The Inside Story of David Bowie’s Stunning New Album, ‘Blackstar’
The album ends with the soaring “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” featuring amazing guitar work by Ben Monder. “I don’t know what the song is referring to,” says Visconti. “But what he gives away is what he writes about. I think a lot of writers feel like, ‘If you want to know about me, just study my lyrics.’ That’s why he doesn’t give interviews. He’s has revealed plenty in past interviews, but I think his life now is about his art. It’s totally about what he’s doing now.”
LCD Soundsystem founder James Murphy plays percussion on two tracks, though his role on the album was originally going to be much more significant. “At one point we were talking about three producers for the album: David, James and myself,” says Visconti. “[Murphy] was there for a brief time, but he had his own projects to go off to.” Adds Guiliana, “His role was never really defined. He brought in some synths and some percussion and had a ton of ideas.”
When the band finished tracking in March, Bowie and Visconti recut most of the vocals, giving them a ghostly effect throughout the 42-minute record. “That’s the hallmark of the way we work,” says Visconti. “He sounds really good when we do this effect called ADT, automatic double-tracking. Then we fooled around with some rippling, repeat echoes. They’re all custom-made effects.”
To promote the “Blackstar” single, Bowie shot a surreal short movie where he portrays a blind prophet in space who comes across a group of scarecrow figures getting crucified. “I think I started crying when he called me,” said director Johan Renck at a Brooklyn premiere event. But that video might be the last sustained glimpse Bowie fans get for now. “I don’t think he’s ever going to play live again,” says Visconti. “If he does, it will be a total surprise.”
Bowie is clearly determined to let the album speak for him. “When he put out albums like Heroes and Low, no one was doing anything like that,” says Visconti. “And then he gave birth to the New Romantic scene. He’s a genre-breaker, and I can’t wait for the ★ imitation albums to start coming out.”