David Bowie was a pioneer in the glam rock, art pop and experimental genres due to his very unique style and lengthy career. Photo courtesy of historyextra.com

This week one of my favorite musicians passed away. David Bowie, the man of many personas, died after his battle with cancer.

When I heard of his passing, I couldn’t believe it because of the huge impact he had on my life from a young age.

Imagine, an angsty 13-year-old who felt like an outcast. More than anything I wanted to be creative. I was one of those kids who wasn’t athletic at all, had body image problems and felt like a talentless individual. Everyone else around me excelled at sports while I would get made fun of during gym class.

After bad days, I would go home and talk to my brother about starting a band together. I wanted to be a drummer (still do to this) so I tried convincing my parents to buy me a drum set, but it never worked.

By saving up babysitting money I was able to buy some drumsticks as motivation  in order to pursue my drumming dreams.

I remember the day I really got into David Bowie. I was listening to music with my brother and his friends. That’s when I heard “Ziggy Stardust” for the first time. I became obsessed with this song and David Bowie. I loved his style while he sang and performed. I grabbed my drumsticks from my dresser and carved “Ziggy Stardust” on them.

So fast forward to today. Here I am mourning the loss of someone who impacted my life and the lives of other individuals in the LGBTQ community.

He challenged gender roles with his androgynous style. In today’s society we are surrounded by hyper-masculinity which is damaging for so many communities. I realized that’s why I loved his music so much and watched his videos to feel less lonely.

David Bowie destroyed traditional masculinity, which helped many people, especially transgender individuals. He wore makeup and expressed himself with fluidity often. He helped many people feel valid within the gender and sexuality spectrum. He didn’t care about what society thought about him and to me that is important.

Growing up I cared way too much what people thought of me and I still do to an extent. Caring too much about what others think can be especially damaging to a person who identifies outside the gender and sexuality boundaries.

However, when I aged a bit, I realized how important representation is for someone who feels like they don’t belong. Looking back, David Bowie and all his wonderful personas impacted me in ways I never even thought about.

Even though nothing ever happened with those drum sticks, that creative individual is still here. I may not have achieved my dream of becoming a drummer but I did sing “I Fought The Law” with my brother’s band. I wasn’t a good singer but I enjoyed every minute of it even if it was only one song.

Thank you David Bowie for so many wonderful years of your music. Thank you for challenging gender norms and helping me find myself. I will never forget the moment I carved “Ziggy Stardust” on those drumsticks. There’s a starman waiting in the sky now and his legacy lives on.

Becca Devine is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]