It took filmmaker Brett Morgen seven years to pore over around five million assets left behind by the iconic artist
, and Hollywood producer Robert Evans, estimates that Bowie’s archives included more than five million assets ranging from concert outtakes to personal diaries. Going through every piece of ephemera took him seven years, but, in the end, he says he isn’t any closer to pinpointing who David Bowie was. “He can’t be defined, but he can be experienced,” he says. “The more you listen to David Bowie, the more you learn about yourself.
The journals allowed Morgen to see how Bowie saw the world, but “there was some stuff I read where, [I thought] is this a put-on, or did he really drive out into the desert in the middle of the night to look at UFOs?” Admittedly, Morgen is still unsure whether Bowie’s journals were a work of fact or fiction, “but it was utterly fascinating to explore.
Bowie’s ability to live in the moment has led Morgen to rethink the way he lives his own life. “I don’t need to make films anymore,” he says. “When I started, I thought that I was working towards one day creating some sort of master work. That I could keep learning and improving and get there. I learned from Bowie that virtuosity is overrated.” Staring death in the face has made Morgen realize that making the perfect film no longer feels like the best use of his time.
His dream of running a rental property will have to wait, since he’s committed to making one more documentary with an iconic actor that has yet to be revealed. It won’t be another archival project. “Because of this Bowie experience I can’t do that anymore,” he says. Instead, he wants to move in with the aging Hollywood star for four months and see what happens. “I told him, ‘It’s going to be terrifying for you because you’ve never allowed anyone into your life like that.
Morgen hopes Bowie’s final farewell won’t really feel like a goodbye, but a friendly reminder that tomorrow isn’t promised so you must live each day to the fullest. After all, that’s what Bowie would do. “I don’t think anyone goes into a David Bowie movie thinking they’ll come out feeling sort of enlightened in the same way a visit to church or temple will enlighten you,” he says. “But that’s David for you. He was one of a kind.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why it is too soon for Formula 1 to give up on Mick SchumacherBut if he is to retain any chance of a fruitful F1 career, it is imperative that his next move is to a more holistic team better geared for a driver’s development writes OllieHarden
Read more »
Huw Edwards praises ‘superstar VIP’ David Beckham for not skipping queueHuw Edwards’ comments on David Beckham have quickly been picked up by the Twittersphere
Read more »
Queen Elizabeth's funeral conducted by Rossendale-born reverendThe Revered David Hoyle is currently Dean of Westminster and was born in Lancashire
Read more »
'We have the power to change the system''We have the power to change the system' Lord Simon Woolley says growing up in Leicester taught him we are stronger together OpBlackVote brolezholloway
Read more »