Bowie

David Bowie’s unexpected death has invited intense scrutiny over the rich and complex imagery and signifiers in the videos released for Blackstar, his last, enigmatic album. At press time for this book, a Bowie superfan alerted us to the remarkable similarities between these videos, particularly “Lazarus,” and the photo shoot that comprises the bulk of this book.

Bowie, by 1974, was evolving yet again in his spectacular journey as one of pop music’s most creative and brilliant minds. A music-writing tour-de-force, Bowie was also widely regarded as a fashion icon, pushing the envelope of sexuality and style. Bowie had introduced the world to Major Tom, lived the life of Ziggy Stardust, and had just launched Aladdin Sane; the albums Pin Ups and Diamond Dogs soon to follow. Late that year, photographer Steve Schapiro seized upon a rare invitation from Bowie’s manager for a private photo session with the pop star in Los Angeles. The fruit of that day’s collaboration between Bowie and Schapiro would provide some of the most iconic album art and magazine shoots produced that decade, including album covers for the albums Station to Station and Low. The Thin White Duke was ascending.