“I take on the guises of different people I meet. I can switch accents in seconds of meeting someone. I’ve always found that I collect – I’m a collector. I’ve just always seemed to collect personalities" - David Bowie, speaking to Russell Harty, 1973.
Bowie - in '85, messin' about, having a giggle, during studio down time - by impersonating a series of archetypal Amuuurcan singers / non-singers, complete with some hokey lyrics I assume are of his own devising
Have a guess who they are ... Answers to be revealed (or if you want to peek, go to the blog link immediately below). One of the artists I think gets two attempts, so that could be confusing.
(via Ethan Hein who in above-mentioned blogpost is currently doing ongoing musicological analysis of various DB songs - after "Absolute Beginners", I'd like to see him have a go with "That's Motivation")
I think this lark-about is also expressive of
a/ Bowie's core conviction that all performance modes and personae are masks, theatrical contrivances, fake through and through
b/ his admiration for those who successfully perform realness, convincingly put across the illusion of naturalistic.
