Man, what a shock to hear Monday morning that David Bowie left this mortal coil and returned to the mothership, just a couple of days after releasing a final album called Blackstar on his birthday.

I wouldn’t claim to be a Bowie fanatic who knows every song and nuance, but I’ve been a fan and admirer for the past 15 years or so – especially enjoying his 2000s output like Reality and The Next Day. Also, like most music fans, I had a period where I was obsessed with The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

In short order, I assembled an all-star panel for The Signal to discuss Bowie’s life and legacy for Tuesday night’s show:
– Eric Coker (Inside BU editor and local music writer)
– Mary Donnelly (SUNY Broome faculty member and unofficial “Professor of Power Pop”)
– Kirk Madsen (local artist and former stage/road manager for many pop/rock acts)
– Frank Mischke (adjunct Binghamton University professor and Bowie fan)
– “Doc” David Rasey (local actor and writer)
There also was a prerecorded contribution from Randy McStine (guitarist and Endicott native now living in New York City)

Turned out to be a really good show, even though we only scratched the surface of his catalog. (We played nothing from the 2000s, for instance, except for “Lazarus” from Blackstar.) Maybe we’ll reassemble during the summer to reminisce about other Bowie songs we love.