Blue Denim Platform Boots

Today is such a sad day. I have heard of the death of one of my all time musical heroes, the genius that is David Bowie.

When he came along in the early 70s he completely changed my musical tastes. For me, there has never been nor ever will be a musician that has changed and shaped popular music more dramatically or emphatically. His influence has been there for all to see for the past four decades and it will continue to be there for years to come.

I really got into him in 1972 with the release of the Ziggy Stardust album. I was fascinated by this strange exotic creature, both his look and his music. At the same time I joined the Army which was just about as far from Ziggy as could possibly be.

Then came along Aladdin Sane album the cover of which completely blew me away.

By now, of course, my once shoulder length hair had been converted to a short back and all over and my loon pants, my favourite pair were maroon down to the knee and then green down to the cuffs, had been replaced with Levi jeans, taking me further away from the Bowie image that I found so fascinating.








The release of Diamond Dogs in 1974 coincided with me being posted to Cyprus. The cover of Diamond Dogs was considered more outrageous and exotic than those that had gone before. To me just the more fascinating.

Taking a trip out to Larnaca just after the invasion of the island had occurred in the same year, I saw a fantastic pair of blue denim platform soled boots in a shop window. Bowie boots! On impulse I went in and bought them in an extremely expensive transaction. Why? I had no idea. Could I wear them? Something that outlandish? As a squaddie, really? No. Just wasn't done. So I put them in my locker and they never saw serious action on my feet. I had them for years and never wore them.





Now the icon has left us. David Bowie is no more. He has left his legacy in his music and in the wider issue of "culture". He will be long remembered. Do I still have my blue denim platform boots? Sadly no. They went a long time ago. I cannot remember when or why. Today they come back to my mind. How I wish I had the nerve to wear them when I had the chance.