Just as skateboarders have a broad range of personalities and taste, the same can be said about David Bowie. Considered a musical chameleon, seamlessly adapting as tastes change without ever compromising himself, Bowie navigated a career of the utmost relevance while remaining original all the while.
He’s come in all shapes and sizes - the Thin Whit Duke, Alladin Sane, singing with Tina Turner, wearing Zoot Suits, singing reggae hits and dressing up in costume during performances - David Bowie can probably relate to skateboarder’s more than he can musicians. Consider how many skateboarders have been accompanied by Bowie over the years. Watching Arto Saari Arto plummet down stair sets with "Rock ‘n’ Roll’ Suicide" playing in Sorry, or Steve Olson busting a frontside 180 nosegrind to frontside shove-out against Bowie's opening guitar and vocals on "Quicksand".
The amount of tributes on Instagram and other social media platforms show how important the man and his music were to the skateboarding world. Bowie is as prevalent in music culture as he is in skateboarding, with new parts showcasing Bowie’s music to this day and reminding us that he is very much still in the consciousness of modern skateboarding.
Here's our top three favorite skate parts where Uncle Ziggy has collided with the four-wheeled plank.
Arto Saari, Flip Skateboards Sorry (2002), ‘1984’ & ‘Rock N Roll Suicide’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPOgI2xRCXY
Heath Kirchart and Jeremy Klein The End (1998), "Under Pressure".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kw8EwxwO_M
Bryan Herman Baker 3 (2005) "The Width of a Circle".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVDxZCiD1cQ