RATM Killing in the name… (in the style of David Bowie)

I came across this curiosity while reviewing candidates for “cover of the week.” But I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. This is, in fact, a cover, but it isn’t a Bowie cover. It’s a cover of a song with which I was previously not familiar by Rage Against the Machine. But the performer here, RATM, does the song in the style of “Fame” era Bowie. You will hear it immediately. I haven’t really encountered this kind of thing before— it’s not a mashup and not an entirely new song. So for me, this is creative (I’d add that it is well done as a piece of music).

I don’t really have much more to say about this particular video, but I’m posting amidst a period in which I am highlighting adaptations of Bowie’s work. Yesterday, for instance, I wrote about my attendance at a tribute concert performed by Berkleee College of Music students in Boston, and coming on Saturday I am posting an interview with Nacho, of Nacho’s Videos, whose work which include restorations of Bowie videos and video performances as well as newly created videos making use of archival footage. Mondays, of course are my “Cover of the Week” days. Personally, I think all of this is wonderful. Bowie, I think, left us with much to do.

Bowie said as much (repeatedly) when it came to his lyrics. This topic, too, came up in an interview I recently conduced (but won’t post for as while). He was inconsistent in explaining what his songs were about, but very consistent in encouraging his audience to come up with their own interpretations. I don’t recall him being quite so explicit in talking about his music, but in a sense that’s what these covers, adaptations, and in this case, stylistic homages are doing. In this respect, Bowie’s music has become like classical music or standards— subject to potentially infinite innovation.

I sometimes get comments critical of adaptations, usually along the lines that nobody can do Bowie better than Bowie, so what’s the point? And I don’t know— people like what they like and don’t like what they don’t like. But between the inherent quality of the material beyond the performance of it, and its mutable qualities, I think Bowie’s work almost begs to be built upon. So, yeah, I like this video, and I kinda think Bowie would have, too.