London - A cultural studies professor at Kingston University here is living his life as David Bowie for a year - in an effort to truly understand the pop icon by “inhabiting his head”.
Professor Will Brooker's novel approach to researching his new book involves adopting Bowie's hairstyles, clothes and even diet. The year-long research project aims to trace the full 40 years of Bowie's career. So far, Professor Brooker has already taken on Bowie's looks in the guise of Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke.
The academic has also been reading the books Bowie read at different stages of his musical career, as well as watching the same films and listening to the same music.
In addition to copying the star's wardrobe, he also claims to have submitted himself to sleep deprivation and Bowie's “dubious” diet of red peppers, in a bid to recreate how the notoriously louche musician would have felt while on tour.
But he has not used the same narcotics as the singer, opting for energy drinks to recreate the effect instead.
“The idea is to inhabit Bowie's head at points in his life and career to understand his work from an original angle, while retaining a critical and objective perspective at the time,” Professor Brooker said.
The research is for a monograph called Forever Stardust. Professor Brooker decided to take the radical approach after finding the weight of material already written about 68-year-old Bowie “daunting”.
“I wondered how I could write something original, but then I thought I would immerse myself in the culture that was influencing him,” he told The Independent. “I wanted to get a bit closer to understanding what it was like to be in his head.”
Professor Brooker began the project in June, starting with Bowie in the late 1960s. It involved visiting his birthplace and the homes in Brixton, Bromley and Beckenham where he grew up. The academic is now up to the Berlin period from 1976, which will involve heading to the German capital and a whole new wardrobe and haircut.
“I find myself dreaming of him. And sometimes I wake up with a thought or a link I wouldn't have had using normal research,” he said.
A spokesperson for Bowie declined to comment.
The Independent