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  • The Age of Bowie

  • By: Paul Morley
  • Narrated by: Paul Morley
  • Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (83 ratings)
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The Age of Bowie cover art

The Age of Bowie

By: Paul Morley
Narrated by: Paul Morley
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Summary

"A handsome six footer with a warm and engaging personality, Davie Jones has all it takes to get to the show business heights including...talent." (David Bowie at 17 in May 1964, writing his own press biography)

Respected arts commentator Paul Morley, one of the team who curated the highly successful retrospective exhibition for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, David Bowie Is..., constructs the definitive story of Bowie that explores how he worked, played, aged, structured his ideas, invented the future, and entered history as someone who could and would never be forgotten. Morley captures the greatest moments of Bowie's career, from the recording studio with the likes of Brian Eno and Tony Visconti to iconic live performances from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s as well as the various encounters and artistic relationships he developed with rock luminaries John Lennon, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop. And of course discuss in detail his much-heralded and critically acclaimed comeback with the release of Black Star just days before his shocking death in New York.

Morley will offer a startling biographical critique of David Bowie's legacy, showing how he never stayed still even when he withdrew from the spotlight, how he always knew his own worth, and how he released a dazzling plethora of mobile Bowies into the world with a bloody-minded determination and a voluptuous imagination to create something amazing that was not there before.

©2017 Paul Morley (P)2017 Simon & Schuster

What listeners say about The Age of Bowie

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exactly what a Bowie biography should be.

Messy, all over the place, highly subjective, pretentious, very personal and partly made up. This is exactly what a Bowie biography ought to be. Morley's voice is dryly irritating as he voices his own, personal response to Bowie. Because it is his personal response it always the reader to consider their own relationship with Bowie. Brilliant.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

You already need to know - not a biography

The book was difficult to follow and the language used was somewhat obscure.
(One funny detail was how the author pronounces "br". )

Author assumes you know all about Bowie already, so this is not a biography. Also, this was more like a self opinion, not studied and researched fact telling.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling Tour de Force

This really got into the feeling of being Bowie and being a Bowie fan. It captured the span of rock through Bowie's 50 years in the business and even though he's gone he still seems the freshest thing out there. Paul Morley has written an extraordinary book that does justice to its elusive subject.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

More than just a biography!

This book could not have been written by anybody other than Paul Morley. Bowie’s life and career is described as well as, if not better than, anybody else could have done. However, Paul manages to tell the tale in the style of Bowie. Bowie’s lyrics subtly appear throughout the book to describe Bowie himself. Narrative blends in with Paul’s ponderings of what might have influenced what happened, how outcomes may have been different in other circumstances and what Bowie might have been thinking.

If you have, as I have, been a Bowie fan for many years I am sure you will appreciate the style and recognise the homage to a very special entertainer. If you are not really a Bowie fan you should still find it interesting and informative and you may even come to see why Bowie was so important and revered.

The narration was excellent, I feel this book would have suffered without being narrated by the author.

Brilliant!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

oh dear

the author rambles on gorhours about his opinion and few of evering with a monotone voice lost interest and gound my self not listening to it

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great insight

loved this book and the writing style. it was about my time and how I got Bowie. perfect.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An amazing insight into the life of a Genius

A must listen for life long Bowie fans like myself. Incredibly detailed story from early family life, teenage years and eventual super Stardom.Also a poignant description of the unbelievable news that David Bowie has died! This biography is an absolute Masterpiece, thank you Paul and thank you David Bowie for everything you gave to us.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

not a biography as such

I thought it would be more of a biography. it seems more about opinions of the author about how bowie affected him. its well written but jumps around too much with some things not seeming relevant to bowie

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

the story

just to the much detail of Bowie life would have liked if the story went into his child and school days more

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Exhausting

Bowie is intrestig
Bowie was great artist
Bowie wasn't boring
This book is hard to listning and repeats itself. Only for real fans who have patiance for quite a overhelming story.

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