Daily Bowie - I'm Deranged

Yesterday, a friend of mine declared his love for the 1999 album "Hours," arguably one of Bowie's lesser efforts, but a record he had fond memories of from his high school years, and thus a record he had a more personal or profound relationship with.  For me, that was 1995's "Outside," Bowie's first real foray into the industrial sounds made popular by Nine Inch Nails and the like.  Before that record came out, i had kind of written Bowie off as a former superstar turned adult contemporary artist, the outcome of so many classic rock stars before him.

As a kid in the 80's, i was always aware of Bowie, but had never really given him much thought.  He was the Goblin King in "Labyrinth," or a radio and TV staple with the singles from "Let's Dance."  He was there, but mostly just on my periphery.  His music didn't feel like it was for me yet, as the fifth graders weren't really jamming Tin Machine, you know?  But at some point, i remember hearing "Space Oddity" on our local classic rock station, KBAT, and i began to find a new appreciation for the man.  I realized why he was a superstar...even if i wasn't into his newer stuff.  It wasn't until high school and the release of "Outside," that i really began my ascent into Bowie adulation and fandom.

Bowie tapped into a genre i was really into at the time, added his own theatrical accoutrements, and created something completely brand new...and really fucking weird.  With flashes of electronic music, jazz, and industrial rock, and featuring an assist from Brian Eno, "Outside" is a concept album about a noirish dystopian 1999 following the fictional Nathan Adler, an art crime investigator.  It's a dense and strange record, but it is MY high school Bowie album...and i'm pretty attached to it.

Listen to "I'm Deranged" below.