David Bowie, Victoria and Albert, a Great Trio
Today was a momentous day for me. Today, I was lucky enough to go to the Preview of the “David Bowie Is” exhibition at the V&A Museum in West London. I’ve been so excited about attending this landmark occasion as I’ve been a fan of David Bowie ever since my parents left me in the car, aged 8 whilst they shopped in the Cash and Carry. It was 1976. I switched the radio on and heard “John, I’m Only Dancing” for the first time and was completely hooked! As well as being a cultural, social and musical icon, David Bowie is a major influence to many artists I love; he influence is literally all around us. Ever since his “shock” return to the music scene on his 66th birthday this year, with the release of the single “Where Are We Now?” and the ensuing superb album “The Next Day” which has attained global acclaim and Number 1 status in a multitude of countries.
I arrived at the V&A very early and was faced with a very long queue. I joined the queue and was stood in front of a lady whose son had assisted in setting the exhibition up. She said that the exhibition will tour the world once the London leg is finished (in August) and the next port of call, apparently, is Brazil. You heard it here first folks! A lot of the visitors were in their 60s and 70s which surprised me at first but as an older lady behind me said, “I remember David Bowie THE FIRST TIME AROUND” (looking pointedly at me, a mere pretender, apparently! 
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I got to the front of the queue after about an hour’s wait, then waited a bit longer for Tony to arrive, and then we were able to go straight in. The exhibition is headphone based; great in principle but if you were stood still and moved your head 2cms in either direction you could end up listening to the wrong snippet. It began to get a bit annoying after a while…!
The entrance to the exhibition started with a video show of Davy Jones (as was) in his very early career. The exhibition from that point was not in chronological order, and there was a cacophony of Bowie memorabilia; hand written lyric sheets a-plenty and over 60 iconic costumes from various instantly recognisable music videos and TV appearances. Video clips and short films were in abundance and there were also many “I did not know that” moments (did you know John Lennon co-wrote “All the Young Dudes” and “Fame”?)
The highlight of the exhibition was the “live arena” which was a 30ft video screen which also displayed many costumes and outfits when the music wasn’t playing. I’d really love to go back for another viewing, because the sheer volume of people and the sheer number of exhibits (over 300) meant that it simply wasn’t possible to view everything. Where all this “stuff” has been stored over the past 40 years is somewhat of a mystery but it is truly a complete life in an exhibition. I’d highly recommend anyone to attend this viewing… It was all I expected and much, much more.
Here is the You Tube Link to the Exhibition. Well Worth a Look
Short URL: http://80slegends.com/?p=1805
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