The laundry list of books and short stories that have influenced the music we listen to could fill, well, a library. ”For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Metallica. ”Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin, ”Frankenstein” by Lenny Kravitz, all have obvious literary reference points. We know that Camus is connected to The Cure, that the Police were inspired by Lolita, and that Katy Perry borrowed from Kerouac. This week, on Afterwords, Umapagan Ampikaipakan focuses on a songwriter with a more encompassing, perhaps even obsessive, appreciation for literature; the one and only - David Bowie.

Show Notes:

i) After listening to the show, you can read about Robert A. Heinlein’s Starman Jones here.

ii) Also read this phenomenal Rolling Stone conversation between William S. Burroughs and David Bowie. The “Beat Godfather Meets Glitter Mainman”. 

iii) As for Bowie’s influence on popular culture, the list really is endless (and growing), but you can start with some of these. Familiarise yourself with Grant Morrison’s run on Batman. Check out Neil Gaiman’s take on Lucifer. And also watch The Venture Bros. tribute to Bowie here.