‘‘I don’t even take what I am seriously.’’
Despite the late English singer-songwriter’s personal feelings, his music touched many lives around the globe, so Dunedin musicians are banding together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his death.
Dunedin father and son Greg MacLeod and Ben Haywood will front a nine-piece band, with backing vocals from Sophie Whibley and Greg’s daughter Charlotte Hayward, singing hits from Bowie’s long career, at four concerts to be held at Knox Church from July 16-18.
‘‘Ten years ago when Bowie died, we put on a concert at Sammy’s, just to say goodbye and get people along to what we called ‘a wake’ for him,’’ Mr MacLeod said.
‘‘And now, 10 years on, we are still feeling Bowie’s departure.
‘‘The influence of his music on our life has always been tap, tap, tapping away for the last 10 years.
‘‘So we thought, what better way to celebrate his music than to put on a rock tribute and get some of Dunedin’s finest musicians together to put on a big set.’’
Mr MacLeod said every member of the group had their own story about how they connected with Bowie’s music, but he personally discovered Bowie through his art classes in high school.
‘‘The connection for me is through my old art teacher and very dear friend Rene Lammers.
‘‘He was a die-hard Bowie fan. He would put Bowie’s records on at school when we were in art class, and that’s where I first heard the music.
‘‘I caught the bug from listening to it, and then it became my passion, and I performed it with my school band back in the late 1990s.
‘‘I fell in love with his voice and his daring musical ability and genius.’’
He has passed on that passion to his family.
When Bowie died in 2016, he said his entire family was left bereft.
Even though none of them knew Bowie personally, it did not seem to reduce their sense of loss.
When they decided to hold a public ‘‘wake’’ for Bowie, they discovered that the depth of loss was shared by hundreds of other fans around Dunedin.
Mr MacLeod said he had been ‘‘quite stunned’’ by the community’s response to the upcoming concerts.
‘‘Most times we tell someone what we are planning, they say, ‘Oh Bowie! I remember when . . .’
‘‘People don’t just remember the songs. They remember the where and the who — stories of first pay cheques, London flats, and the soundtrack to formative milestones.’’
For some, he was something far more personal: a multi-generational inspiration, a lifeline and a catalyst for self-discovery.
Bowie’s gender-fluidity and vulnerability provided a blueprint for Dunedinites to reject local societal norms.
He provided a ‘‘safe space’’ for fans to be different and raw, long before it was mainstream.
‘‘It seems people feel a ‘debt of gratitude’ for his willingness to be vulnerable first.’’
Mr MacLeod said he would not be painting his face for the concerts, like Bowie did during his glam rock phase, because the music in the concerts would cover his entire career.
‘‘Also, while we’ve called it a rock tribute, it’s not an impersonation — I’d be very arrogant if I thought that I could impersonate Bowie.
‘‘The concerts will feel familiar, but it’s not going to be a carbon copy. We’ve got to give it our own flair.’’
