THE BALANCE READRESSING BOWIE DOC

Ah, Bowie: soundtracking B&Q adverts and providing names for Adobe tools in recent times, I see. Well, yes. Since his estate flogged off the rights to his music, he has been popping up quite a lot. But worry not: Moonage Daydream is here to remind us that David Bowie was first and foremost A Serious Artist.

How so? Well, it’s very… serious. And arty. There’s lots of footage of him doing avant-garde painting, him playing the Elephant Man on Broadway, him making weird noises in Berlin. And not so much of him being a massive Eighties pop star.

Right. So it’s a Bowie documentary for people who think the second side of Low is humanity’s greatest achievement. Oooh, get you with the obscure references, Dr Rock! But yeah. Exactly. It’s non-linear, too, and the only person who talks in it is Bowie himself. Often in a, shall we say, non-linear way.

Hmmm. Oh, it’s still a must-see in the cinema. The restored footage of him — having his nails blow-dried, the ‘Life On Mars?’ video — is just breathtaking.

Do I need to dress up? Sure. Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.