Catherine, 24
What does David Bowie mean to you?
Just a motivation, why the fuck not be exactly who you want to be?
What’s your favourite Bowie song?
Suffragette City.
What did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Shock… He was never supposed to die. He never seemed human.
Joshua, 21
What does David Bowie mean to you?
Family.
What’s your favourite Bowie song?
Starman.
Will you play his songs to your children?
Oh yes.
How did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Heartbroken.
Sonny, 17
What does David Bowie mean to you?
He was his own self; he wasn’t scared of what people thought of him. I just liked him as a person, he seemed crazy and I like crazy people.
What’s your Bowie favourite song?
Moonage Daydream.
What did you feel when you woke up this morning?
I woke up at two pm, and so everyone already knew. So I was like, “Fuck”. I didn’t know what to do. I literally didn’t know what to do. I knew my mum was going to be sad.
Beckie, 26
What does David Bowie mean to you?
He taught us that you can dress however the hell you want. You can be whoever you want to be. And you can do it in whatever art form you want to do it in.
What’s your favourite Bowie song?
Life on Mars, because it’s true musical theatre at its best.
What did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Pretty sad. Pretty distraught. I guess I came down to Brixton because it feels better to celebrate.
Atty, 23
What does David Bowie mean to you?
Ah this question is intense, he means a lot to me. He is a very important figure in everyone’s lives.
What’s your favourite Bowie song?
Lady Grinning Soul.
Will you play his songs to your children?
Oh yeah definitely.
What did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Sick.
Jackson, 18
What does David Bowie mean to you?
He means a lot; he was a very influential character. He showed me that people can do what ever they want. They can be themselves. You gotta respect him for that.
What’s your Bowie favourite song?
It’s got to be Life on Mars.
What did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Surprised, very surprised to say the least.
Will you play his songs to your children?
Oh yeah, of course! He is one of my idols seriously and I don’t have many idols.
Rinya, 31
What does David Bowie mean to you?
You look at him and you see colour, you see the androgyny, the style, a good feeling. You can’t look at him and feel bad. You look at him and think, “You’re going to be my inspiration for the day so I’m going to rock on.”
What’s your favourite Bowie song?
It’s a sad one but This is Not America. It’s just mellow and seems to fit a lot of moods.
What did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Oh devastated! Well I didn’t know when I woke up, I found out when I got to work and I thought, “This is not true.” And then I found out and was like, “Oh right, I’m playing David Bowie all day then.”
Lindel, 43
What does David Bowie mean to you?
So many things. His integrity, his art, he is an artist, he has inspired so many people to do so many things through art and music and fashion and I guess from a professional and personal level he has touched so many people. I feel like there have been more times than I can even mention, that a song he’s made has helped me or inspired me or made me be better.
What’s your favourite Bowie song?
Moonage Daydream.
What did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Well, this morning I woke up to go to a funeral for John Bradley the drummer from The Specials. So I had already prepared myself for a sad day and then when I heard that… It was crazy on Friday night I went to a David Bowie birthday special, which was at a local pub that played David Bowie all night. In three days I’ve had some crazy shit so today was a big impact.
Sidonie, 19
What does David Bowie mean to you?
Expression, individuality and just pure magic.
What’s your favourite Bowie song?
Sound and Vision because it’s so bubbly!
How has Bowie influenced your style today and the way you think about the world?
I think the way he recreates himself so many times and still maintains his style throughout is very inspiring. He just makes me feel like things are possible.
Will you play his songs to your children?
Absolutely. It would be criminal not to!
How did you feel when you woke up this morning?
The first thing I heard when I woke up was the news and it was weird. It’s been a weird day, a mixture of happy and sad.
Credits
Photography Lily Bertrand-Webb
Text Bellaray Bertrand-Webb