It&#x27;s funny, these threads always devolve into comparisons to modern day pop stars, how none of them compare.<p>And you&#x27;re all right, of course, no one could ever compare. He was the best, period, in my mind, and while he may not be in your mind, but his accomplishments and career are undeniable.<p>But every rock and pop singer today has something from Bowie. Kanye and Gaga found ways to navigate both pop stardom and the art world; bands like Of Montreal incorporated theatricality blended with musicianship in their records and live shows. I could list, so, so many more, from Janelle Monae to St Vincent, but unfortunately I think a list of every rock or pop musician since 1970 would take up significantly more room than I have in this comment box. They created something new using his life and music as inspiration - and that&#x27;s fine.<p>Because we like to act as if Bowie is this fount of perfect originality, ideas springing from the ether - and, don&#x27;t get me wrong, he certainly was inventive - but to ignore his influences is to create a myth. We talk about him as the chameleon, but he never morphed into truly untread ground - he always found what was there, and improved, innovated, found new ways to incorporate it. Young Americans followed Philadelphia soul. &quot;Blackout&quot; followed &quot;Nite Flights&quot;. The man operated a goddamn ISP in the late 90s, as another comment mentioned. Blackstar followed experimental jazz and had inspiration from everyone from Kendrick Lamar to James Murphy.<p>I wouldn&#x27;t dare to try to distill his life into a single takeaway, as there&#x27;s far, far too many angles to cover. But here&#x27;s the lesson that springs to mind first, which, now that I write it, comes out slightly more inspirational-poster than I&#x27;d like, but maybe that&#x27;s okay:<p>Creative work isn&#x27;t made in a vacuum, and to try is futile. Embrace what&#x27;s next, no matter how different, how weird. Keep your eyes forward and your ears and mind open.