I really like David Bowie's music, but I'm not sure why his death hit me as hard as it did.
I detest entertainment news in general. Until the last couple of years, I didn't know who the Kardashians were and that discovery was not by choice. But I spent hours reading about tributes to Bowie, scrolling through pictures and memes, listening to Bowie songs I have on my iPhone, and listening to others I'd forgotten as well as some I'd never heard. At 30 years his junior, I've admired his creative genius since I first saw "Labyrinth" and had my second bad-boy crush on Jareth, the goblin king. (First was Danny from "Grease," of course.)
Sure, Ziggy played guitar, but he played multiple instruments and also acted and painted. He was a brilliant public strategist and understood the value of presentation like he had the power of voodoo. His creativity and willingness to experiment – sometimes productively, and sometimes infamously and decidedly less so – was innovative and inspiring. He influenced music and culture for decades. He popularized and capitalized on his alter ego of Ziggy Stardust, which has been emulated by musicians from Garth Brooks to Miley Cyrus.
David Bowie played lead roles on Broadway and in movies, working with respected names such as Martin Scorsese and Jim Henson. He had depth far beyond the average celebrity during his time, and certainly more than the current, embarrassing fake celebs such as the Kardashians. (Of course, had YouTube existed at the time, Bowie may have become popular solely for his extracurricular activities just as Kim did.)
In the complete opposite direction of his song, "Fame," Bowie used his fame to stand up for issues he felt strongly about. Bowie is credited with – at least symbolically – helping to bring down the Berlin Wall. He and other popular artists at the time performed a concert close enough to the wall for the East Berliners to hear. His song "Heroes" was particularly meaningful that night in 1987, and riots broke out just a week before President Reagan commanded Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall," as Vox reported following Bowie's death last month. Bowie sang "Heroes," including the lines, "I wish you could swim, like dolphins can swim," alluding to East Germans who drown trying to escape Soviet-controlled East Germany.
Bowie appeared on MTV in its early years for an interview, and ended up interviewing the interviewer about why in 1983 so few videos from black artists appeared on MTV. MTV was an innovation at the time, and at the height of the careers of the King of Pop and Prince, it could have continued to push that envelope by featuring more black artists. Bowie clearly made the MTV representative uncomfortable, who in turn commented that people in the Midwest would be uncomfortable with too many videos from black artists. "Oh baby, just you shut your mouth."
David Bowie didn't give any figs what people thought of him. From the space age makeup, to his controversial personal life, to going off script to question MTV while on MTV, if you didn't like it, tough stuff. He did what he was passionate about and used his celebrity to support positive causes that were important to him, and that helped him stay relevant.
And he was no lame duck. David Bowie literally produced right until the very end. His album, "Blackstar," was his farewell to his fans. It was released on his 69th birthday, two days before he died from liver cancer on Jan. 10. He kept his illness private, and served his audience right until the end.
So what can credit union professionals and volunteers learn from his life?
Specialize but cross-train. When you hear the name David Bowie, you think music but he knew art, acting, and public and international affairs.
Use your strongest assets for good. Could your credit union serve one more area, counsel one more member or better serve the entire community?
Believe in and stand for something. Milk toast gets you nowhere. If you aren't making people uncomfortable, you aren't making a difference.
Be true to yourself, but evolve with the times to stay relevant.
Put in your best efforts until the end. When you've run out of effort, step aside.
Sarah Snell Cooke
Publisher/Editor in Chief
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