David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death God

The story of David Bowie’s quest for meaning and how it inspired the music that defined a generation is explored in this wide-ranging biography by Peter Ormerod. From Bowie's earliest recordings to his death-defying final album, the book traces his lifelong search for spiritual truth and how it shaped lyrics, sound en performance. The author examines Bowie's spiritual obsessions—from his choirboy beginnings to his fascination with Tibetan Buddhism, and later the Kabbalah influence on Station to Station—en route to Ziggy Stardust's messiah complex, Heroes' Christian affinities, and beyond. In moments as dark as they are triumphant, Ormerod shows how Bowie's faith journey fueled some of pop music's most enduring and transformative work, lending a timeless depth to songs that resonated across the world. The narrative situates Bowie's explorations within broader cultural currents, from LA occult phases to moments when he recited the Lord’s Prayer to thousands of concertgoers, revealing a continuous search for universal truth beyond everyday reality. The book was published on 15 January 2026 by Bloomsbury Publishing UK, and comprises 256 pages in paperback (Bloomsbury Continuum).

Ormerod guides readers through Bowie's spiritual obsessions, tracing how they informed his creative process across decades and albums, and why this quest mattered as much as his musical innovations.

The biography places Bowie's life in a broader cultural context, showing how his spiritual search gave his music lasting resonance that continues to speak to listeners around the world.

Kenmerken

• Biografie onderzoekt Bowie's zoektocht naar spiritualiteit achter zijn muziek
• Behandelt Tibetan Buddhism, Kabbalah invloeden en christelijke thema's
• Verbindt Station to Station, Ziggy Stardust en Heroes met geloof
• Beschrijft LA-periode en occultie-ervaringen in het verhaal
• Benoemt Bowies impact op popcultuur vanuit zijn zoektocht