A decade after his death,David Bowieremains one of the most iconic performers ever.The talented singer and songwriter’s musicpushed boundaries, and his eccentric style and persona commanded attention. His impressive catalog of work often dealt with themes such as existentialism, culture and society, and love and romance. Beyond producing hit songs such as “Let Me Sleep Beside You” and “Sound and Vision”,Bowie was also an accomplished stage and screen actor.Bowie’s talent and innate artistic ability define what being an artist means. Never one to shy away from voicing his strong opinions,Bowie also revealed which artist’s album he thought was one of the most brilliant ones ever made.
David Bowie Praised Television’s ‘Marquee Moon’
David Bowie has been called the chameleon of rock. It is a title not given without merit, partly due to his innovative character and ever-evolving musical style. During his lifetime, Bowie produced 11 number-one albums in his native Britain, received sixGrammy Awards,and toured the globe numerous times. In an early interview with Billboard,Bowie described his evolution as an artist.“I don’t find it a problem to use the techniques and styles I’ve used before, where at one time I thought, ‘I can’t do that!’ I was very into making the Big Artistic Statement — it had to be innovative, it had to be cutting edge. I was desperately keen on being original. Now I’m not trying so obsessively to be up against the sky. It’s almost like I’m finding a style — a David Bowie Sound! I just blossom late, I guess.”
Despite his widespread popularity, Bowie was deeply supportive of other acts and often promoted and applauded their musical styles. Following the 1977 release of theAmerican rock band Television’s debut albumMarquee Moon, Bowie commented on their artistry. The then-30-year-oldBowie stated thatMarquee Moonwas brilliant and that Television was “The most original band I’ve seen in New York. They’ve got it,“after seeing them play at Club 82.
In addition to admiring the rock band Television, Bowie also enjoyed many other artists. In 1979, the “Life on Mars?” singer became a guest host forBBC 1 radio. During his temporary two-hour tenure on the radio show,Bowie played some of his favorite songsfor listeners. Whilst he played songs by other famous friends likeIggy PopandJohn Lennon, he also played “Love Street” byThe Doors, “Sweet Jane” byVelvet Underground, and “Warnings Sign” byTalking Heads.
Television Was A Popular Rock Band In The 1970s
The rock band Television was formed in New York City in 1973 and consisted of members Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine, Fred Smith, Billy Ficca, and Richard Lloyd.The quintet helped define the CBGB scene and shaped punk and alternative rock.Their debut album,Marquee Moon, released in 1977 (two years after Hell’s departure),effortlessly combined rock and jazz with skillful guitar work. In February 2025, MOJO 4 Music magazine hailedMarquee Moonas one of the greatest debut albums of all time and praised it for its “revolutionary, intricate and questing fusion” of different sounds.
The band’s unique sound was inspired by many acts such asThe Velvet Underground, various composers, and 1960s garage bands. To date,Televison has only released three studio albums. However, they continued performing together off and on when, in 2007,guitarist Richard Lloyd left the band due to illness. He was later replaced by former lead guitarist forPaul Collins and the Beat, Jimmy Rip. Although the band has remained together, withplans to release a fourth album of unreleased tracks in 2025, they lost anotherband member, front-man, and guitarist Tom Verlaine, in January 2023 to prostate cancer.
In October 2017, founding member and guitaristRichard Lloyd gavean interview with Please Kill Meto discuss his memoir and the band’s impact on rock' n roll. “At 15, I made the conscious wish to become a famous guitarist and to have an impact on rock ‘n’ roll music that would be historic. I didn’t know how it would happen or exactly when, but I was certain that it would and that the world would turn until it happened – but that it was going to happen no matter what.” As for why the band is revered but never quite achieved commercial success, Lloyd responded “Because of Tom’s shortsightedness and lack of touring. It’s that simple. Plus we only made two records before breaking up for a decade. I certainly think we could’ve been much bigger if we had been willing to work, but Tom doesn’t like to work unless he is being paid a fortune.”
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In concert or on-screen—there will never be a performer quite like Bowie.
