I often walk by a little store that sells vintage t-shirts and rock memorabilia, and a few months ago, it was all about the Rolling Stones whereas it is now all about Bowie,… of course… And that made me think, about these big come backs we had recently.
Take Bowie, suddenly reappearing after 10 years of silence for his 66th birthday? But why? There were rumors of health problems – partly founded as he suffered from a minor heart attack in 2004 – there were a few apparitions in the streets of New York, but everything was pointing to retirement. However last week proved us the opposite, and did you notice? There was no whistles to announce the video, it unexpectedly appeared one morning as if it was a natural thing, and Bowie said he didn’t want to give any interviews, didn’t want to tour… He certainly doesn’t do it for money, he has tons of it, so it looks to be a genuine and perfect comeback,… except that I am no fan of the new song, but that’s beyond the point. A few months ago, it was the turn of the Rolling Stones, touring as if it was 1975 and releasing new material too.
The art of comeback is a difficult one, and these two last examples are certainly successful for good reasons: Being absent from the scene is a good way to be truly missed, then these artists are legends and people never get enough from legends. The fact that you still see little kids wearing Stones and Bowie t-shirts say it all.
I see the public's appeal but why are these rock stars, who are in their late 60s-early 70s, coming back? What could be the attraction? Why bothers when you already have had such a long and more-than-successful career? Why aren’t they resting, enjoying their money and family life?
But the Stones or Bowie have still something to take care of, bigger than their tranquil family life, and more important than all the money they have ever made: their legacy, their myth, their creation, and this is the most important thing for them. The young generation may know who they are, but it is not enough, as long as rock stars are alive, they don’t want to just be this fading image on a kid’s shirt washed too many times. That may be one of the reasons why Bowie did this collaboration with Arcade Fire in 2005, an excellent way to remind the young generation he was still alive and well aware of new talents.
Rock stars don’t want to be revered like icons of the past, they want to resurrect from the dead like the true gods they are. But for that, they have to really disappear, that’s why it worked so well for Bowie, it was a better comeback than the Stones’, who never totally went away. And since Bowie hasn’t announced a tour (yet), his comeback doesn’t look like a cash-grab. At the end, David Bowie is the winner, in total control of his legacy.