Ben Says Farewell to Lemmy and Bowie

I really don't have the deepest understanding of either Bowie or Lemmy.  My earliest memory of David Bowie was his "Dancing in the Street" cover with Jagger which was followed by his work in Labyrinth.  He was one of those people whose catalogue you didn't realize you knew until you were much older.  And that's when I started to appreciate his more popular stuff.  I would become later become obsessed with Ziggy Stardust through Guitar Hero and Life on Mars last year through American Horror Story.  Great stuff if not wasted on my less than impressive tastes in music.

Lemmy and Motorhead was a different road all together.  I had never heard any of their music until Ace of Spades was featured on one of the Tony Hawk videogames' soundtracks.  My brother took an immediate liking to it and stripped out all of the other songs in playlist so that Motorhead would only play in a loop.  It was his infatuation with the band that lead me to taking him to see them live in Cleveland when we were both in our 20's.  It was a smaller venue with no seating and low, concrete balconies to the side. We sneaked over to the balcony closest to the stage for an amazingly close look at the band.  A friend from high school cut surprised me on the balcony.  I didn't realize how terrible an idea having a close seat was until I saw my friend pull out a pair of ear buds from a plastic bag in his pocket.  The show was amazing, but my ears literally rang for 2 days. Still glad I got to see them though.

So I give to you this crossover that never happened.  I wanted to go full color with it, but I just have way too much on my plate at the moment.  Thanks for checking it out.

Ben
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The Man Who Left the Earth...

 As most of you know by now, we lost the iconic David Bowie a few days ago. And also most of you also know...That it's been a long while since I posted any work on the blog.
 But with Davids passing I felt compelled to do something...to say something, to create something voicing my grief over the passing of a man, that for all purposes, has always been a part of my life in one way or another.
 I grew up listening to him when I was a teen. And as I matured, and my taste in music matured and changed, his always seemed to fit somewhere in the playlist of my life. I've always felt Davids music had a certain sensuality to it. (His soundtrack from Cat People oozes it) And as outward appearances go, he carried himself a certain way...a classic look. Stylish...but with that bit of punk, eccentric appeal that I've always admired. I listened to a broadcast interview on my way in to work this afternoon. As they played samplings of his music, they shared little tidbits of info about some of Davids songs as they played. I just found out today that the song "Heroes", written during what some called his Berlin Era, is actually about two lovers separated on either side of the Berlin Wall.
How did I never not know that?
 I think I'm going to be doing a lot of delving into Bowie music over the next few months.
 I personally feel....we may never see another of his ilk ever again. And at this point, if you have children or grandchildren, be sure to play Davids music for them. So that his legacy never dwindle...he truly does become immortal. Travel well David...and thank you for the years of inspiration. A friend of mine over on my FB page wrote this...and it feels so poignant...so perfect on how I feel,aside from the sadness and loss, I feel the need to share it here as well. (My thanks to my long time I-friend on the other side of the pond, Aidy Gerrard for these words. You inspired me to create this.)
REV~
""Go make some art. 

Write a poem, draw a picture, play a song, go into the city and be a mime, bake a ten-tier lemon cake, wear your Gran's old dresses combined with a flat cap and high tops, build a shed, tell some one you love them using only abstract levels of expression, paint a big, red, lightening bolt on your face - do whatever. Just make it mad, bold, avant garde, irreverent and be your own Zeitgeist.

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Doesn't matter if it sucks, or even if it doesn't. Just give it a try, tomorrow it will be something to look at, touch, feel, laugh at, smile about and remember.
Just make some art.
That's what Bowie did. Today you should. "