It’s four years since the Jean Genie bowed out.

It’s four years since we lost one of our Heroes.

It’s four years since we dug up all our vinyl and went on a Bowie marathon, from Diamond Dogs to Low and stopping by his most recent work, Blackstar.

As a mark of a respect for the great man’s body of work we’ve gathered together seven stories about David Bowie songs from the Stereo Stories archive. Not quite the cellar of sound but the pristine white walled chamber of well-loved lyrics.

As Stephen Andrew discovers, David Bowie’s album Pin Ups contains a cover version of The Easybeats’ Friday on My Mind. Indeed, every song on this LP is a cover. But when a 14-year-old first heard this record, he assumed they were all Bowie compositions.

Judy Tait has a huge responsibility. The Jean Genie blares from the radio. My daughter is on Spotify, finding more of that dead guy’s music, because the kids and I are disagreeing about whether they’ve heard any. How could they not have?

In Jeff Dowsing’s novel, Undercurrents (2017) Mick flicks to the radio. Peter Fripp’s distorted guitar wail instantaneously strikes a crashing chord;

I, I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim
Though nothing, nothing will keep us together
We can beat them, forever and ever
Oh, we can be heroes, just for one day

And David Oke adds, of course my class didn’t know about David Bowie. One student claimed that his dad liked Bowie. To put it in context, many in the class had a musical interest in One Direction and Five Seconds of Summer.

Our Bowie catalogue also includes stories by Lorraine Pink, Maria Majsa, and Christopher Hawkes.

If our stories inspire you to dig out a record, CD, or change up your Spotify list, great.

Even better if you want to put fingers to keyboard and pen a story inspired by a Bowie song.

Thanks for listening,

The keepers of the flame.

Visit The Stereo Stories David Bowie Collection.

 

Editor: Vin Maskell Assistant editor: Louise Maskell Web legend: James Demetrie, of DISKMANdotNET