Silhouettes And Shadows: The Secret History of David Bowies Scary Monsters (And [Paperback]

An avant-garde pop album rich with tension and fear, 1980s Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) marked a pivotal point in David Bowies career. Standing at the bleeding edge of the new decade between the experimental Berlin Trilogy (Low, Heroes, and Lodger) and 1983s wildly successful Lets Dance, it was here Bowie sought to bury the ghosts of his past and the golden decade of the 1970s to become a global superstar reaching millions of new fans.
Featuring fresh insights and exclusive interviews with close collaborators, Adam Steiners Silhouettes and Shadows uncovers the studio stories, meanings behind, and secret history of Scary Monsters. Steiner gives a nuanced, memorable portrait of Bowie at a personal and professional crossroads, drawing on his own struggle with addiction, growing paranoia, and political turmoil. Despite the albums confrontational themes, it included the hit singles Fashion and Ashes to Ashes, with Bowie riding a new wave of inspiration, from the post-punk of Joy Division, The Specials two-tone revolution, and the stadium synth-pop of Gary Numan.
Most importantly, it marked a final goodbye to Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, and The Thin White Duke, characters and personas that had defined his career: in this rare moment, David Bowie, the costumed clown of romance, suffering, and song, let his mask slip to reveal David Jones, the man within.

Steiner writes potently and poignantly of the artists late-'70s personal turmoil, and comes up with a workaholic inventor at a crossroads who deals with inner madness by spewing bile, grief, the tenets of unrequited love, and a goodbye to Major Tom across one tight avant-post-punk-electronic classic. Thats a lot to chew on, and Steiner does so nobly. Varlƒ9