Blackstar Theory

Leah Kardos deftly uncovers the patterns in David Bowie's late style, seeing the mortality, morality, and self-consciousness hiding in plain sight. While musicological analysis is at the heart of her endeavor, she is nevertheless attuned to the places in his epic career where there are fissures and unexpected correspondences with other forms of art. Blackstar Theory is a feast for any Bowie fan-rabid or casual-and performs the closure that many of us were seeking. A welcome addition to the growing canon of Bowie studies. * Shelton Waldrep, Distinguished Professor of English, University of Southern Maine, USA * This is one of the most intelligent studies of David Bowie's music that will ever be published. It illuminates the interconnected web of meanings that are discoverable in his work in ways I have never encountered before. Leah Kardos shows with genuine illumination that the music of the late Bowie tackles big ideas such as the nature of identity, creativity, chaos, transience and im/mortality and provides us with signposts that take us back to the very start of his extraordinary life and musical career. The book is a major achievement. * Keith Ansell-Pearson, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Warwick, UK * A star-gazing telescope of sorts, Blackstar Theory provides an illuminating view of the last great works of a dying star. Intimately connected to the music and art of David Bowie, Leah Kardos elegantly crafts a respectful conduit for readers to share in her examination of the meanings generated by Bowie's work. As an in-depth scholarly guide and probing navigational tool, Blackstar Theory is a must read for anyone wishing to engage with the constellation of meanings generated by Bowie's late music and art. * Lisa Perrott, Senior Lecturer, Waikato University, New Zealand, and series editor of New Approaches to Sound, Music and Media (Bloomsbury) *