You might have guessed based on my personality and love of unique expression that I am a big fan of David Bowie. He’s definitely an influencer on my quirky style. I’ve previously mentioned conducting the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra dressed as Bowie. You may not know that I also ran the New York Marathon dressed as Bowie in 2016, the very sad year that we lost him.

Icy-Cool Blue Suit

During my training I was inspired to run in Bowie’s memory, and on the day of the marathon I wore the icy-cool blue suit designed by Freddie Burretti, as seen in the “Life on Mars” video. This video has had almost 17 million views. The upwelling of love he evokes is so powerful. There is something mystical about him. People couldn’t believe it when they saw me running by in a suit, but the crowd’s love for Bowie definitely carried me to the finish line.

Learning to Sing

This year I’ve been thinking about taking my love of Bowie to the next level, and actually learning to sing one of his songs. After an inspiring conversation with another Bowie fan, I began taking singing lessons in May, targeting September 30 for my singing debut at the National Arts Club. I had no idea how hard it would be! I took lessons almost weekly, and practiced for months, and still didn’t get as far as I wanted to in being able to sing the song well.

But they say life is a journey not a destination. Along the way I had some wonderful moments, including practicing singing to the Pacific Ocean, near Monterey, California. Singing to the wild, surging ocean was an incredible experience, and twice I had an audience of adorable sea otters, who came over to listen! Can you believe that? These moments were so magical. I felt blessed for this endeavor.

Video Highlights of My Singing Debut

Here is a one-minute clip of the my debut at the National Arts Club. It captures the feel of the excitement I felt, with behind-the-scenes warm-up and a flash on the audience at the beginning.

For more on the story of my singing debut, see this entry on my loveaffair.nyc blog.

Red Rabbit Romper

I also love Bowie’s red rabbit romper, by avant-garde Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto. Bowie picked this outfit up in Yamamoto’s London shop, so the story goes. No one else could picture themselves in this quirky style! Later on, the designer created costumes for Bowie’s 1972-3 Ziggy Stardust tour.

This picture of me in the romper, caught in a police line-up, was featured in the exhibit at the Salmagundi Club!