I was just reminded of this again by watching a whole bunch of Bowie videos and performances spanning decades. I don't always find the aesthetics of Bowie's appearances in the 70s attractive (not a mullet fan), but they are consistently appealingly bizarre. Conversely, while in the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s Bowie's aesthetics were more normal, they were consistently pretty attractive. However, the aesthetics of Bowie's 80s appearances were a thoroughly unappealing mix of conventional and unattractive. Sigh. The only partial exception is Bowie in the Screaming Lord Byron role in the "Blue Jean" video, but:
- this is presumably meant as a parody of Bowie's own 70s personae.
- it is literally a Byron reference.
- although presumably unintentionally, it reminds me strongly of Torquil.
Sometime this year I am intending to watch the "Love Cats" video again, and hopefully that will remind me that there are at least some 80s aesthetics out there that I quite like!