The all-round musician and artist David Bowie, who died from cancer on Monday, left not only a vast musical legacy but also a story of his love for Indonesia. The Englishman Bowie, born David Robert Jones, died at the age of 69 in his home in New York just two days after his birthday, an occasion that he marked by releasing his 28th album, titled Blackstar on Jan. 8. “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief,” a message from all of his social media accounts said on Monday.
Bowie, often dubbed one of the most influential musicians of his era, was a great admirer of Indonesia, as could be inferred from his life work and story. He and musician Iggy Pop collaborated and released a song in 1984 titled “Tumble and Twirl” that told a story about their journey exploring Indonesia. It was after Bowie’s longest and most successful Serious Moonlight Tour ended in 1983, which did not visit Indonesia, though went to Singapore and Thailand.
I’ve seen the city and I took the next flight for Borneo
They say it’s pretty, I like the t-shirts in Borneo
Some wear Bob Marley others in Playbos or Duvalier
Make the last plane come, let me rise through the cloudy above
With a book on Borneo
Went the first verse of the song.
