“The Soul of the Earth Escaped into the Sky”
Watching The Man Who Fell to Earth. Alone. Drinking Stoli. Neat.
I first saw the movie when I was a kid. On TV. It was chopped and edited, of course, but it made an unmistakable impression. Bowie’s look, in both forms, stuck with me. Originally, I mistook the coat he is wearing at the begining of the film (as he clambers down that long, ashy hill) for a Pea Coat. After seeing the movie, I was struck with a long desire for such a thing. That collar: up. That look: so pale and thin. The hair, the eyes…both sets.
I got a pea coat when I was in high school and wore it for years. I remember wearing it on a date, in college. The sister of the girl I was taking out liked it. She said it looked mod.
Some years ago, I tried the coat on again. It didn’t fit well anymore. Too short in the sleeves.
Not that it’s all about fashion. Hah.
I was jazzed to finally get the movie on dvd a few years ago. It still resonates with me. (Though that glimpse of Rip Torn’s peep is kinda disturbing.) The film, and Bowie’s role in it, are so iconic that they could stand as an undiscovered tarot card: The Outsider, Corrupted.
Come to think of it, Nicolas Roeg directed two films that had major effects on me. This one, and, Don’t Look Now. Alienation, love, sex, and death.
Beauty too.
Not bad for a couple of films…
The vodka is lighting me up…or slowing me down. Maybe both, I guess. What a drear and empty day. And strange. Definitely feeling outside myself, and the rest of it. The movie was a perfect match to my mood.
Whatever.
Got the headphones on. One song, repeating, as I write.
I’m tired.
Can you guess the name of the song I’m listening to? Here’s a hint.
Hope I dream of falling up, or sinking in, again tonight…