David Bowie

It's been heartwarming to see so much love shown for David Bowie since he passed away on Monday. He touched so many of us with his words, his music, his attitude, his intelligence. His influence can be felt in the work of many of the musicians I have written about in the past, most of whom have collaborated with him at some stage. Lou Reed, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem.. The list goes on. Here are just a few of the special Bowie moments that went through my head when I heard the news.

The way the rug is pulled from under us 4 minutes into Young Americans as the music drops out and we're left with his soulful falsetto, 'Ain't there one damn song that can make me break down and cryyyyyyyyy.' And the way the drums kick back in.

In Alan Yentob's documentary Cracked Actor when he's drinking milk in the back of a limo and singing along to Aretha Franklin's 'You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman' with a massive grin on his face as he's driven through the desert.

His gorgeous backing vocals on the outro to Lou Reed's Satellite of Love. I could listen to the last minute of that song on a loop all day long.

The way he duets with himself on the other worldly Sound and Vision. My favourite Bowie track. The song that always springs to mind when I hear Talking Heads Heaven.. 'The band in Heaven plays my favorite song. They play it once again, they play it all night long.'

Aphex Twin's exhilarating remix of Heroes. One of the great remixes. Richard D. James turns it into a completely different beast by stripping back the raw vocals and laying them over the swirling strings from Philip Glass's interpretation of the song. He had access to the master tapes and the respect he has for the source material shines through.

Modern Love and it's infectious joie de vivre. Possibly the best pop song ever recorded. It always brings a smile to my face when I hear it used in films. Like this scene in Frances Ha. 

There are so many many more..