Sun 1/31/16
By guest columnist Colleen Kelly
When master of ceremonies, CoolCleveland’s Thomas Mulready, took the stage of the BOP STOP on Sunday morning 1/31 and compared the full audience to a congregation at church, the room chuckled, but it was an apt observation.
Looking past the obvious David Bowie/Rock and Roll Messiah analogy that Bowie himself started making for us decades ago, Sunday’s crowd gathered to honor, to learn, to remember, and perhaps to proselytize.
Like religion, the enduring work of David Bowie strikes a deeply personal chord for countless devotees, and on Sunday morning a full house gathered for the third of Mulready’s sold-out multimedia presentations on the beloved musical chameleon.
Though structured chronologically, what Mulready offered was much more engaging than a simple survey of David Bowie’s career. Established early and then woven throughout were themes that appeared and reappeared, sometimes compulsively, across Bowie’s oeuvre. From the more obvious motifs of death and reinvention, to obsessions perhaps buried deeper such as control and mental illness, Mulready attempted to piece together a complicated psyche that served as the lens through which the 90 minute presentation was delivered.
Selections of thoughtfully chosen songs, music videos, rare concert footage and photos punctuated and illustrated the nearly 50 years of material covered. Hosted by BOP STOP impresario Gabe Pollack and assisted by audio producer Jordan Davis, the presentation moved along quickly with a trivia contest, audience interaction and even a short performative eulogy with a vinyl needle drop on “Rock and Roll Suicide.”
Vanity Crash, a Cleveland glam-punk band heavily influenced by David Bowie, his collaborators, peers, and legacy closed the event with a short musical showcase, proving once more that Bowie’s impact remains.
Complementing the jaunt through Bowie history was a playful brunch menu (Sliders From Mars, Sage Oddity Strata, or Suffragette Cinnamon Rolls, anyone?) executed by Cleveland Culinary Launch & Kitchen, with proceeds benefiting the Music Settlement.
A Bowie fan himself, Thomas Mulready was a charismatic and conversant presenter. Stopping from time to time to ask the audience “Who saw this tour come through Cleveland?” or lovingly acknowledging and then moving past Bowie’s less than memorable output, as so many of us Bowie fans do.
The first Brunch with Bowie, on Sun 1/24, was timed to the planned release of Bowie’s final album, ★ Blackstar, and the event had been scheduled before the musician’s death on January 10. What evolved into a thrice-repeated program felt like a moving eulogy, by fans, for fans. The audience was diverse in Bowie experience: some remembered that first U.S. tour stop in Cleveland in 1972, others grew up on a diet of Bowie provided by our parents, and still others were newer enthusiasts interested to learn more. The depth and breadth of the material ensured that everyone left with a new perspective, appreciation, or at least one more David Bowie fun fact.
While much has been said lately about David Bowie’s significance and musical impact, one of his strongest legacies is his community of fans — like the hundreds that sold out all three Brunches with Bowie. These are the people who will be listening, dissecting, and even composing multi-hour multimedia lectures to learn more and to share that knowledge. It is his fan base, ever growing, ever passionate, like those at the BOP STOP on Sunday, who will keep his powerful words alive; “Oh no love! You’re not alone.”
This program is a welcome addition to Cleveland’s rich musical, academic, and brunch scenes, and is an ideal platform for developing future collaboration and “deep dives” into areas of interest.
View the PHOTOSTREAM of the 1/31/16 Brunch With Bowie here.
View the PHOTOSTREAM of the Bowie Memorial on 2/3/16 here.
Colleen Kelly bought her first David Bowie album when she was 16 and her world has never been the same. A proud Cleveland transplant, she lives in Cleveland Heights and is really into music, art, pit bulls and beer. Find another manifestation of her Bowie obsession on her Tuesday morning radio show, Sound + Revision on WRUW-FM (91.1 Cleveland).