As the tenth anniversary of David Bowie’s death approaches – on 10th January, in case you’ve forgotten – the ever-flowing stream of books exploring every facet of Bowie’s life continues. Finding a new angle to explore is becoming increasingly challenging. Many authors have explored Bowie’s music, his films, his influence on fashion, and his choice of literature, whilst countless have offered photo collections of a man who truly deserves the ‘legend’ status. Many of these are fantastic additions, but certainly not all, with some appearing more like expensive fanzines rather than necessary additions to the Bowie published canon.
So, what makes this book stand out? Well, Alexander Larman offers the first biography that boldly focuses solely on the second half of Bowie’s career, starting in 1990 when many considered Bowie washed up after a decade, whereby fans and media had watched a slow descent into self-parody and being out of fashion rather than setting it. The twenty-six-year period covered, in great detail, by Larman includes nearly a decade when almost nothing was heard from Bowie but still, this volume has plenty to say.
Starting in 1990 Larman explores an artist at odds with not only the cultural scene which he had so famously helped shape but also with himself. Whilst it is easy, since Bowie’s death, to look back with rose-tinted specs and accept that Bowie never put a foot wrong and we always loved him, those who followed him in the early and mid-90’s remember a different time. Whilst now people hail his Outside album as a great addition to his catalogue at the time people walked out of his live shows because he failed to play the hits (despite retiring them five years earlier and making it clear this wasn’t a hits tour) and his exquisite Buddha of Suburbia soundtrack album was released so quietly many didn’t even know it existed.
Larman takes a broadly chronological approach throughout Lazarus starting with the much derided Tin Machine project, dissecting it so we get to appreciate that it wasn’t all as bad as people remember (the second album was the only one of Bowie’s career never to chart in the UK) and that lost amongst the less than wonderful tracks are some absolute belters such as ‘Baby Universal’ – just don’t get the author started on the overlong ‘Stateside’ for which he, rightly, lays into the lumpen Hunt Sales’ vocals. As the 1990s progress, Bowie returns to being the artist he always wanted to be, pushing boundaries and breaking new ground in a range of media. By the end of the 1990s he is delivering one of the greatest headline slots Glastonbury has ever seen and returning to work with Tony Visconti.
Whilst many Bowie biographies focus purely on the music, Larman explores the wider interests and impact of Bowie, detailing his involvement in setting up BowieNet, an early dial-up internet service provider, way ahead of most musicians, joining the board of Modern Painters and developing investment opportunities. Throughout the 90s Bowie also released five solo albums and undertook extensive touring whilst finding time for some pretty forgettable film cameos and, of course, started a family with his new wife, Iman.
Lazarus explores each component of Bowie’s later career with care and detail, drawing on interviews with many close musicians and friends and a heavy dose of already published interview sources. Perhaps the most telling chapters are those that address the issue of Bowie’s health issues, his supposed six heart attacks and his 2014 diagnosis with cancer, which he kept secret from all but the closest of his working colleagues. It is against this backdrop that Larman explores the recording of Bowie’s last masterpiece, Blackstar, released just two days before his death in January 2016.
New Modern, which is quickly becoming one of the go-to publishers for high-quality music-related books, have managed to continue its run of outstanding publications. For my money, this biography is one of the most illuminating and finally provides a detailed account of the period of Bowie’s career which too many other books have skipped over. This is a truly worthy addition to the heavy shelves of Bowie books, one which will inspire the reader to dig out classic Bowie albums such as Buddha of Suburbia, whilst giving others such as Outside a second chance and finding many hidden gems. As the world gets ready to mourn the tenth anniversary of Bowie’s death, this is a superb book to remind us of exactly how much he gave us, and how much we continue to miss him.
Lazarus : The Second Coming of David Bowie (New Modern) is published on 1st January 2026
