Moonage DaydreamDocumentaries have an unfortunate propensity to become a one to two-long lecture about something or someone, educating but rarely entertaining. This is not the case for the psychedelic, phantasmagoric, and evocative film by Brett Morgen called Moonage Daydream, about the life of rock legend David Bowie. Rather than inflict a bunch of "experts" on us, this film sets a tone akin to what Bowie's performances did during his career, through an explosive array of (no apologies for the pun) "sound and vision". So sit back, buckle in, and be rocketed into outer space for a delicious oddity that defies expectations and convention...just as the subject of this film did.
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I have to hand it to Brett Morgen for so successfully encapsulating the feeling that comes with experiencing David Bowie's revolutionary music in cinematic form. The film refuses to adhere even to a conventional narrative or chronological structure, albeit the outline of one exists. It begins with flashing colors, lights, and imagery of celestial bodies. It's what my wife described as being like "watching tie dye happen". Our first exposure is of Bowie in his "Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane" personae from the early Seventies. Glam rock, makeup, fans crying out in the throes of ecstasy at the mere glimpse of this androgynous icon. This is truly just scratching the surface of what popularized David Bowie: a renegade openly defying norms, but more importantly, an artist. But what Moonage Daydream also captures is the core of what made David Bowie so special: the music. There is some expertly timed sampling and selections, archival footage of various performances, carefully placed in each moment of this full-to-bursting exploration of Bowie. I constantly found myself tapping my toes, saying to my wife, "Oh, that's from 'Low', which was a part of his 'Berlin Trilogy'" or "Ahh...'Modern Love'...", to the point where I had hoped that I wasn't being annoying. But how exciting it is to feel actively engaged in a film, more specifically a documentary?! It is both a testament to the ubiquitous presence of David Bowie in the "cultural zeitgeist" as well as the filmmaker's skill at appealing to audiences both familiar and unfamiliar by degrees with Bowie. David Bowie was a music icon for over four decades before his passing in 2016, so the archival footage also makes the film a kind of time capsule. You're invited to feel the fervor and enthusiasm his fans must have felt. You witness interviews at various stages in his life, having the benefit of time in observing how this man transformed over the years. There is great candor and wit in his responses to reporters and talk show hosts, revealing in many ways about who David Bowie was and who he wasn't. But Moonage Daydream isn't so arrogant to suggest that anyone could ever truly know him, instead playfully toying with this ambiguity to keep us thinking and postulating--in our own way attempting to comprehend the art and artist all in one.
I remember my first David Bowie album. I got "Pin Ups" for Christmas one year, and had no idea that it was a cover album. (Imagine my surprise when I first heard The Who's "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and someone had to tell me that it wasn't a Bowie song.) But the first Bowie album that I bought for myself was when I was in college. There was a local record store where I picked up "Heroes", because I liked the song after I heard it on the radio. Listening to the album from start to finish was a transformative experience--as college often is, especially when it comes to musical taste. "Heroes" is a unique album (a part of the aforementioned "Berlin Trilogy"), with a variety of innovative tracks that are far from what you'd expect to hear on the radio. But what this exposure did for me was offer me a new and fresh perspective on what music could be. After this, I bought up most of Bowie's other albums over time, and became a fan. The reason I share this story--aside from illustrating my own personal interest in Bowie's music--is to underscore how special the music is, and how it mirrors the documentary's approach to engaging us. The beauty of Moonage Daydream is in how it manages to speak to existing fans as well as invite new ones into the fold. One of the defining characteristics of David Bowie's image as a rock star is how he seemed to adopt stage personalities as easily as some people change suits. It speaks to the artist's desire to explore so many facets of life and the world with a nigh-manic speed, but it also represents how his work is truly egalitarian. For those who have already discovered Bowie's expansive body of work, I'm sure that each of us has a unique story to share about how we discovered his music. And this also helps to represent how his music managed the nearly impossible task of being distinct and universal. Moonage Daydream is a beautiful kaleidoscope--a window into a varied and colorful look at what made Bowie, from his past and upbringing, the creative challenges he faced, and the legacy he left behind.
Recommended for: Fans of a novel and invigorating documentary that educates without lecturing, entertains without pandering, and illuminates without alienating its audience about the life of a unique pop culture figure. Moonage Daydream is a trip (in many senses of the word), and is just about as close as having a shot of musical adrenaline pierce right into your heart. And if you're one of the few who may never have listened to David Bowie before, what a wonderful introduction this must be!
I remember my first David Bowie album. I got "Pin Ups" for Christmas one year, and had no idea that it was a cover album. (Imagine my surprise when I first heard The Who's "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and someone had to tell me that it wasn't a Bowie song.) But the first Bowie album that I bought for myself was when I was in college. There was a local record store where I picked up "Heroes", because I liked the song after I heard it on the radio. Listening to the album from start to finish was a transformative experience--as college often is, especially when it comes to musical taste. "Heroes" is a unique album (a part of the aforementioned "Berlin Trilogy"), with a variety of innovative tracks that are far from what you'd expect to hear on the radio. But what this exposure did for me was offer me a new and fresh perspective on what music could be. After this, I bought up most of Bowie's other albums over time, and became a fan. The reason I share this story--aside from illustrating my own personal interest in Bowie's music--is to underscore how special the music is, and how it mirrors the documentary's approach to engaging us. The beauty of Moonage Daydream is in how it manages to speak to existing fans as well as invite new ones into the fold. One of the defining characteristics of David Bowie's image as a rock star is how he seemed to adopt stage personalities as easily as some people change suits. It speaks to the artist's desire to explore so many facets of life and the world with a nigh-manic speed, but it also represents how his work is truly egalitarian. For those who have already discovered Bowie's expansive body of work, I'm sure that each of us has a unique story to share about how we discovered his music. And this also helps to represent how his music managed the nearly impossible task of being distinct and universal. Moonage Daydream is a beautiful kaleidoscope--a window into a varied and colorful look at what made Bowie, from his past and upbringing, the creative challenges he faced, and the legacy he left behind.
Recommended for: Fans of a novel and invigorating documentary that educates without lecturing, entertains without pandering, and illuminates without alienating its audience about the life of a unique pop culture figure. Moonage Daydream is a trip (in many senses of the word), and is just about as close as having a shot of musical adrenaline pierce right into your heart. And if you're one of the few who may never have listened to David Bowie before, what a wonderful introduction this must be!