Alias David Bowie: A biography

by Peter L. Gillman, Leni Gillman

Traces Bowie's multifaceted career, from his first forays into commercial music to his status as a respected performer, and provides insight into the strange world of rock music and multimedia entertaining

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Darin Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first comprehensive Bowie biography to come out so deserves some merit for that. When I first read it back in 1990 I thought it was fantastic; however much better bios are out there now and since this ends in 1985 there is over 30 years of his career missing, including his bottoming out in the late 80's and subsequent rehabilitation in the late 90's as a beloved symbol of British music. Strange Fascination by David Buckley, Starman by Paul Trynka and the Complete David Bowie by Nicholas Pegg are far better

[Chris O'leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gilmans got there nearly first (1986) and did the spadework: most everything known about Bowie's family comes from here, for instance. Very insightful about Bowie's early years, starts to lose momentum in the 70s, as sources apparently clammed up. Authors' habit of interpreting seemingly every single Bowie lyric through their pop psychological lens gets wearying.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was the first bowie biography i have read and honestly outside of a few gossipy tantalizing bits (if you choose to believe them) i felt it wasn't that great. It often drag on too long explaining people that didn't really matter and for me what was the worst was the absolutely horrid and in my opinion insensitive ending.

[Anemone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trashy. Given to me in 1987 and I never read it til now. Sort of engrossing like "Us" magazine or something. Not recommended.

[RB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a memorable biography...

[Vivienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do not believe everything you read. There are numerous entries in this book that have been stretched from the truth. I should know since I am family

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Notes made in 2021) I read this in the 1987 New English Library paperback edition, probably shortly after it came out, and likely as a result of having seen the film Labyrinth (1986) and becoming intrigued. If I was ever capable of comparing the various Bowie items I read in those days, I cannot do so after all these years. This one, as noted by other reviewers, is unauthorized, lengthy, and has a pretty substantial list of non-Bowie contributors in the acknowledgments.

[Sean Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this four stars not because it's a great book, but simply because, when I read it as a very impressionable teenager in the mid-80's, this was the book that sparked my fascination with the Man himself and led to a lifelong obsession.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would forgive David Bowie any number of peccadilloes and even venial sins were I given to such categories of judgment (and I am not) for the sake of three albums: Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, and Aladdin Sane. I like much of his later work as well, but few pop music stars can boast three albums of their quality in their repertoire. I found this biography (it's quite dated now too) disappointing in its lack of emphasis on the music and its overemphasis on some of the more arcane aspects of his personal life. It was good to learn more about the role of Tony DeFries in his development, but I thought there was too many premises and not enough conclusions about the importance of David's tragically doomed brother Terry.

[l · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the more gossipy Bowie bios that I consciously avoided reading when I first got into David Bowie. It was gossipy, as imagined, and generally sketchy. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure that there's a point in writing David Bowie biographies. I think compiling a book of anecdotes would be more productive in terms of giving insight into his personality tbh.

[Xenobarbarul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking