Bowie's Piano WOMAN (PDF)

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“Sing us a song, you’re the piano man!” Garson: “Wait, I can’t sing…”
by Janett Ohoven
31.03.2016

Piano man Michael Garson on Keys!! He was Davy’s backbone during the Ziggy Stardust act,
through Aladdin Sane insanity, way up to his decision to turn into a Blackstar and leave Earth.
Done exploring both Jupiter & Mars, my return to try and find the guy was inevitable. And
how it occasionally is with taking Chances: I tried & I scored! Last evening in Düsseldorf, on
which I had merely hoped to listen to his biographer, who’d maybe allow a few insights into
the creative process - not even scratching Bowie’s icy surfaces -, my expectations got fulfilled
and topped from here to… basically outer Space (How come, there’s always something
creepin’ ‘round the corner, just waiting to happen, that you could not have anticipated??)
Tonight’s eye-opener was the coincidence that Garson himself was present. PLUS, he asked,
if any brave artists, who wrote their own material, would like it to be judged ----Well. Joyful
as I was about my recently revived life course, not able to care less at this point if anybody
didn’t approve of what I was doing, and lastly, driven by my no-risk-no-fun mentality, that ”I
might be a chick but not a chicken”, I hopped onstage & play him a tune (No sooner than a
day prior had this thing really been composed. Something held me back for long, since the
lyrics had already been ready in January; suggesting it was not the right time. Turned out:
instincts were absolutely spot on) So… kind of involuntarily “back Home”, I chanted >>I
Want the World<< -About as contradictory as it gets! The feedback? Entertaining and
constructive. I was pretty confident from the start that this event’s audience would only be of
people with diverse opinions that reflected their above-decent musical taste. M.G. remained
silent. He didn’t mean to interrupt the direct correspondence between receiver and deliverer of
the art. Good approach! After the show we talked for quite a while. Some sacred conversation
I’d rather not share, at the end of which he told me two things that have set my mind free:
“You’re not virtuous on your instrument, in the classical sense” – I am very aware of that, I
replied. One cannot expect perfect craftsmanship from someone who, for a whole of 16 years,
had been so effin lazy (or busy), that she practiced predominately half an hour before class.
Even though she might have been “talented” enough to pull that off week after week after
week + get away with it: In hindsight, it is her “fault” she’s not able play like HIM today.
That takes Talent AND discipline (she would not achieve the latter until many years later.) I
could have done it. Could. But went left instead of right. Luckily and ultimately, this Left
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creaturejanesane@gmail.com >>The Evermore Project<<
became my individual Right. Playing instruments without actually knowing what I’m doing
bears an ever-changing surprise for each time I touch them. I’m the MASTER of Presswhichever-key-fits improvisation. I have to thank myself for that unconscious decision not to
count as a “musician”, for Janey’s “nothing in particular”- rather, “conquering everything to
the best of her ability”. I called myself “an author” recently. Hell, no!! For that, you must
have read ~10.000 books, Stephen King writes in his book “On Writing”. I did (fully) read
only a handful. Literally A- Hand- Full-. No shaking here. Gotta protect my style, not get
influenced too much. It’s probably my take on making sure that what I’m doing today is
actually: ME. By all means, I wouldn’t enjoy being a copycat of anyone! Again, could have
done it. Could  If I had wanted to. Apparently I didn’t. I had no idea what I wanted I guess.
Now I do! Sort of. And I partly engraved it in Hertz with the help of my newest composition.
He went on: “, but I know David would have liked it” – Ok, wow… obviously, I was NOT
prepared to catch that. Realistically: Never will! Since he, who is half the impersonation
behind my project’s name can’t speak for himself anymore. Yet, Mike had the privilege of
being a just-as-close-as-true friend to the Starman who made me dare reach for them myself.
Learning to assume the utter best with every breath I take, I therefore have to believe that
Bowie would really have been a supporter - Not among those many who don’t want me to
want anything so they can I conceal the fact THEY don’t have any goals in their own lives.
Damn, you gotta wake up and discover the greatness within (you). Stop bashing mine! That’s
why we are (here). To do real stuff that contributes to the progress of humankind. I challenge
you to spent time alone and figure your SELF out… As for me, I’ll continue my SELF.
Because some Alive, and others on clouds somewhere, are watching, WANTING me to
succeed, and myself in return WANTS to make them proud. The tiniest spark can matter the
most, be worth everything! Still, our world turns without David Bowie. & It WILL continue
doing that, whether I tell it a million times to stand still or not, trying to shoot a crystal-clear
picture of what currently is. But the blue stone is not ignoring that request. Be glad. It’s
actually giving you the answer to a question never asked! By rolling and turning, it draws its
pleasure from watching us fall… on our Heads… then, we realize we have an obligation:
“Jeder Mensch ist ein Künstler” (-Joseph Beuys)
J.

P.S.:
If it’s you, Mr Garson: It was nice meeting your spirit - Being equal beings.
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