This comment section is wild, I've seen people call Bowie a hardcore Christian, a complete atheist, an agnostic, a Buddhist, a magick practicing warlock, a cultist, and a hermetic something or other. Maybe, just maybe, none of you know what religion Bowie was, and you're all just guessing.
"...I'm not quite an atheist and it worries me. There's that little bit that holds on: "Well, I'm almost an atheist. Give me a couple of months."" Blackstar is very obvious that he finally reached that point.
Cool video. I'm impressed with it. I also just lost my husband 2 weeks ago. He chose to die at home. It was terrible to watch him suffer but caring for him was a back breaking labor of love I was honored to do for the man who took care of me for 29 years. Fly high Leonard and David and Jeff 🙏🧚♀️⚘💕
The freaky thing after Blackstar is No Plan. It's like Bowie (as immortalized by his legacy, not the person) speaks from a certain form of afterlife, no longer existing as a person but existing as something else. In addition, the vinyl sleeve for No Plan EP is an octogram with the lowest point longer than the rest, suggesting some sort of "rise". If Blackstar is about his death, No Plan is him resurrecting as a different entity altogether.
Bowie and Cohen are gems of the Earth. Both gave us Irony , satire , sarcasm and suspiciously pleasurable ,emotions to deal with. But apart from that , really interesting and talented nice people whom I adore for their artistic contributions to those who continue
I cried like crazy when he died. I remember I ordered that album, then saw the Lazarus video, which made me really anxious and the next day I learned that he passed away... That was in the middle of my personal bad experience and it was very devastating. 2 days after that I went to put a candle and a bunch of flowers by the place in downtown Manhattan, where he used to live. I was rather shocked by the fact how small that place was, squeezed between 2 stores, while, in London, there was a huge space where people placed flowers, candles, artworks etc.. There were murals commemorating David and so on. Yet, in NY, where he had lived for so many years, there was just a 5 to 10 meters space where people could place their things....
My number one hero artist is Bowie, the second is Leonard Cohen, and the third is a super talented Spanish composer "Joaquin Sabina", the three of them have written about death and the way they accept it, but still in their epitaph seems it's written "I strongly disagree"
Being a dragon, my perspective might be a little skewed, but I do believe it's possible that Mr. Cohen isn't addressing God as an external entity in "You Want It Darker", rather he is addressing the collective mind of the human species as the deciding factor for its own fate. He doesn't come across as so pathetic a man as to resign himself to hope. Could he be asking YOU, the listener, if you want it (culture) darker than it currently is? He has seen how bad it has already become and is ready for death. He's played his hand as best he could, and now it's up to the people. It's up to YOU if you worship the light or the darkness. You make this choice in every action, every breath, every thought. Choose wisely.
Buddhism was definitely one of Bowie's spiritual paths. But I think it's worth mention that Leonard Cohen, alhough Jewish, also spent time in a Zen Buddhist monastery in the 90's. That's the great thing about Buddhism - it makes no demand that it be your only spiritual path. (Says the Zen agnostic.)
You want it darker , is brilliant, I bought the album before Cohen passed, and actually googled Heneni when I heard it, as for dark star, again brilliant
Cohen was a student of Zen, Bowie of Chungyam Trungpa Rinpoche for a time, both Buddhadharma linneages and not thestic in any way. As a buddhist myself i do not seek refuge from death, i have given up, there is none, i explore living beyond the narrow confines of egoic definition. As fellow buddhists these artists explored," what dies?" able to live in the discomfort of no answers, able to live and maybe even die comfortable in paradox. Here i am but i never was.
Fantastic video. All this Bowie talk reminded me of his album Heathen. I think a deep dive into the title track and "I would be your slave" would be great. Especially as a follow up to the subject matter in this video.
Leonard was primarily a Kabbalist. Bowie was obviously drenched in Thelemic knowledge. "One absorbs little, and is called white and glistening. One absorbs all, and is called black." (Aleister Crowley) "Every man and every woman is a star." (A.C. again). May we all become Blackstars...
I’d have added the fact of the outfit Bowie is wearing in the video for “Lazarus”, and other symbolism there, but I understand why it maybe didn’t fit. Same outfit that he wore in the photos for ‘Station To Station’, an album packed with reference to mysticism, the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life, etc, so I found it interesting seeing that symbolism returning here, when he truly was moving “from Kether to Malkuth”….
I'm in no way equipped to argue with you. But id like to point out sth. I find quite obvious: Bowie cries "I'm a black star!" → (★) ← A black star is one, which doesn't shine nor reflect any light(for whatever reason). Bowie is a star alright ( he WILL be remembered), but a black star, in a black(dark) sky, is invisible. It might as well not be there at all. ... Like I said, I lack the knowledge you have. So I wonder, whether you, or anyone, will attempt to decipher this possible metaphor, of being, or having been, a black ★ - in a black sky ?
I think this captures Leonard Cohen wonderfully. I'm not so sure about David Bowie. The songs are so different as to be opposites. "You Want It Darker" is transparent. Cohen is challenging God about pain, death, and suffering. There's an implicit reference to the Holocaust. It's an existential cry. It's also universal, regardless of the song's explicitly Jewish context. Cohen's "hineini" is a counterpoint to the challenges. The questions remains, but he willingly submits to God. This much is apparent from the song itself, never mind Leonard Cohen's life and beliefs. "Blackstar" is entirely different. Cohen is transparent, Bowie is opaque, That may be Major Tom, or not. That could be a Bible, or something else entirely. The dancing looks like possession. The crucifixion, if that's what it is, (what is that thing that's approaching the victims?), is so far from the Christian vision as to be, appropriately, from another planet. Obviously Bowie is using these images since they are bound to resonate. But they're divorced from our context and understanding. All in all, Blackstar is far from hopeful. It's nightmarish. I suspect that's the source: Bowie's nightmares. The video compares well with the darkest Surrealists. It also reminds me, (a lot!), of Goya's Black Paintings: bigthink.com/culture-religion/mystery-of-the-black-paintings I suspect that we will never know what Blackstar is about, primarily because Bowie didn't know either.
Major Tom is Bowie. Space Oddity represents Bowie's take off into stardom. Ashes to ashes: Represents Major Tom as a junkie, Bowie's cocaine addiction starting in the Ziggy era. Blackstar is the death of major Tom, his life long character followed by the man. Same way he killed Ziggy, The rise and FALL of Ziggy Stardust and the spiders from Mars.
I thought this was a fine video until that music you decided to use (not Cohen) seeped through. Why did you go with that? Also you say Cohen studied Judaism his whole life...? Except for the time he spent in a Zen monastery. How many years was that? Anyway, I almost liked it.
Because Lazarus wasn’t written for Blackstar. It was written for the Lazarus musical as a song for Thomas Jerome Newton. It wasn’t sung from Bowie’s own perspective.
I honestly believe that there is more to Cohen's Epitaph. Judging by his journey - as an artist as well as a human, he shows not just angst. Cohen confronted a variety of philosophies and captured these beautifully - as early as his quasi-existential 'Suzanne' to somewhat Buddhist influenced late albums, 'You want it Darker' forms a really compelling finale for his whole career. It is a fine finale for a man who has lived through a lot - and accepts troubles of fate, the life itself with all the heavy baggage. Just as it says - he is READY to accept miserable human life in all it's forms, moreover - on his own terms.
kompstrumpcziwadze Well said. I feel this video-analysis really missed the mark and that the writer is not understanding the song album or artist from a Jewish perspective the way he understands Bowie from a Christian one. I don’t expect him to start studying Talmud but all the same, he could have done a lot more. Jonathan Sacks for example did a moving short video on the Cohen song which was a great introduction to the themes; perhaps Polyphonic will (re-)do a video on Cohen in future.
@@acchaladka I also felt the Cohen part was lacking. Cohen has always held a place in my musical heart. I first heard him in a movie about teen angst. 'Everybody Knows'. I was a teen and it spoke to me but for some time it was the only song of his I listened to. Couple of years later at around 18-19 I rediscover what I consider classic Cohen. Suzanne, Sisters of Mercy, Chelsea Hotel, Who by the fire, etc. At the time I was into underground electronic music. It was 1997 but Cohen was the soundtrack of my first relationship. I was listening and re listening to his songs and amazed at how everytime the beauty of his writing touched me. After that, years were hard for me. I didn't listen to much music. Jump to 2012 on a cold early spring morning. I had spent the night at a rave and I was walking on Ste-Catherine in Montreal when I notice a sharply dressed man crossing the street. Loafers, jacket, scarf and fedora. I recognize him but I also recognize that he is not Cohen at that moment. He is Leonard, so all I say is 'Good morning mister Cohen' and he nods. Couple years later I was running an Airbnb corner St-Dominique and Marianne in Montreal. From my balcony I could see his front door but I ignored he lived there until I hear the news of his passing. With many others we held vigil in the park in front of his place. Flowers and candles by the hundreds but also oranges and incense. A testament to his spiritual quest and curiosity. As I was taking a panoramic picture Bird on a wire was playing and a radio someone had left amongst the offerings. As I left So Long Marianne was playing and I look up to see that Marianne street has been unofficially renamed.
as a musician, this video was truly in all senses beautiful in how you dug deeper into the songs of these amazing artists and beyond scratched the surface of bigger questions of a bigger picture. needless to say I'm hooked on this channel now
Cohen will always be one of the greatest, accepting darkness as part of life. Him and Johnny Cash, man. Then balanced by rock n roll artists like Elvis and Bowie just make the best of both worlds.
Great work! On Black Star, I think Bowie is hyper aware of the idea that great artists are supposed to be outliers that serve an important place in society as a whole. Great artists help us explore and evolve as individuals and a society, and Bowie understands that he is one link in that chain. Because he falls, it makes room for an artist of equal influence, a star of equal magnitude to rise in his place.
Listen to Cohen's posthumous CD "Thanks For The Dance" recorded soon after "You Want It Darker" gained some momentum. He realized that he still had more to say...and he said it. His son Adam produced it. Watch the video "Leonard Cohen "The Story of Thanks for The Dance" to get a full appreciation for this new album.
It’s not exactly a deep analysis though and he keeps referring it to Christianity. Rav Jonathan Sacks of England did an amazing tribute to the Cohen song, worth checking out.
Blackstar was so packed with symbolic imagery that it's hard to call it all out in one go. Bowie in the attic - represents what we do with old "unwanted" possessions. We put them out of sight, out of mind in the attic. He's saying "I may be old, but I've still got something to say". The skull is an obvious nod to Bowie's alter-ego (as mentioned in the video) Major Tom, or perhaps Ziggy himself. His bejeweled skull is foreign to the inhabitants of the planet. They revere it, but don't fully understand what it is. The three scarecrows - obviously represent the crucifixions that took place on cyanide hill, and later in the video are shown being unable to protect the house in which Bowie resides from the darkness that is coming for him. Showing that religion can not save you from the inevitability of death.
People continue to baffle with their limited understandings of God and religion, it’s...akin to watching a child throw a tantrum when they don’t get their way. The idea of “save” and “death” are words being used in a way that belong to a confined (and perhaps ungrateful) perspective, along with painfully limited experience.
I hadn't picked up the Attic symbolism. Interesting. The attic is where we put our obsolete goods, and it is where we, or our children, go and explore and find the treasures.
There is something that haunts me in the song Lazarus. One of my favorite short stories, by Rubén Darío, is called Bluebird (el pájaro azul), which deals with the same topic (what I am about to say is a big spoiler, so if you want to read the tale do it before. It is pretty short anyway) A bluebird as this inspiration trapped in our head that can only be free when we die and its cell is open (in the tale by blowing your brains out). It is just mere speculation, I know. But each time I hear the song I can but wonder, if Bowie knew about the story and also believed as many others the art to be eternal and free after our death.
He took a lot of inspiration from books. Every so often, I still will find a line in a random book I’m reading that I instantly recognize as a Bowie lyric. It’s entirely possible.
"Hineni" is Samuel's answer to God's calling to him in Shilo (even though he believes it's Eli the high priest calling)...this was my first association when hearing this haunting song.
I sometimes wonder if commenting on old post is worth anything. Bowie was an occultist. The music industry is a club for them. Only members stay in the game. Only the willing may join.
there is no religion in God. He gave simple instruction, one command in the Garden and it was broken/not followed. so many lose the perspective of God when they place "religion" upon Him. That came from man, not God. You cannot conveniently put God in your back pocket and pull Him out to blame for how the world turned out. He created this place for us, and look what we've done to it. God did not do any of the crap we have done here. Accountability and responsibility are on us. Just as belief/faith is also a choice. (again I emphasize, NOT RELIGION). Faith in the Jewish Messiah Yeshua Jesus is Helpful in knowing God. In fact, the Only Way to know Him. Amen! So I will suggest, lose religion to find God. He didn't come for a religion, a building, a denomination...He came for His Creation! Which would be us, humans! Not what our hands have made, but what His Hands have made. Two men who clearly knew not God, but the religion of men, which confuses men (mankind). Two men who amongst many, who struggled with their fate. A fate that will come for us all. Sin in the world creates the suffering of men (mankind), which has nothing to do with God. It has everything to do with mans fall away from God. Which man (mankind) has been doing since the Garden. Enter in Jesus Yeshua, and we have reconciliation back to God! What began in a man, needed to end in One. Jesus! Thank God today! He is Good!
It's not the tree of knowledge, is the tree of good and evil. When Adam and Eve tasted became self aware and ashamed of themselves. This is to say, they became moral. Read it is in the first paragraph of the Genesis.
You're quite the Bowie fan. I appreciate that you don't over-analyze the Blackstar video as some others do, saying it's a 'ritual' and anti-Christian (which to me wouldn't matter as a Noahide..)
I think that David showed us is the complete dignity we can face our death with. I know he was sad because he would be leaving Iman and jis family. I know when my death comes I will think of David. I still miss him.
Let's forget all the intellectual analysis, at the end; they were two artists who have expressed themselves throughout their lives and continued to do so until the end. It wa their emotional outlet, to purge themselves. May they be in peace and overuse our struggle in these COVID days, COVID the mass murderer!!!!!
@ POLYPHONIC, Thanks for a thought-provoking video. Just to mention, Bowie did have an interest in the spiritual , throughout his life. He was not a religious man, but when he was young, he studied and practiced Buddhism for some time. The Swedish word for Snake (the Snake temple imagery) is interesting. Bowie escaped his life threatening drug addictions by moving to Switzerland, and at that time, he needed to cut off a lot of his previous life. A kind of death. He wore a cross during his previous Berlin years, and for quite a few years afterwards, and he did study Christianity for some time. The song Word on a Wing is evidently about prayer and with a Christian heritage feel. I don't know if he ever believed in god, but he needed spirituality.
It would be wrong to say that Bowie was never religious. In the 1960's he came close to becoming a Buddkist monk (and was cremated in a Buddhist ceremony), while in the late 70's and early 80's overtly spoke about Jesus/God, and in his Live Aid appearance led the audience in a recital of the Lord's Prayer. It may be that he never consistently was religious, but he certainly explored the concept and his relatonship to it throught his life.
In other words, LC and DJ/B are acting out their sceptical Judeo-Christian monotheism and their pagan if that's the right word nihilistic agnostic pantheism respectively? But they both have integrity about it (aka stubbornness or true grit). Which one do you believe, kids? The hope in the face of ignorance or the defiance in the face of despair?
+ Polyphonic While I do not agree to all your conclusions... you’re analyzing two artists I’ve listened to and tried to understand for at least 35 years, I DO appreciate your sincere effort. Well done, I’m a subscriber now. + MrLyvik: The Villa of Ormen could also mean a house in the Norwegian hamlet Ørmen. Bowie had a girlfriend starring a movie being shot in that very region back in 1969. And yes, the word, in English spelling (O for Ø) also means the snake/serpent in Nordic languages. And it could be a reference to Jörmungandr, the World Serpent from our Nordic mythology. Etc. Etc. So very Bowie.
We can't find immortality in the fact that people are gonna remember us. Because eventually all humans that ever remembered us are gonna suffer the same fate as we do. Thus Memories and Concepts are mortal aswell.
This comment section is wild, I've seen people call Bowie a hardcore Christian, a complete atheist, an agnostic, a Buddhist, a magick practicing warlock, a cultist, and a hermetic something or other. Maybe, just maybe, none of you know what religion Bowie was, and you're all just guessing.
He listed some of his spiritual beliefs in one interview - including pottery
Bowie was a mystery. I love him
"...I'm not quite an atheist and it worries me. There's that little bit that holds on: "Well, I'm almost an atheist. Give me a couple of months."" Blackstar is very obvious that he finally reached that point.
@@chopsueykungfu I feel that way too! But are you saying he ended up an atheist?
@@melizmatea he ended up a Buddhist, complete with funeral arrangements. There is no deity in Buddhism.
Cool video. I'm impressed with it. I also just lost my husband 2 weeks ago. He chose to die at home. It was terrible to watch him suffer but caring for him was a back breaking labor of love I was honored to do for the man who took care of me for 29 years. Fly high Leonard and David and Jeff 🙏🧚♀️⚘💕
The freaky thing after Blackstar is No Plan. It's like Bowie (as immortalized by his legacy, not the person) speaks from a certain form of afterlife, no longer existing as a person but existing as something else. In addition, the vinyl sleeve for No Plan EP is an octogram with the lowest point longer than the rest, suggesting some sort of "rise". If Blackstar is about his death, No Plan is him resurrecting as a different entity altogether.
Interesting. I haven't listened to it yet, I'll have to check it out.
Yes, it was a remarkable piece of art. It hurt me and healed me so much.
Exactly. When I first heard it, I couldn't help but become teary-eyed because we thought "shit, Bowie planned everything."
It was simply his hew persona.
Did you know the day after Bowie passed astronomers found what may be a new planet in our solar system?
Two months on TH-cam and you have 31k subscribers. There's a reason for that. Great job
This channel is beyond excellent - absolutely blown away
God to Cohen arriving in Heaven :
- *Truth is... The game was rigged from the start*
Always has been.....
Bowie and Cohen are gems of the Earth. Both gave us Irony , satire , sarcasm and suspiciously pleasurable ,emotions to deal with. But apart from that , really interesting and talented nice people whom I adore for their artistic contributions to those who continue
...and Cave. Nick Cave. Still with us so listen up :D
Soo the Bowie part made me cry, out of all people i wish he could jsut keep living
Me too...but when your time is up, your time is up. No takebacks, no extensions...and deep down, I think he did understand that.
I cried like crazy when he died. I remember I ordered that album, then saw the Lazarus video, which made me really anxious and the next day I learned that he passed away... That was in the middle of my personal bad experience and it was very devastating.
2 days after that I went to put a candle and a bunch of flowers by the place in downtown Manhattan, where he used to live. I was rather shocked by the fact how small that place was, squeezed between 2 stores, while, in London, there was a huge space where people placed flowers, candles, artworks etc..
There were murals commemorating David and so on. Yet, in NY, where he had lived for so many years, there was just a 5 to 10 meters space where people could place their things....
My number one hero artist is Bowie, the second is Leonard Cohen, and the third is a super talented Spanish composer "Joaquin Sabina", the three of them have written about death and the way they accept it, but still in their epitaph seems it's written "I strongly disagree"
How can someone not like Cohen and Bowie? Diamond dogs tour is just heaven. And the thin White duke live... Crazy classics
This was great!
I saw a Bowie tribute show yesterday, and I went to Cohen’s house when he died. Thank you for this.
Being a dragon, my perspective might be a little skewed, but I do believe it's possible that Mr. Cohen isn't addressing God as an external entity in "You Want It Darker", rather he is addressing the collective mind of the human species as the deciding factor for its own fate. He doesn't come across as so pathetic a man as to resign himself to hope. Could he be asking YOU, the listener, if you want it (culture) darker than it currently is? He has seen how bad it has already become and is ready for death. He's played his hand as best he could, and now it's up to the people. It's up to YOU if you worship the light or the darkness. You make this choice in every action, every breath, every thought. Choose wisely.
Sun Dragon Records e
Your perspective isn't skewed,it's spot on.
It’s true
My understanding as well. That november with elections...
Yessssss 🙌🏽
Also Bowie was always spiritual - you could say he was into alternative religion
Kiran Evetts was going to say this. Even though he wasnt so much into organised religion, all his work is deeply informed by spirituality.
maybe its individuality he has always been, many artists, musicians etc. flow in that aspect
He was Buddhist if I’m not mistaken.
Buddhism was definitely one of Bowie's spiritual paths. But I think it's worth mention that Leonard Cohen, alhough Jewish, also spent time in a Zen Buddhist monastery in the 90's. That's the great thing about Buddhism - it makes no demand that it be your only spiritual path. (Says the Zen agnostic.)
he was a Buddhist for a while and was treated as a Buddhist when he died
You want it darker , is brilliant, I bought the album before Cohen passed, and actually googled Heneni when I heard it, as for dark star, again brilliant
Cohen was a student of Zen, Bowie of Chungyam Trungpa Rinpoche for a time, both Buddhadharma linneages and not thestic in any way. As a buddhist myself i do not seek refuge from death, i have given up, there is none, i explore living beyond the narrow confines of egoic definition. As fellow buddhists these artists explored," what dies?" able to live in the discomfort of no answers, able to live and maybe even die comfortable in paradox. Here i am but i never was.
Excellent Video! Thanks!
That may be the best explanation of the Blackstar video I've heard. well done.
Fantastic video. All this Bowie talk reminded me of his album Heathen. I think a deep dive into the title track and "I would be your slave" would be great. Especially as a follow up to the subject matter in this video.
This is good - quality work. Well done my friend.
Really well done video, hits home, thank you!
Probably doesn’t need to be said but "a crow looked at me" is another meditation on the theme in a different way
Leonard was primarily a Kabbalist. Bowie was obviously drenched in Thelemic knowledge. "One absorbs little, and is called white and glistening. One absorbs all, and is called black." (Aleister Crowley) "Every man and every woman is a star." (A.C. again). May we all become Blackstars...
The intro song is fourban by pracs
I wonder if Bowie and Leonard Cohen ever met? I wish that they could have collaborated on a couple songs.
Too much overload of brilliance; what would we do??? We'd all collapse on the spot. Y'know a safety hazard.;)
Great work, i'd love a video about John Frusciante's music and lyrics
David bowie's view on death reminded me of Foscolo's "Dei sepolcri".
Sir, this video was truly amazing!
Great vids - keep them coming :)
We all need to appreciate Leonard, fantastic artist, musician and human, he is a man with a direct connection to my brain, heart and soul
I’d have added the fact of the outfit Bowie is wearing in the video for “Lazarus”, and other symbolism there, but I understand why it maybe didn’t fit. Same outfit that he wore in the photos for ‘Station To Station’, an album packed with reference to mysticism, the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life, etc, so I found it interesting seeing that symbolism returning here, when he truly was moving “from Kether to Malkuth”….
Well done. Thank you.
Nothing can compare with Leonard Cohen's lyrics, of his feelings and beliefs!
My two favorite musician, artistically they both met at death.
Dude! you are really good at this job you have invented for yourself.
please do wild beasts , porches , lost in the trees , other lives
That cohen guy has fucking terrifying voice
Fantastic!
Villa of Ormen is an anagram for "lover of Iman".
Look up Tom Clark's theory *Generic Subjective Continuity* it's about what happens after death.
I'm in no way equipped to argue with you.
But id like to point out sth. I find quite obvious: Bowie cries
"I'm a black star!" → (★) ← A black star is one, which doesn't shine nor reflect any light(for whatever reason).
Bowie is a star alright ( he WILL be remembered), but a black star, in a black(dark) sky, is invisible.
It might as well not be there at all.
...
Like I said, I lack the knowledge you have.
So I wonder, whether you, or anyone, will attempt to decipher this possible metaphor, of being, or having been, a black ★ - in a black sky
?
Bowie was a Buddhist for a while and was treated as a Buddhist when he died
I think this captures Leonard Cohen wonderfully. I'm not so sure about David Bowie. The songs are so different as to be opposites. "You Want It Darker" is transparent. Cohen is challenging God about pain, death, and suffering. There's an implicit reference to the Holocaust. It's an existential cry. It's also universal, regardless of the song's explicitly Jewish context. Cohen's "hineini" is a counterpoint to the challenges. The questions remains, but he willingly submits to God. This much is apparent from the song itself, never mind Leonard Cohen's life and beliefs.
"Blackstar" is entirely different. Cohen is transparent, Bowie is opaque, That may be Major Tom, or not. That could be a Bible, or something else entirely. The dancing looks like possession. The crucifixion, if that's what it is, (what is that thing that's approaching the victims?), is so far from the Christian vision as to be, appropriately, from another planet. Obviously Bowie is using these images since they are bound to resonate. But they're divorced from our context and understanding.
All in all, Blackstar is far from hopeful. It's nightmarish. I suspect that's the source: Bowie's nightmares. The video compares well with the darkest Surrealists. It also reminds me, (a lot!), of Goya's Black Paintings:
bigthink.com/culture-religion/mystery-of-the-black-paintings
I suspect that we will never know what Blackstar is about, primarily because Bowie didn't know either.
Oh I so so love this
Major Tom is Bowie. Space Oddity represents Bowie's take off into stardom. Ashes to ashes: Represents Major Tom as a junkie, Bowie's cocaine addiction starting in the Ziggy era. Blackstar is the death of major Tom, his life long character followed by the man. Same way he killed Ziggy, The rise and FALL of Ziggy Stardust and the spiders from Mars.
this.
MESSIAH by HELENA SOFTLEY.......google it...or it's on Spotify.
I thought this was a fine video until that music you decided to use (not Cohen) seeped through. Why did you go with that?
Also you say Cohen studied Judaism his whole life...? Except for the time he spent in a Zen monastery. How many years was that? Anyway, I almost liked it.
It's specifically the Mourner's Kaddish, and it's pronounced kaa-dish, not cad-ish, just for future reference.
Bowie and Cohen fan here. Just because people make great music and art doesn't mean they always have great insight or wisdom on every subject.
insight and wisdom
great or small
I appreciate
especially when it comes from the depths of the person and his experiences
The Dog thing, don't think too hard.)
God gives us freedom to chose. It's a gift.
I think no matter how strong your faith , we all, as fallen humans,have questioned the judgement of God. I think that is only part of being human.
Can singers today able to write lyrics in this level?
Fukn Bowie...... He's alright ...I took the skull as being Ziggy Stardust.
Listen to Thomas,
and you shall not taste death
if you perceive The Word.
III Elijah
Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah halleluuuujah
Lazarus.. that is really the song of reflection, letting go, acceptance, and death. I'm surprised you didn't go with that one.
Yes, and no plan.
Because Lazarus wasn’t written for Blackstar. It was written for the Lazarus musical as a song for Thomas Jerome Newton. It wasn’t sung from Bowie’s own perspective.
I honestly believe that there is more to Cohen's Epitaph. Judging by his journey - as an artist as well as a human, he shows not just angst. Cohen confronted a variety of philosophies and captured these beautifully - as early as his quasi-existential 'Suzanne' to somewhat Buddhist influenced late albums, 'You want it Darker' forms a really compelling finale for his whole career. It is a fine finale for a man who has lived through a lot - and accepts troubles of fate, the life itself with all the heavy baggage. Just as it says - he is READY to accept miserable human life in all it's forms, moreover - on his own terms.
kompstrumpcziwadze Well said. I feel this video-analysis really missed the mark and that the writer is not understanding the song album or artist from a Jewish perspective the way he understands Bowie from a Christian one. I don’t expect him to start studying Talmud but all the same, he could have done a lot more. Jonathan Sacks for example did a moving short video on the Cohen song which was a great introduction to the themes; perhaps Polyphonic will (re-)do a video on Cohen in future.
@@acchaladka I also felt the Cohen part was lacking. Cohen has always held a place in my musical heart. I first heard him in a movie about teen angst. 'Everybody Knows'. I was a teen and it spoke to me but for some time it was the only song of his I listened to. Couple of years later at around 18-19 I rediscover what I consider classic Cohen. Suzanne, Sisters of Mercy, Chelsea Hotel, Who by the fire, etc. At the time I was into underground electronic music. It was 1997 but Cohen was the soundtrack of my first relationship. I was listening and re listening to his songs and amazed at how everytime the beauty of his writing touched me. After that, years were hard for me. I didn't listen to much music. Jump to 2012 on a cold early spring morning. I had spent the night at a rave and I was walking on Ste-Catherine in Montreal when I notice a sharply dressed man crossing the street. Loafers, jacket, scarf and fedora. I recognize him but I also recognize that he is not Cohen at that moment. He is Leonard, so all I say is 'Good morning mister Cohen' and he nods. Couple years later I was running an Airbnb corner St-Dominique and Marianne in Montreal. From my balcony I could see his front door but I ignored he lived there until I hear the news of his passing. With many others we held vigil in the park in front of his place. Flowers and candles by the hundreds but also oranges and incense. A testament to his spiritual quest and curiosity. As I was taking a panoramic picture Bird on a wire was playing and a radio someone had left amongst the offerings. As I left So Long Marianne was playing and I look up to see that Marianne street has been unofficially renamed.
as a musician, this video was truly in all senses beautiful in how you dug deeper into the songs of these amazing artists and beyond scratched the surface of bigger questions of a bigger picture. needless to say I'm hooked on this channel now
Cohen will always be one of the greatest, accepting darkness as part of life. Him and Johnny Cash, man. Then balanced by rock n roll artists like Elvis and Bowie just make the best of both worlds.
Bowie wrote his own requiem. It’s one of the most badass things I’ve ever heard.
That was really insightful. Enjoyed that
Dying is a re-birth
What a fantastic analysis!!! Many thanks!
@@ricardojmestre I thank you, Ricardo Mestre, for sumarising my own reaction to this video.
(I turned 71 last week)
@@CLL9262 my belated congratulations!
Add in Nick Cave's Skeleton Tree and you have the three greatest albums on death all released in 2016
Jonah Burt and Trump getting elected lmao. 2016 was wild #neverforget
@@austinchaseofficial 2016 was basically a year-long funeral. So many celebrities, young and old, were dying.
Skeleton Tree is about the death of Nick's son.
TY I will check it out
Great work! On Black Star, I think Bowie is hyper aware of the idea that great artists are supposed to be outliers that serve an important place in society as a whole. Great artists help us explore and evolve as individuals and a society, and Bowie understands that he is one link in that chain. Because he falls, it makes room for an artist of equal influence, a star of equal magnitude to rise in his place.
Very astute. Bowie was so aware, he was writing songs about being aware of that awareness. It was hard to wrap your head around.
Thanks man! Haha and yes, love your description of the layers on top of layers of Bowie
Reading that makes me weep all the more for his passing.
Very insightful
This channel is soo small and it just barely started, but I know this channel will get big. This is an amazing channel, definitely subscribing! =)
its getting big now!
381K subs as I type rn
@@farooqansari This channel now has over 383K subs. 🤓
Right you were
Bro has 1M rn
just found out this channel. Great work.
Listen to Cohen's posthumous CD "Thanks For The Dance" recorded soon after "You Want It Darker" gained some momentum. He realized that he still had more to say...and he said it. His son Adam produced it. Watch the video "Leonard Cohen "The Story of Thanks for The Dance" to get a full appreciation for this new album.
8:39
It's actually been confirmed to be Major Tom.
Jew here, the part about Judaism checks out 110%. Amazing video, nice job!
It’s not exactly a deep analysis though and he keeps referring it to Christianity. Rav Jonathan Sacks of England did an amazing tribute to the Cohen song, worth checking out.
As there is no such thing as 110% save a miss guided statement, what are you saying?
Blackstar was so packed with symbolic imagery that it's hard to call it all out in one go.
Bowie in the attic - represents what we do with old "unwanted" possessions. We put them out of sight, out of mind in the attic. He's saying "I may be old, but I've still got something to say".
The skull is an obvious nod to Bowie's alter-ego (as mentioned in the video) Major Tom, or perhaps Ziggy himself. His bejeweled skull is foreign to the inhabitants of the planet. They revere it, but don't fully understand what it is.
The three scarecrows - obviously represent the crucifixions that took place on cyanide hill, and later in the video are shown being unable to protect the house in which Bowie resides from the darkness that is coming for him. Showing that religion can not save you from the inevitability of death.
I missed when the 3 scarecrow failed to protect...? Please tell.
People continue to baffle with their limited understandings of God and religion, it’s...akin to watching a child throw a tantrum when they don’t get their way. The idea of “save” and “death” are words being used in a way that belong to a confined (and perhaps ungrateful) perspective, along with painfully limited experience.
I hadn't picked up the Attic symbolism. Interesting. The attic is where we put our obsolete goods, and it is where we, or our children, go and explore and find the treasures.
Uh, you understand religion is meant to deal with the uncertainty of living, not dying? That was a really lame straw man.
@ThielsArtwork is for people like him that I'm the Warlus was created.
Why did Bowie say “Ormen” in Swedish? As a Swede, I’m flattered, but I don’t understand why.
Very interesting video though ❤️
Also a swede here, I think it's just because it fitted better lyrically, I mean "In the villa of the snake" doesn't have the same creepy vibe
There is something that haunts me in the song Lazarus.
One of my favorite short stories, by Rubén Darío, is called Bluebird (el pájaro azul), which deals with the same topic (what I am about to say is a big spoiler, so if you want to read the tale do it before. It is pretty short anyway)
A bluebird as this inspiration trapped in our head that can only be free when we die and its cell is open (in the tale by blowing your brains out).
It is just mere speculation, I know. But each time I hear the song I can but wonder, if Bowie knew about the story and also believed as many others the art to be eternal and free after our death.
"Only Death Can Pay For Life." 8417
He was a big reader, so maybe.
And then there is a poem by (Maulana Jalaluddin) Rumi as well, should check that out
The interesting thing is that the original name of Lazarus was Bluebird, which then became The Hunger and finally Lazarus.
He took a lot of inspiration from books. Every so often, I still will find a line in a random book I’m reading that I instantly recognize as a Bowie lyric. It’s entirely possible.
Would love to see you dig into some other famous and chilling swan songs. Queen's Innuendo, for example?
that somg is so good
Polyphonic, you gotta do a video essay about “Hurt,” analyzing both the Nine Inch Nails original and the Johnny Cash cover. That would be incredible!
you wrote hineni wrong bro, it is spelled like this: הנני
cheers from israel
Warren Zevon , keep me in your heart.
"Hineni" is Samuel's answer to God's calling to him in Shilo (even though he believes it's Eli the high priest calling)...this was my first association when hearing this haunting song.
Lior Goell I first thought of it in relation to Isaiah when he responds to God’s question of “who will go for us?”
I sometimes wonder if commenting on old post is worth anything.
Bowie was an occultist. The music industry is a club for them. Only members stay in the game. Only the willing may join.
I find it curious that so many fear Death; Christian's, especially. God is waiting for you, right?
LOOKING FORWARd to many more analysis from you. Wish there was much more, much deeper discussion in society than there is. Thanks for posting.
hitchens said that if god exists he's a terrible god, he creates "you sick, then commands you to be well" seemss like cohen is somewhat like that.
I highly recommend checking out "Kaddish (Montreux) - Ofra Haza" to hear a cool musical version of the Jewish prayer for the dead. It's beautiful.
video is great one of the best productions i've watched on youtube. But i think you can make a video just about the blackstar album.
Agreed, I would love to do a whole video on Blackstar alone. I plan to in the future!
Keep up the great work! I'm waiting for it.
Polyphonic I could tell. Wish you did a much better and in-depth analysis of the Cohen album.
there is no religion in God. He gave simple instruction, one command in the Garden and it was broken/not followed.
so many lose the perspective of God when they place "religion" upon Him.
That came from man, not God.
You cannot conveniently put God in your back pocket and pull Him out to blame for how the world turned out.
He created this place for us, and look what we've done to it. God did not do any of the crap we have done here.
Accountability and responsibility are on us. Just as belief/faith is also a choice. (again I emphasize, NOT RELIGION).
Faith in the Jewish Messiah Yeshua Jesus is Helpful in knowing God. In fact, the Only Way to know Him. Amen!
So I will suggest, lose religion to find God.
He didn't come for a religion, a building, a denomination...He came for His Creation! Which would be us, humans!
Not what our hands have made, but what His Hands have made.
Two men who clearly knew not God, but the religion of men, which confuses men (mankind).
Two men who amongst many, who struggled with their fate. A fate that will come for us all.
Sin in the world creates the suffering of men (mankind), which has nothing to do with God.
It has everything to do with mans fall away from God. Which man (mankind) has been doing since the Garden.
Enter in Jesus Yeshua, and we have reconciliation back to God!
What began in a man, needed to end in One. Jesus! Thank God today! He is Good!
הנני not יננה, the word is typed backwards, hebrew goes from right to left.
I loved both. Great losses in 2016.
I hadn't heard of Cohen before, but hearing this song, i'm gonna pick up an album or two for my collection.
Did you end up getting any Cohen albums? He’s is an outstanding writer. A real story teller and a voice that commands the song 😎
It's not the tree of knowledge, is the tree of good and evil. When Adam and Eve tasted became self aware and ashamed of themselves. This is to say, they became moral. Read it is in the first paragraph of the Genesis.
You're quite the Bowie fan. I appreciate that you don't over-analyze the Blackstar video as some others do, saying it's a 'ritual' and anti-Christian (which to me wouldn't matter as a Noahide..)
I think that David showed us is the complete dignity we can face our death with. I know he was sad because he would be leaving Iman and jis family. I know when my death comes I will think of David. I still miss him.
Let's forget all the intellectual analysis, at the end; they were two artists who have expressed themselves throughout their lives and continued to do so until the end. It wa their emotional outlet, to purge themselves. May they be in peace and overuse our struggle in these COVID days, COVID the mass murderer!!!!!
@ POLYPHONIC, Thanks for a thought-provoking video. Just to mention, Bowie did have an interest in the spiritual , throughout his life. He was not a religious man, but when he was young, he studied and practiced Buddhism for some time. The Swedish word for Snake (the Snake temple imagery) is interesting. Bowie escaped his life threatening drug addictions by moving to Switzerland, and at that time, he needed to cut off a lot of his previous life. A kind of death. He wore a cross during his previous Berlin years, and for quite a few years afterwards, and he did study Christianity for some time. The song Word on a Wing is evidently about prayer and with a Christian heritage feel. I don't know if he ever believed in god, but he needed spirituality.
Way Before Berlin years.
It would be wrong to say that Bowie was never religious. In the 1960's he came close to becoming a Buddkist monk (and was cremated in a Buddhist ceremony), while in the late 70's and early 80's overtly spoke about Jesus/God, and in his Live Aid appearance led the audience in a recital of the Lord's Prayer. It may be that he never consistently was religious, but he certainly explored the concept and his relatonship to it throught his life.
Obligatory comment for the TH-cam algorithm
In other words, LC and DJ/B are acting out their sceptical Judeo-Christian monotheism and their pagan if that's the right word nihilistic agnostic pantheism respectively? But they both have integrity about it (aka stubbornness or true grit).
Which one do you believe, kids? The hope in the face of ignorance or the defiance in the face of despair?
Hebrew goes from right to left :)
+ Polyphonic While I do not agree to all your conclusions... you’re analyzing two artists I’ve listened to and tried to understand for at least 35 years, I DO appreciate your sincere effort. Well done, I’m a subscriber now. + MrLyvik: The Villa of Ormen could also mean a house in the Norwegian hamlet Ørmen. Bowie had a girlfriend starring a movie being shot in that very region back in 1969. And yes, the word, in English spelling (O for Ø) also means the snake/serpent in Nordic languages. And it could be a reference to Jörmungandr, the World Serpent from our Nordic mythology. Etc. Etc. So very Bowie.
Minor correction - Hebrew lettering runs from right to left (so Hineni is backwards, it should be הִנֵּֽנִי)
2:14 It's pronounced "cod-dish"
Yep. And hineini is pronounced “hee-nay-nee”
We can't find immortality in the fact that people are gonna remember us. Because eventually all humans that ever remembered us are gonna suffer the same fate as we do. Thus Memories and Concepts are mortal aswell.