Every time David Bowie stepped on stage, he did so for every marginalized, gender-questioning person around the world.
That’s the recurring theme that’s arisen in the wake of the rock legend’s death on Jan. 10, 2016, and no more so than in San Francisco, where a week’s worth of Bowie celebrations drove the point home: nobody can tell us we aren’t stars. From the First Church of the Sacred Silversexual’s tribute show at Slim’s to the Thrillpeddlers’ Bowie revue at the Hypnodrome – and on to 1015 Folsom’s tribute dance party – the city’s makeup- and haircolor-fueled soirees shined with freedom and liberation.
As KQED’s cameras rolled, fan after fan attested to Bowie as the “patron saint of the misfit and outcast,” according to Lysol Tony-Romeo; a hero to “ladies and gentlemen, and everyone in between,” according to Jillian Gnarling. And while Bowie’s glam-rock era lasted only a handful of years, his lifelong embrace of change continues to inspire — even after his star’s departure. — Gabe Meline
