Many of us still haven’t fully come to grips with the untimely loss of rock icon David Bowie earlier this year. Mourners and longtime fans would gladly jump at the chance to see the Thin White Duke live one more time. While the likelihood of bringing Bowie back to the stage is pretty much impossible, there are appealing alternatives in musicians like David Brighton, a devout lifelong Bowie fan who, since 2000, has adopted the look, feel and sound of the late rocker and toured around the globe with his faithful tribute show and full backing band in tow. Brighton’s resemblance in both appearance and sound to the real man is downright eerie. (YouTube some of his prior performances and be left in awe.)
I recently had the chance to chat with Brighton, a skilled musician in his own right, from his Los Angeles home to advance his stop at downtown Clearwater’s Capitol Theatre this Sat., June 25 (backed by a full band) to get a feel for what his show has to offer…
How would you characterize your show? Do you consider yourself a David Bowie impersonator?
It is an interpretation, a theatrical piece, where we cover his enormous body of work. We cover the time from the '60s on through his untimely death. We cover all the major eras from pre-Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke, the Let’s Dance era and beyond. There are various costume changes and we cover the evolution of his career depicted in as much detail as humanly possible. You can never truly become someone else but we try as hard as possible.
How long have you been doing this?
Fifteen to sixteen years — since around 2000. The current band line-up is really amazing. We’ve got people who’ve played with The Doors, Sly Stone, Gene Loves Jezebel, Nancy Sinatra and Quiet Riot. The musicians are simply incredible, which you really need to emulate David Bowie. It’s usually a five- or six-piece band depending on the show.
What prompted your personal fascination with David Bowie?
His songwriting. It was so unusual even in his most commercial songs, they are all still pretty unorthodox when it comes to writing clever lyrics, unusual melodies and unique chord changes. And then there’s Bowie as a personality and as a performer; he was unusual and interesting and never boring. He was always out of the ordinary and a cut above the rest.
Of all the different eras you bring to life onstage, do you have a favorite you like to portray or prefer to listen to?
My favorite to listen to is what I’ll call the “rock era” — the early '70s through the mid-'70s stuff. That’s what I listen to the most — Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Hunky Dory…those albums. All of it is really fun to perform because Bowie was such a consummate showman. The Thin White Duke era, around 1976, and the Euro-funk era is really a lot of fun to do live. But each era has its element about it that makes it special and unique.
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Many fans are still mourning the loss of David Bowie earlier this year. Do you feel that your show is equally meaningful for longtime followers of his career as it might be to younger fans who may not have ever gotten to see Bowie in concert?
Yes, we are all experiencing that loss right now. We have the privilege of presenting it to people for them to see what it was like and let them actually see it with their own eyes on stage, which is really exciting. People who lived it, you can tell they’re going back in time and it’s wonderful to see that happen. You get the best of both situations.
What kinds of response have you gotten?
Initially, right after Bowie’s death, there were a lot of people crying in the audiences. A lot of people who come see us dress up as Bowie. People come in groups with friends and they dress as different stages of his career, which is really powerful and moving. He left this great legacy behind.
Have you gotten any feedback directly from any of Bowie’s entourage or camp?
Yes, from quite a few people. Earl Slick, one of Bowie’s longtime guitarists, was very complementary. He said to me, “Man, I’m from New York, I’m not just blowing smoke. You studied Bowie like Bowie studied Elvis!” and he spoke highly of our musicians, too. Harry Maslin (who produced two Bowie albums) came to see us in L.A. and said lots of nice things. David’s webmaster used to post things about our gigs on his official website sometimes, too. That was a real honor. They even contacted me once while Bowie was out on his final tour to let me know they were going to be in L.A. to ask if I was going to be in town because they wanted to come see us play. I happened to be in Las Vegas at that time! I think they saw that we were, as respectfully as we can, trying to recreate it. They appreciated how hard we tried to do it right.
Apart from the music, what’s the hardest nuance or essence to capture?
Well, I actually had the chance to work with Bowie doing a television commercial a number of years back and I saw it up close; he had such an enormous range. His repertoire of performance skills was so vast and he commanded his body in ways that most people in rock music never knew were possible. He was a rock singer and performer, but he was also a trained dancer, he was trained in mime and had all sorts of theatrical skills. I was trained as a rock guitar player and played in many groups so learning as many of Bowie’s performance skills as I could was a monumental task and I’m still attacking it as I go. If you just study his expressions on stage, that’s enough to keep you busy. The way he moves, carries himself…his whole being was a vehicle of expression.
What do you feel is the most faithful part in trying to honor his memory with this show?
Just getting across his artistry. He had commercial success but I think above everything, he was an artist’s artist. Even when, on occasion, he would do something like “Let’s Dance” or “Fame,” those hit records carried a scope of his artistic integrity. You can’t really fit 50 years of records in a two-hour show but we try to touch on all the bases. He was a true artist. That’s what we want to get across.
Is that how you think he’ll be remembered?
I think so. I think he taught “be true to your vision, be true to your art.” It’s okay to be yourself. You don’t have to follow crowds or trends. It’s oayk to be who you are. I think that a huge sector of society gravitates towards him for that.
What do you think is the most significant or substantial piece of art that will carry out his legacy forever?
I can’t say just one But his initial impact came with the Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane albums. Those two records, those two years, 1972 and 1973, when he was considered the Ziggy character, that was sort of when he made his explosion onto the scene and he mixed a lot of different music and art that hadn’t previously been mixed; low and high art, Broadway, pop, rock, and did so in a poignant, spectacular way. There were many things later that were certainly as valid and impactful… [1982 duet with Queen] ”Under Pressure” is like a religious experience and there are many, many others. The era from The Man Who Sold the World through Pin Ups and Station to Station — all brilliant albums. Young Americans, another brilliant album. So many people copied that. His electronic stuff with Eno was just as amazing. I could go on and on…
Do you have a personal favorite?
I’d have to say Aladdin Sane. It’s like the peak of the Ziggy-era stuff. The band was so perfect and Mike Garson’s piano work was so amazing on it. And his vocals reached another level. He really had such great command over his voice. The songwriting was brilliant. And the Spiders, Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey all played great. It’s just an amazing record. There’s not a song on there that isn’t great.
So why should Bowie fans come see what you do?
We just want to say “People, look at this; look at what this man achieved. This is music that’s going to live on.” He provided the world with a great body of work and we’re just sharing it because it’s worth sharing. This is music of substance. It’s intellectually stimulating and, spiritually, there’s something going on there too. It just sort of covers the human experience in a unique way.
It really shows that you are above all, a true fan. This doesn’t seem to be just a job for you
We’re insanely dedicated to it. We think it’s something of value and we’re trying to celebrate someone great.
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David Brighton’s Space Oddity: The Ultimate David Bowie Experience lands at Capitol Theatre in Clearwater (405 Cleveland St.) this Sat., June 25. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $29, $39 or $50 in advance and can be purchased by phone (727-791-7400) or online here.
This article appears in Jun 16-23, 2016.