David Bowie is never the same two days in a row.  Sometimes he has hair like Sid Vicious, sometimes he’s tall and thin in a white suit. Sometimes he wears boxing gloves, sometimes he’s a lad insane.   Sometimes he plays left handed, sometimes he breaks up the band.  His eyes are different colors.  I saw him once on TV stuffed in a box shaped like a Tuxedo.

A common characteristic of true kings, shamans, dictators, and cult leaders is that they always appear completely certain about what they are doing.   100% sure of themselves, they have no doubts, whatsoever.   This is why we need them so much, because inside each among us is terrified by a world where everything is always falling apart and changing.  A true king’s certainty and fearlessness is our compass point, it grounds us.

David Bowie has been like that for me.   He has always changed, but the fearlessness he projects is consistent and unwavering.  It may be that inside David Bowie is as full of terror as the rest of us, but when David Bowie is being David Bowie, He knows what He is doing.   I love that, and I’ve made use of that.   When I appear to others as my true self, I think of David Bowie and I know what I’m doing, too.

I’ve never met David Bowie, but my friend Keanan has designed a clothing line with him.   Of course I’ve been very polite and never asked Keanan to introduce us.  But I’d love to meet David Bowie, and in case anyone who knows him reads this, I’m around.

-Paul Budnitz, President and Founder of Kidrobot

Why do I love David Bowie so much? Hmmm, let me count the ways. You see, coming from the perspective of a person who’s equally crazy about music and fashion, there’s really no better idol you can pick as for your inspiration. With Bowie, there’s no such thing as playing it safe, or following what other musicians or artistes have done. It’s always about treading new ground, and then watching the legions of clones and followers that abound amongst us play catch-up. Do yourself a favor this very moment, and Youtube the acoustic performance of Bowie performing “Space Oddity,” and you’ll see a true master at work. When he sings those classic lyrics, “This is Ground Control to Major Tom, you’ve really made the grade,” and you see how flawlessly he delivers those lines, what you witness is a surreal moment that transcends music or even art. No, this is something way more special, it’s a pocket of pure creativity in its most sublime form.

And then you can fast-forward to his Ziggy Stardust era and just marvel at how completely he enveloped this flashy alter ego. The look was nothing short of brilliant – the striking red hair, the lightning flash make-up across his bony, pale-as-death face, and of course, the lithe androgynous outfits – it’s all so perfect.  Whenever I see newer artists like Karen O or MGMT or even Michael Stipe painting their faces with bright colors, I wonder if on some level they’re following the blueprint that Bowie laid out. There’s no wonder that in the early ‘70s, he fit in so well in the backroom of Max’s Kansas City with the likes of other fearless progressives like Warhol and Iggy.

And then just as easily, he reinvented himself again in his minimal-techno Berlin era with the precise electro-funk and synth-infused albums, Low and Station to Station. There’s really no need to circle out any particular LP in Bowie’s discography because they are flashes of genius in all of them.

Bowie is Avant-Garde personified, Creativity crystallized, Style illuminated, Fearlessness exemplified and Art incarnate. You can’t call yourself a musical risk-taker or a truly courageous artiste unless you’ve walked a couple of kilometers in this man’s shoes. That’s why Bowie is a supreme rock god, and will forever be my musical and artistic idol.

- Geo Hagan
Editor-in-Chief, Max’s Kansas City