How Bowie Turned His Death Into a Masterpiece

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On his 69th birthday, David Bowie released Blackstar. Two days later, he was gone. Crafted during his battle with cancer, Blackstar became Bowie’s final masterpiece - a bold work filled with mystery, invention and a sound unlike anything he’d done before. After his passing, its symbols and secrets took on a whole new meaning, transforming the album into a legacy waiting to be uncovered.
Timestamps:
0:00 ★
0:26 BOWIE’S FINAL ACT
1:41 JOURNEY TO BLACKSTAR
2:52 DANCING WITH THE END
4:08 THE MYSTERY OF BLACKSTAR
7:24 THE SOUND OF BLACKSTAR
11:00 THE STARMAN’S FAREWELL
19:30 THE LEGACY OF BLACKSTAR
#Middle8 #DavidBowie #VideoEssay #MusicDocumentary #JazzRock

[@EMAH669]

Bowie being inspired by Kendrick and Death Grips tells you how much dude embodied and lived music, he's the definition of not being confined to one thing

[@kwuartz]

@@EMAH669 Not to mention how much Bowie inspired them both throughout their own careers, emphasized by Kendrick’s tweet “What a honor, what a soul. David Bowie, Spirit of Gold. RIP” and Death Grip’s use of a Bowie sample on Culture Shock. It almost feels like a completed cycle of admiration and inspiration between artists and art

[@maryannappiagyei4277]

And d'angelo black messiah

[@reubengvTV]

Just another phenomenal video. Being from the UK, I recall Bowie's death having a monumental impact on pretty much everyone, it was, and still is, a tragedy. Blackstar on it's own is sonically and thematically up there as one of Bowie's all time best, but the added baggage of his death just sends this record into something else that will never ever be replicated by an artist of his magnitude. Even the short tracklist, enigmatic cover and influences makes it so different, and, for those and many other reasons, so good.

[@Bdoc76]

I can't give it all away......breaks my heart every time and still it makes me smile also. How lucky we were to be here when he was.

[@kwuartz]

As soon as I applied to temporarily work for Middle8, I knew this was the primary video concept that needed to be pitched. From inception, to discussion, to research, and finally to the finished product, this project has been absolutely incredible to work on! I am overjoyed such a liking was taken to this video concept, and I believe the end result is amazing! I consider Blackstar to be one of David Bowie's best, and researching about his life and combing through numerous interviews has given me a much greater appreciation for his brilliance. Loved working on this, and I can't wait to see what you do next!

[@grantandrews4826]

Fuck yeah, incredible work. I'm a huge bowie fan, and Blackstar is definitely my favorite of it. The impact of it was just astonishing, like a new crater on the moon.

[@kwuartz]

@ Greatly appreciate it, love that metaphor for it 😂!! It’s a bit crazy considering the separation between Bowie fans new and old, with some people having been fans of Bowie for decades coming to the finality of this album, and being blown away. While others, like me, are only new to him (in fact, this was the first ever Bowie album I’d heard, which is kind of crazy to think about)

[@grantandrews4826]

@kwuartz I had discovered him a few years before, and was in the throes of fandom when Blackstar dropped. I vividly remember sitting in a supply closet at my shitty high-school job, watching the Blackstar music video on my phone, totally transported.

[@Silverado-pq6xe]

as someone who periodically struggles with thanatophobia , this was an amazing breakdown of david bowie’s last goodbye. amazing job

[@LateCambrian]

This record is crazy. I have the vinyl....

[@Middle8]

Cool. Happy for you 😤 On a serious note, we need a repress!

[@MarcAtticus]

​@@Middle8We really do!!! And the extra tracks too

[@HotStrange]

Imo, Blackstar might be Bowie’s masterpiece. It’s tied with Scary Monsters for my favorite album of his. It’s just so creative and unique. And I love that he was so inspired by To Pimp a Butterfly during it. You can tell, too.

[@TheTransitmtl]

There are only 2 musicians I truly truly miss, the first is Leonard Cohen who was my neighbor without me knowing and the other is Bowie

[@phredbed827]

I always thought their deaths felt very closely tied, not only because they happened within the same year, but both their album-hommage to death with Blackstar and You Want it Darker, felt so close to one another and of the same artistic ideas despite the striking differences in sound.

[@theaverageaardvark9864]

Great video! My grandma loved David Bowie so much, hope she’s still listening in heaven 🙏

[@TheSoulCollector13]

I was rewatching the Blackstar video last night and thinking about the magical aspects that Bowie had placed in so much of his music. How Blackstar truly felt like watching a magician give a hasty send off. We all wish we have more time. Thanks for another great video.

[@thereallyrealstarboy98]

I love how he worked with James Murphy from lcd soundsystem was brought in because Bowie was a fan… but James thought he couldn’t do anything. So, he just made a remix. 😂 Edit: He has synth credits on black star.

[@evanwright9016]

He has synth credits on 'Blackstar'. "Love is Lost" wasn't just a one-off.

[@thereallyrealstarboy98]

@@evanwright9016 I didn’t know that, I updated it.

[@billym7]

Love the usage of Blackstar letters to highlight the topics that are being talked about

[@ileutur6863]

There is something so immense and captivating about the few artists who kept ultimate control of their art and image into old age and right up to their death. I've seen so many of my favourite musicians fall from grace, turn into rambling shadows of their former self chasing a dragon of who they were in their 20s. People like Bowie are simply on another level.

[@C01dEyes]

Blackstar is an absolutely beautiful piece of art. When it came out I was dealing with my own battles with my health and mortality. The album gave me the perspective and strength I needed to pick up the pieces of my life and move forward.

[@SteepWriter]

I was a fan of Bowie for most of my life, but still relatively young when Blackstar released. Each year this powerful statement has only resonated with me more, potentially being my favorite Bowie release. Miss you Bowie ❤

[@mangolollipop_]

Thanks for this video essay. I avoided listening to this album for years mainly due to the theme and also wanting to keep Bowie alive in my brain. I wasn't ready to let Bowie ascend because a part of me still do not believe that he has passed. Idk when I will be ready to listen to Blackstar itself, but when I want to confront mortality I might

[@Middle8]

I feel that 🙏

[@wolfebeardsnarl5691]

This is the best Scot Walker album I've ever heard👽

[@indyjones45]

Beautiful video man.

[@Middle8]

Thanks! 🙏

[@maryannappiagyei4277]

@@Middle8tribute video amazing rock man

[@kevinfromttt]

Phenomenal video Mr Furtado!

[@davehandelman2832]

I'm not a modern Bowie Fan. But i just love listening to you!!

[@Kodack-ki2im]

When Bowie died, the song Lazarus took on a whole new meaning. It's a goodbye. Look up here, I'm in heaven I've got scars that can't be seen I've got drama, can't be stolen Everybody knows me now

[@REMY_L3beau]

Never has an album moved me as much as blackstar. You can feel in the songs how he has had a lot of time to think about his end. The lyrics can’t help but make you cry, he went out in the perfect way. LL Bowie 🕊️

[@Kodack-ki2im]

@@REMY_L3beau Queens 'Innuendo' is a tear jerker too. Especially the songs I'm Going Slightly Mad, and The Show Must Go On. Imagining Freddie climbing out of his hospital bed to give a vocal performance for the album, knowing he's dying of AIDS, is heart breaking. You can hear it in his performance.

[@jr2904]

One of my favorite Bowie songs

[@santiagogrgr]

I was listening to it today , it’s literally a masterpiece! Probably the best Bowie record tbh

[@grantandrews4826]

Everything about this album is fucking immaculate and I love it so much. Thank you for this video.

[@Joelster-og4pf]

Bowie was such a iconic artist. every time I hear Blackstar, I miss him. One of my favourite records of 2016.

[@dayaftertomorrow1]

I remember listening to Blackstar's singles, then the whole album just as it releases, and feeling like this unexpected aura of finality hung over so much of it. I attributed it to being a thematic pairing with The Next Day, which felt like something of a rebirth, and thought maybe Bowie considered it could be his final big project before retiring... instead he knew it was, and when the news of his death came, the already amazing record just hit like a sledgehammer. He was an amazing storyteller, capable of weaving vivid narratives and metaphors that had him contemplate life, his own and as a general concept. They often felt universal, colored with his own experiences and perspectives. Blackstar is the sound of a man facing mortality in a way that not many could and, as tragic and sad as death is, makes me personally feel that he faced it in a way that may have brought him (and by extension, us) closure.

[@_harrop]

For years ive always thought black star is my favorite album and one of the best of all time. I mean how do we even grapple with its existence???

[@PREEM513]

I wish he lived longer. Such a beautiful human being. He did life differently.

[@josephwalden2303]

Genius! Lifelong Bowie fan and this made me just love him more! Thank you for this - so good! Could be my favorite Middle 8 video!!! I’m now going to join Nebula to see the rest of this! 😁👍

[@hdervish2497]

Nothing was ever right again after we lost Bowie. Blackstar was a masterpiece

[@Goatchild90]

R.I.P. to David Bowie. The definition of an iconic artist.

[@rain_down_]

He really pulled out the stops with Blackstar - a brilliant album and incredible title track. The recent track by The Cure, the epic 'Alone' seems to channel Blackstar, and I'm sure Bowie would have loved the tribute.

[@MostlyLoveOfMusic]

10/10 album - he left us at his peak

[@memopinzon]

Blackstar is a 10/10 record. Dark and grandiose.

[@Gilgamesh2555]

An under tapped discussion today. When he passed it was all the talk, but I still talk to people about his last album coinciding with his death. Which was back in 2016. Thank you for making this video.

[@mr.morale2022]

The king is back 🙌

[@_uncredited]

Good video. In case anybody's wondering, an astronomical black star is the name given to the last stage of a white dwarf, but the universe isn't old enough for that to have happened yet. We'll have to wait a few trillion years until they appear in the wild.

[@Fredrickwayde]

Winter is coming and our brother is alive

[@Middle8]

🙏

[@tyson3577]

I loved this man so much. Digesting the complexities of this album is so difficult. I couldn't get through it. I imagine I will someday. But he is so far ahead of me, it will take me years to catch up with his genius.

[@nevinphil]

Love it!

[@Middle8]

Thanks!!

[@gmgianluigi]

I remembered watching Blackstar music video back in 2015. Being much younger and oblivious (who doesn't?), back then I didn't get the video, I didn't get the music. Turns out, I simply was not ready. Now an avid Bowie fan, I was superbly grateful that my personal growth in the past 9 years have prepared me to watch this video while being truly awed by one of the most engimatic of them all. Thank you for this video, Middle 8, and thank you to David Bowie, for being one of the greatest artist to ever grace the Earth.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

Love Bowie so much! Still hurts that he’s gone And he returned to Mars.

[@theneonchimpchannel9095]

My 2 biggest heroes are George Harrison and David Bowie. Both were very similar in a lot of ways and people knew them both such as Monty Python's Eric Idle were always convinced that they would get along well, but they were both kinda dismissive of each other. Yet it is true that both had strong connections to eastern philosophies, both wrote and sang many songs about death, both seemed to have no fear of death (although Bowie did have a fear of flying which one would presume was more a fear of crashing) and accepted it as inevitable. When you look at both of their careers, they were from the same era, yet on paper they seem so different. Bowie was all about reinvention and creating characters while George was always trying to strip away the layers of his own mythology...almost like a Yin Yang, 2 sides of the same coin, opposed but connected. It makes me wonder what might have happened had they worked together on something. Perhaps that might have been too explosive for the universe to handle. Both took long hiatuses before returning with what would be their final works, but with George, we knew that he was sick, he never hid it, we all hoped it wouldn't...but we knew it was coming. With Bowie...it was a secret and we only found out that he'd even been sick the day that his death was announced. I personally learnt of both deaths via social media. With George, it was a friend telling me on ICQ after it had just been announced on TV in America, with Bowie it was the official announcement on Facebook. My reactions in both cases were also different, perhaps because of my different ages, but I think the way that they had handled it might have made an impact. After George died, I relistened to his entire discography...but when Bowie died, I actually found it difficult to listen to his music or watch his movies for quite some time, maybe around 6 months. Maybe it was more of a shock given that we weren't aware of what was going on, but looking at it now, it is strange that the 2 artists that admired more than anyone, both died from cancer far too young, but 1 I ran towards and 1 I avoided for those few months after they died. Much time has passed since and they're still my top 2, the artists that I revisit more than any others. I never met either of them, I did get to see Bowie live (twice!) and he waved at the woman standing behind me, but their impact on my life is immeasurable.

[@FoyLo]

I tried many times to listen to Black Star, but it makes me scared, it's like listening to death itself... Will try again though

[@Middle8]

The title track is a bit dark and if you’re not into jazz, it can be a tough listen. I’d recommend starting with Girl Loves Me and the second half of the album to see if those lighter tracks click.

[@Goatchild90]

I remember hearing the Blackstar album and thinking it was awesome but the vibe was weird (good weird AND weird weird) but when he passed it became one of the most evocative albums I can remember. Bowie had been one of my musical heroes for a long time up to the release of Blackstar, his passing broke my heart but he went out way larger than when he came in and that's the best scenario for an artist's trajectory

[@maryannappiagyei4277]

Awesome album rest peace David love you and miss you

[@LonelyManOnALonelyRoad]

This made me want to listen to Blackstar again

[@Falxifer95]

He knew he was dying, and gifted the world a swan song that made him eternal.

[@bladeefan2943]

i can't give everything awayyyyy

[@aboissonneau]

I always took a double meaning from I can’t give everything away. 1. I still have secrets. But also 2. I have given my music to other artists (most clearly in the musical Lazarus) but still when I die something will be lost. I can inspire, but I can’t pass on my own creative energy. When I die something unique will be gone.

[@d3j4v00]

I love that the only way Leonard Cohen could respond was to release an album posthumously. Both complete legends.

[@victoriafelix5932]

Here's another name to muddy the waters, potentially--:Nerval, specifically both "El desdichado" & the looming prescence of death & the imagery of stars, particularly in light of the circumstances & mythology of his own death.

[@amonynous9041]

nobody knows what Bowie's talking about but me "see me to be you, It's all in the tablets, Sneezy Bhutan". Bowie and me we're two black holes that merged. "When I met you", is also a song to me, just like "let's dance". That was when I was born into this world, "he was literally my "Jareth from labyrinth", he snatched me from the sky, he challenged me to a fight, and he lost. Just listen to a ballad of thin man by Bob Dylan, that's it in a nutshell.

[@gpeddino]

About the second half of the Blackstar video, I’ve always thought that the figure that is summoned by the group of women could be a depiction of Babalú-Aye, one of the African orishas usually related to illnesses and healing.

[@kwuartz]

@@gpeddino Looking between photos of Babalú-Aye and the Blackstar video they do have a lot of visual similarities so that’s a very interesting theory! Another rabbit hole for Frank to go down 😂!

[@supdog8786]

hot take black star> ziggy stardust

[@MarcAtticus]

I agree! I think ziggy is a bit overrated in Bowies discography

[@vinylarchaeologist]

The SMILEY FACE on the astronaut goes deeper. It's a sendoff to the film Moon, directed by Duncan Jones, who is actually Bowie's son. In that film the computer sometimes communicates with smiley faces.

[@kwuartz]

That's amazing! I love how deep these sorts of topics can go, especially when someone loves their art as much as Bowie did.

[@vinylarchaeologist]

@@kwuartz Totally. I remember reading about the around the time Blackstar came out. I had already seen the film and it was cool finding out.

[@martineldritch]

Didn't know that, thanks. It's one of my Top 10 Sci-fi films

[@livingcolorinc]

Modern classic!

[@Porifera-Jaymen]

Incredible bandwagon album to get me into Bowie. Also tough, any recommendations aside Station to Station?

[@Middle8]

Ziggy Stardust and Low are also masterpieces

[@JohnCane147]

Bowie is the GOAT BTW, You forgot to mention that in the "Lazarus" video, Bowie is performing the Masonic "chamber of reflection" ritual (writing on that desk with the skull by his side)

[@thomp9054]

Well i know what I'm listening to today

[@roo72]

Technically the first Bowie album without his picture on it was the first version of Buddha of Suburbia.

[@silentm999]

If you love this album, check out Curtis Mayfield's final album. Light rigging fell and paralyzed him. He laid on a table to record the vocals. kzbin.info/aero/PLiw1Ipf6tDPJOsudJhcyZyTA3c1ZvWu7_&si=qIaYgrLijaboj-wB

[@estebanvirumbrales5501]

What’s the name of the jazz band please

[@Middle8]

Search for Donny McCaslin’s music, they play in his projects 👍

[@hasanz7585]

His greatest album imo Been regularly listening to it for a very long time

[@splankhoon]

The Bluebird = Maurice Maeterlinck.

[@jacksoninc.4062]

Black Star was really sumn

[@sin_wraith]

W

[@Aliens2Exist]

meme school

[@Michelle-c7u1j]

Great analysis, thank you! A bit off-topic, but I wanted to ask: I have a SafePal wallet with USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). How can I transfer them to Binance?

[@Har2h]

Bruh have you ever heard Donuts by Dillla? Its been done for almost 20 years

[@Middle8]

Another great album made in the face of mortality 👍

[@flapjack7301]

Staring death in the face is one of the hardest things you can do, theres so many ways a person can take an experience like that. Saying its "been done" isnt the videos point, and is disrespectful to how many directions death can take you.