Synopses & Reviews
Discover the man behind the myth in this new biography of one of the most pioneering and influential performers of our time—David Bowie.
David Bowie—the iconic superstar of rock, fashion, art, design, and the quintessential sexual liberator—is a living legend. However, for the past five decades, he has managed to retain his Hollywood star mystique. Now, New York Times bestselling author Wendy Leigh reveals the real man behind the mythology. Through scores of interviews with Bowies lovers (both male and female), his girlfriends, business associates, groupies, and band members, Leigh, who grew up just a mile from where Bowie was born and went to school, has written an intimate biography of rocks greatest enigma.
In an unexpurgated exploration of Bowies kaleidoscopic personal life, she reveals his star-crossed inheritance—his mother was once an acolyte of the British Fascist party; his father, the PR genius who masterminded his early career—in a dramatic contrast to those family members grappling with mental illness, fears that would haunt Bowie for most of his life.
Above all, there is Bowies hard-won rise to fame and fortune, his astounding creativity, his courage as a performer, and his shape-shifting style, coupled with a ruthless ambition that caused him to submit to the casting couch on his way to the top. In the process, Leigh tells of Bowies strong bond with John Lennon, his love/hate relationship with Mick Jagger, his male sexual partners, and his women, as disparate as Elizabeth Taylor, Susan Sarandon, Tina Turner, Marianne Faithful, Nina Simone, and most notable, his marriage to Iman, which has lasted for the past quarter of a century.
Featuring a sixteen-page insert with many never-before-seen photographs of David Bowie and those close to him, this biography is a once-in-a-lifetime look at the iconic superstar who changed the world.
Synopsis
Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke. Gender Bender. Rebel. Songwriter. Fashion Icon. Rock God. One of the most influential creative artists of his generation, David Bowie morphed from one glittering incarnation to the next over the course of five decades--an enduring superstar who remained endlessly enigmatic and always ahead of his time. Discover the man behind the myth in this intimate and in-depth biography--featuring a full-color sixteen-page photo insert.
David Bowie passed away after an eighteen-month battle with cancer on January 10, 2016. Few knew of his illness, and Bowie flawlessly orchestrated his last goodbye with the release of his final (and some say best) album, Blackstar, featuring the haunting song "Lazarus," and its accompanying video, a farewell message to his millions of fans. Throughout his iconic career that included such hits as "Let's Dance," "Space Oddity," "Heroes," "Modern Love," and "Life on Mars," Bowie managed to retain his Hollywood star mystique.
Through in-depth interviews with those who knew him best, New York Times bestselling author Wendy Leigh reveals the man behind Bowie's myriad images--up to and including his role as stay-at-home dad, happily monogamous in his quarter-of-a-century-plus marriage to supermodel Iman. In this "sizzling" (Radar Online) new biography, Leigh brings fresh insights to Bowie's battles with addiction; his insatiable sex life--from self-avowed gay to bisexual to resolutely heterosexual--and countless conquests; his childhood in a working-class London neighborhood and the troubling family influences that fueled his relentless pursuit of success; and much more. This exploration of an artist beloved by so many reveals the man at the center of the mythos.
About the Author
Wendy Leigh is the four-timeandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;andnbsp;bestselling author of sixteen books, includingandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Prince Charmingandlt;/iandgt;,andlt;iandgt;andnbsp;The J.F.K. Jr. Storyandlt;/iandgt;,andnbsp;andlt;iandgt;The Secretandlt;/iandgt;andnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Letters of Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedyandlt;/iandgt;, and the coauthor ofandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Life with My Sister Madonnaandlt;/iandgt;,andlt;iandgt;andnbsp;Jeannie Out of the Bottleandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Shirley Jones: A Memoirandlt;/iandgt;, andandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Bowieandlt;/iandgt;.