Greetings GONZO lovers!
I’ve had the privilege of being able to dialogue with Mister Ralph STEADman via email over many different subjects in the last few months. MANY subjects.
Most of these conversations between him and I will remain private until the time comes when I decide to eventually publish an autobiography on all my life’s adventures, risks, and shenanigans in travel, music, art, events, sabbaticals, women, people, substance-abusing, solitude-seeking, near-death experiences and bouts with the loss of freedom and sanity that life has sum-totaled for me.
HOWEVER, until that time comes, I feel I obligated to share the following:
On my learning of the passing of David Bowie at 0630 on Monday, 11January, I emailed my GONZO mentor buddy, Ralph STEADman, and said: “Ralph! What is your greatest memory or influence you experienced from David Bowie? I’m sure you’ve heard the sad news by now…(also sending him a link to David Bowie’s “Lazarus” video)
And not long after I send that email, Ralph replies back – with a very recent painting he did of David Bowie / Ziggy Stardust – and says:
“Listening to him as I type – he was never a Rat Pack Crooner like Frank – but I doubt he ever wanted that baggage. His free Spirit was far too restless and he just kept moving on. Ziggy Stardust was the child inside him and played Guitar pretty good….in fact, he sounds just like a 5 year old enjoying the sound of his own voice! He scattered his personalities everywhere – like it was all a big game!! He cared – and he didn’t care a DAMN!! He was having FUN!!! I tried to pull him out of a Dirty Water SPLAT as an experiment…… and he pulled a silly face at me!!! -SO – I computerized him!!!
He played a lot of Bum notes just to see what would happen – and some of them were magic – because of that – Like splatting ink all over the Goddamn place!!! Creatively – we are from the same kind of curiosity stable…..”
**This interview also published at GonzoToday.com