centra más en su carrera artística que en la personal, sobre todo en la musical, dejando atrás o sobrevolando de pasada momentos mágicos de su vida. Me ha faltado más información, por ejemplo, de su actuación en “Dentro del Laberinto”, la cual apenas nombra.Otra de mis “decepciones” con la biografía es que no es “de [...]

"Aliens are immortal; that was what fans continued to believe in the months that followed David's 2oo3 heart attack " - Starman, TrynkaPaul Trynka's history of David Bowie's climb to success is really very good if you're looking for a "definitive" look-- or a pretty comprehensive one, anyway-- at what comprised BowieCorp International and how it came to be. His insider-ish account of all the clawing, scratching and meowing that was required to put Bowie on the Stadium Tour map of the world is fa [...]

I've mostly ignored David Bowie over the last 40 years. I managed to buy one of his Tin Machine cassettes 20 years ago and a live Tin Machine C.D I bought it for the band - not the singer. So I thought I would tackle this Freakin' Huge biography (532 pages), just so I could read about the few guitar players of his I enjoy: They are Mick Ronson, Earl Slick, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Reeves Gabriel (on occasion?), and Peter Frampton (Robert Fripp did some crap with him too, as did Adrian Belew). Without [...]

In "Starman", Paul Trynka paints a compelling portrait of David Bowie and shows his obvious love for the Dame with his impeccably researched facts and anecdotes that covers Bowie's many reinventions over his career and explores his personal life without being trashy and gossipy. The author interviewed many people close to Bowie from his boyhood to present day including personal insights from Mick Ronson. Included at the back is a definitive notes section and reviews of his albums. (I take issue [...]

I'm a big Bowie fan, but I've never known much of his personal life, so I cannot compare the balance of this book with reality. It seems well-cited and full of references and personal interviews. It has a general tone of fairness, and the author seems to like and sympathize with Bowie, despite presenting some skepticism of Bowie's public persona. What I enjoyed most while reading this was a detailed focus on the production of many of my favorite albums. Listening to each recording after reading [...]

It's no secret that David Bowie is one of my idols. So, naturally, I knew I'd love David Bowie: Starman. I learned a lot about the man and found this book to be an easy, engaging read. But having said that, the author is clearly infatuated with Bowie, which sometimes clouds his objectivity.Listen, I love Bowie, but he could be a real dick. This book sometimes touches upon that side of the man, but usually paints him in a much more positive light. If it wasn't for this, I'd be giving the book a f [...]

3'5 Estrellas

While I consider myself a big fan of David Bowie, I find reading about his career rather dull - at least until Low anyway. This book is written by a fan of his seventies work who barely tolerates everything else; this reflects most people's view of Bowie, but I find it alienating. I'm far more interested in the lunacy of the megastar and the Renaissance of the nineties. I also think this book is poorly written on a technical level, jumping about from quote to quote without a logical progression, [...]

Biografia Davida Bowiego to przykład profesjonalnego podejścia do tematu, ale przytłaczająca drobiazgowość autora może zniechęcić przypadkowego czytelnika tej pozycji. Dla fanów muzyka prawdziwa gratka i świadectwo jego niezwykłego dorobku artystycznego.

I have just reread this book, having read it once before in 2012. It is still one of the best bio's around. Well written, beautifully researched, no hype, no tabloid style. Quality.David Bowie is my hero, and he's gone now, but he bowed out with such grace and dignity. In death, as in life, he showed the way really. The first single I bought with my own pocket money was Bowie. Rebel, Rebel. I was nine and under the influence of a Bowie-obsessed uncle who was only a teenager himslef then, the doo [...]

A very, very in-depth account of one of the most brilliant and iconic artists of the last 50 years. Trynka was a little too harsh on Bowie's early years, and a little too easy on his later commercial years. I wish the book would have delved deeper into his personal influences and relationships - it was a tantalizingly close yet ultimately unrevealing look at the man himself. But boy howdy do you get every single detail of his recording process and musical collaborators. This book is for giant Bo [...]

Good book, however it lost one star because he only gives one single sentence - in parenthesis! - to the movie Labyrinth and never breathes a word about the album, not even in the discography in the back. A very glaring omission considering it was a gateway for another generation of Bowie fans. The epilogue is well written - realistic, but still allows for a small glimmer of hope for more to come.

My friend had a week left before this was due - so I only managed the first quarter of the biog - loved learning of his early days of one-track-minded ambition with more charm and charisma than skill in not-so-easy East End London. I'd no idea he was in so many small blues/R&B cover bands. Will get back to this once it comes around on my library hold list.

Činjenice, činjenice, činjenice i činjenice.To je ono što donosi ova knjiga. Ali među činjenicama ima taman toliko emocija, koje objašnjavaju koliki je genije Bowie.

You don't get them more detailed or complete than this.

It was like every time something negative was said or implied about bowie, there would be a quick follow up sentence stating something to the effect of "but he wasn't how that just sounded". Very strange. Definitely see him as more than a random famous dude now. I really only know his singles, but it was neat to hear them playing in my head as I read about how they came to be.Kind of neat to see all the connections he had with other people who later became well known celebrities. Interesting tha [...]

A very detailed biography. My one criticism is that the first 300 pages take you to around 1980, the the last 100 pages cover 1980-2013. I wanted more pages dedicated to 1980 onward. Would like to see the book updated with the last few years of Bowie's life included.

This was a great insight into Bowie. I read it back to back with Paul Trynka’s “Open Up And Bleed” about Iggy Pop (recommended), because it fills in the details of their working relationship and timelines that each of the books don’t cover.Recommended reading

An incredible biography of the cultural icon that is (and was) David Bowie.Paul Trynka genius as a writer is he is able to get to the heart of who David bowie was a a cultural musician icon.

Lot of facts, a bit boring.

Ágil biografía. Aunque bastante partidaria del duque blanco. Llega hasta 2010. Habrá que esperar la actualización con la época hasta su muerte.