The world was stunned this week by the sudden death of David Bowie. He released an album only last week (on his 69th birthday) and from this fan’s perspective it was great to have him back in the spotlight. Bowie defied almost every convention over a five-decade career that spanned multiple music genres, movies, theater, art and more. Someday, a dictionary will show his photo as the example of “chameleonic.”  He taught the world so much.

Here are a few lessons learned from the man born David Jones:

Reinvention as an art form

Ziggy Stardust? The Thin White Duke? Elephant Man? He had numerous alter egos and personas, each perfectly matched the music to the character. The muscular guitar figures of the late great Mick Ronson of the Ziggy era were nothing like the sinewy funk lines of Carlos Alomar and Earl Slick of his Thin White Duke period, which presaged the Stratocaster  pyrotechnics of Stevie Ray Vaughan on Let’s Dance. He ditched the disco getup for the tailored suits and serrated guitar work of Reeves Gabrels for his Tin Machine days. These personas and musical styles had a common thread – the unmistakable voice and compositional chops of Bowie.  The lesson learned is, don’t be afraid to try or be something new.

Collaboration across generations

Bowie worked with so many different and varied artists who helped shape his sound and vision. One of the more bizarre television appearances I’ve ever seen was his duet with Bing Crosby on a Christmas special. With an age gap of more than 40 years, Crosby had no idea who this strange creature was singing with him. But that didn’t stop them from sounding great together! Their accomplishments in music and the movies actually gave the two stars significant common ground. Another Bowie collaboration grew out of a conversation at a dinner party. John Lennon and David Bowie discussed the path to fame, and once a level of fame is achieved the famous try to deconstruct and downplay it. The resulting song displays some of Lennon’s finest guitar work.  Bowie would later re-record the song with Queen Latifah (born Dana Owens), then an up-and-coming singer.  One of my favorite songs from the 1980s is Under Pressure, the brilliant duet that Bowie recorded with British rock legends Queen. He had been friends with their singer, Freddy Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) for years and they shared a love of presenting rock as a visual spectacle. Can you sense a pattern with his collaborators?

Great Risk Great Reward

His innovations stretched into the unlikely worlds of finance and technology. Bowie was one of the first celebrities to offer bonds on his back catalog. Bowie Bonds were asset-backed securities of current and future revenues of the 25 albums (287 songs) that Bowie recorded before 1990. The idea was pioneered by investment banker David Pullman, and the bonds issued by Prudential in 1997. At one time, Bowie Bonds had  a higher rate of return than a 10-year Treasury note!

His footprint in technology was also significant. In September 1998, Bowie launched his own Internet service provider, BowieNet. Subscribers to the dial-up service were offered exclusive content, as well as a BowieNet email address and regular Internet access. Although the service was closed in 2006, Bowie was again a pioneer in another world.

One of the true originals has left us, and made an indelible mark on our world. The stars do look very different today.