LA and Berlin Parallels

Chris Youngblood January 1, 2024

LA

‘Aladdin Sane’, supposedly, dashed away, swinging that bouquet, so loved, supposedly.

Off to a new land, leaving behind the truncated dreams, bought the rose, bought the ruse. A boy who hadn’t yet alchemized the innocence, not fully.

A character really, multiple stage shows, courageous, adventurous but not really him. Masks, persona.

And that ‘Aladdin Sane’ beautifully transient piano drone with sax goes on and on; a neon sign hovering above the walks through the rain.

‘Cracked Actor’, holding his skull in hand on the stage. Just got paid. Knocking them dead right?

What did Mike D say, “You be doing nose candy on the Bowie coke mirror.” Oh yeah. Bought with the ‘Red Money.’ Red Money to return, coming home to roost.

The mirror reflecting the winter not only on the nostrils but within.

One thought he could be “talking bout Monroe and walking on Snow White” at the same time. All the way up to the “I do.” Speaking of…

‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’ a cover agreement leading to ‘Be My Wife.’

The ‘Diamond Dogs’ come out. Dressed like a priest he was in front of them. Young girl, young boy. ‘Young Americans.’

‘New Career in a New Town.’ All you have to do is ‘Win.’ ‘Fascination’ with ‘Fame’ takes a part of me. Brian Eno in the phones on the train. “Found a Job” so one can be a Talking Head.

Up a ladder or scaled down one? Are these the ‘Golden Years?’ Certainly feels like so. But when was the last time those feelings were trusted? Questions hidden in the shadow.

Shuffle about, travel, building that wall brick by brick.

“We should be home by now.”

“Flying just a sweet place, never been known to fail.”

Feeling that failure, when no matter how hard one tries, never can get it ‘Right.’ Is there ‘never no turning back?’

At least we can ‘Stay’ in and curl up with the ‘TVC15’; pretend we live in that existence. Lies so comfortable, forget the lessons learned. Forget W. Cooper and the pale horse.

‘Wild is the Wind’ truly though but can’t detect when the wind stopped blowing. Another cover to throw up; covers to hoard. Tossing and turning but not standing together as it blows the hardest. “Dressed like a priest he was in front of them.”

‘Station to Station’ conflict to resolution back to conflict. Those billowing noises panning the speakers; bleeding through them. Too dreadful to look down the black hole of causes. The piano slowly creeping up to the explosion. Oh how one used to love “Bending sound.”

“Such is the stuff from which dreams are woven,” realized even though at a glimpse. The shadows of things not seen, forgotten but not yet realized. The dream must finally be shattered to wake from it.

Crash, disillusionment, bewilderment, confusion, skullfuckery, heart ripped apart. The angels of his better nature crying at the reaction of his lower nature; even as they break him free.

“It’s not the side effects of the cocaine,” quit so long ago so why does it feel ‘to late to be grateful?’ Cursed the day, cursed so much. Down he went but not to explore, not yet.

The Neon Sign comes back to hang on those walks through the rain. Feeling nothing. Filling the hole with booze and a girl or two.

Hitting the solid floor harder than one wants to admit. When a ‘Word on a Wing’ comes into the mind unexpectedly, the scheme of things revealed. “Stand in my own light” coupled with the light flash offered. The light seeping out from a cave door, wise enough to see it. Start to raise that door up, one battle of attrition at a time.

“In this age of grand illusion you walked into my life out of my dreams.. born once again for me.” Just as long as I can walk. “Ready to shake the scheme of things.”

Berlin

‘A New Career in a New Town,’ with Iggy of course. Started January ‘Low,’ but started nonetheless.

‘Breaking Glass’ required. Otherwise one is ‘Always Crashing in the Same Car.’ Fuck that Ouroboros shit. Need to alchemize, get a new larynx sound and a new vision. New ‘Sound and Vision’ with a funky ass theme song walk, you dig. George Jefferson shit.

“Drifting into my solitude, over my head.”

‘Be My Wife’ NO MORE!

Initialing the decree at ‘Sister Midnight,’ the ‘Red Money’ coupled, fake, meaningless. Returning for the pound of flesh. Have at it, then leave me be. Chains broken. No more capital letters!

Come to the ‘Weeping Wall.’ One man’s East West Divide is another man’s Butterfield Road. Letting it go. At least the two seeds are retained, one can still remain to fertilize.

Dig down deep into the ‘Subterranean.’ The colors, beauty, darkness, kaleidoscope TRUTH of a boy still there, shuffled on the escalator he didn’t know he was on. Now shuffling off. Hovering over it, examining in suspension. An old View Finder gracefully given to the mind.

Like Iggy said, the ‘Dum Dum Boys’ no longer impressed. Was once. ‘The Idiot’ leaving behind this ‘Mass Production.’

An invigorated ‘Lust for Life.’ Starting to no longer feel like ‘The Passenger.’

Delved deep into the ‘Secret Life of Arabia’ ‘Blackout’ once a self sabotage, now required inner work. Came out with the Divine Masculine and Feminine kissing at the Wall. ‘Heroes’ of selfhood breaking the divide. No more ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ Jekyll and Hyde, unwilling to unite the polarities.

A Berlin Trilogy not critically acclaimed at first, acted out solitarily, but the experimentation will bear fruit.

A Triadic acceleration and accumulation of all that came before. And NO ‘Sense of Doubt.’

“I AM a DJ, I AM what I play.”

‘Look Back in Anger.’ Nope. I’ll Run the Jewels and “Never Look Back.”

As for the two seeds, the ‘Boys Keep Swinging.’ Love it!

One man born in 1977, the other began redemption the same year.

Both hit walls and came out heroes of their own story. Strode on the stage as themselves, not escorted as Ziggy, Aladdin, Thin White Duke, son, worker, husband. Not role players. Experimented, alchemized. Sober in mind, body and spirit.

After all, “My mother said, to get things done, you better not mess with Major Tom.”

‘Ashes to Ashes’…………………… Rise as a Phoenix

The Beginning not the End

Thank you for reading. Song titles by David Bowie and Iggy Pop are italicized and in single quotes. Song titles from Talking Heads (Found a Job) and Run the Jewels (Never Look Back) in double quotes, no italics. Quotes within songs are in double quotes (or single if within the middle of a sentence).

For the most part, every Bowie song referenced was from his time in LA or Berlin. The exceptions to this are Aladdin Sane, Cracked Actor, Let’s Spend the Night Together, Diamond Dogs, Ashes to Ashes. Four of these five songs (exception of Ashes to Ashes) were at a time period he was on a downward spiral, thinking moving to LA would help. He was wrong.

It is quite the thing to find someone who you have admired as a human and artist having similar parallels to your life. Even if the dark isn’t exactly the same, the light sure is. Isn’t that something how we all have our own darkness and even though the themes may be universal, the crux (cross) is individual. The light, however, is collectively shared. Something to think about. If you are curious regarding Bowie’s (and Iggy’s) time in Berlin, reference the Berlin Trilogy at Wikipedia or the book, “Bowie in Berlin: A new career in a new town,” by Thomas Seabrook. Here is the link.