Sophomore dorm, abdomen surgery, theme songs, and David Bowie

3 short David Bowie anecdotes

I never fell deeply in love with David Bowie, like I fell in love with Storm Large or Of Monsters and Men or Joni Mitchell.

But I love David Bowie. His music is amazing, definitely a part of my life, and I mostly love him because he was weird and quirky and awesome.

Anecdote #1
During my sophomore year of high school, I moved in to the Alpha dorms at Western Washington University in Bellingham. My roommate had already secured on the wall a huge painting that she had done; it was David Bowie's face. He had red hair, and his head was probably 4 feet tall, almost the entire size of the canvas.

At the time, I had heard of David Bowie, liked his music, but had no idea the music I liked was David Bowie's. This is so typical of the music in my life; I listen to the radio, listen to Pandora, go to bars and clubs, and have my favorite songs. But it is not often that I know who the musicians are that sing my favorite songs. So was the case with Bowie; I love his music, but only recently discovered that it was his music.

All during my sophomore year of college, David Bowie's face looked down over my roommate and me as we studied, watched movies, slept... He was like a 3rd roommate, a constant presence, a work of beauty that I both loved and was in awe of, a painting that could have been sold for hundreds of dollars and was just sitting in a college dorm room by an undiscovered artist, my roommate Nina. That year with Bowie gave me a greater appreciation for the man, and formed a connection that I wouldn't have had with him otherwise.

Anecdote #2
Several years ago, I had a minor abdomen surgery. It was only about 45 minutes, and when I awoke in my hospital room, everything was foggy. I barely remember what the nurse said to me. But I do remember one thing she said:

"And if it feels like it's under pressure, let the doctor know."

Without skipping a beat, and while I was still coming out of anesthesia, I said, "Under pressure. David Bowie." It was like I was answering a trivia question. I'm pretty sure I fell back asleep afterwards, thinking my work there was done. Even under anesthesia, I know who is responsible for "Under Pressure."

Anecdote #3
Some of us have theme songs. Little tunes we hum to ourselves, full songs that we sing over and over again in the shower, things that rattle around in our head. My theme song, the one I find myself humming during my week, prompting me through my day, is a Bowie song. I'm not sure why it's my theme song; I don't know why those 7 notes of the chorus resonate with me, run through my head when I run or do housework. But they do. His songs are very catchy, and for years, maybe decades, one of his songs has been a part of me.


That's the funny thing, though. Even though I wouldn't have said I was a die-hard fan of Bowie's, even though I never saw him perform live or never met him or even gave much thought to him on a day to day basis, he still was a presence in my life, and will continue to be so. He is still my theme song, I talked about him while still under anesthesia, and he watched over me my entire sophomore year of college. Somehow, we are all connected on this earth, we reach people and touch people without ever knowing it, we impact each other in interesting and amazing ways on a daily basis. And each of us, rock stars and fans and family members and managers and teachers and students and neighbors, is a valuable part of this world, a world that is all about connection and relationships. And with the loss of Bowie, I was reminded of how each of us is so valuable and important, more than we will ever know.