The song my sisters liked was "China Girl." They were four beautiful girls -- eminently dateable -- and I was their youngest brother, their pet. They weren't allowed to go off with strange boys. My parents were very strict. But they dated anyway, secretly, and I was their alibi.

#BabyBowie

Bowie's success was built upon his marked departure from what was the music industry fad at the time. Of course, he had his influences, but his ideas came from an inner conviction.

Our reluctance to have an honest and open conversation about the flaws of celebrities we love stems from a simple fact: we see ourselves in them.

The other day, I was about halfway through a piece on David Bowie's outstanding, genre-annihilating new album, Blackstar. Today, I write something new, a head full of Starman-studded memories, eyes damp with real tears.