I’ve been a David Bowie fan since I was seven. Yes, I was a strange little girl. I also loved Lou Reed. (I still have the t-shirt I slept in with his face on it. Long live Bleecker Bob’s, who sold the best music t-shirts in the land.)
Like all Bowie fans, I was devastated when he died and played Blackstar on a loop for a month.
One thing I knew well was that he was an avid reader.
Something I learned after his death was that he was afraid of flying.
A cursory search offers three different reasons why: He once lived through a terrifying flight; he had a premonition about dying in a plane crash, and a psychic foresaw him dying in a plane crash.
From 1972 to 1977, he didn't fly once, yet he traveled the world to tour, taking transatlantic liners and trains. With him were a series of trunks filled with up to 1500 books.
He had nothing to do but think, read, and write. And he used the time well. Some sources say he sometimes read a book a day.
If you, like me, longed to know what those books were or which ones he felt closest to, today is your lucky day.
The only art I’ll ever study is stuff that I can steal from.
In 2019, three years after Bowie died of cancer (two days after his 69th birthday on January 8th), author John O’Connell published a book about these books called Bowie’s Bookshelf: The 100 Books That Changed Bowie’s Life.
These 100 books represent Bowie’s guide to life, songwriting, and creativity, which informed his philosophies, intellectual curiosity, and worldview and helped shape the musician he became.
In the book, O’Connell offers a backstory for each title and how it impacted Bowie.
In today’s bonus, I am giving you the list of all 100 books that portray his diverse passions, knowledge, and ideas that resonated most deeply with him.
Subscribe to the How to Live Newsletter to read the rest.
Become a paying subscriber of the How to Live Newsletter to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.
Already a paying subscriber? Sign In
Join the conversation