Thurston Moore is known just as much for his guitar skills as his ability to meet and befriend the coolest of the cool. From Andy Warhol to Michael Gira, Thurston knows how to network and share his artistic ideas. These social skills came in handy in Thurston's interaction with rock royalty David Bowie. Thurston performed at David Bowie's 50th birthday party at Madison Square Garden along with Sonic Youth, and forged an important friendship with the artist. Needless to say, his passing brought a wide array of emotions from the god of noise rock.
Thurston praised Bowie's energy, innovations, fearlessness, and musical talent. He saw Bowie as a vanguard in popular music, and felt his death marked the end of a chapter in Rock history.
The Sonic Youth guitarist wrote, "David Bowie's energy was charged with light. His love and passion for art, in all its intrigue and interplay with nature, was manifest in his smile, his charm. He loved to experiment while honoring the grace of tradition and subsequently informed and inspired anyone lucky enough to be there when Ziggy Stardust took the stage and hit the racks. When punk rode into town and every rock n' roller pre-1976 was denounced as a dinosaur, there were few exceptions. Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Captain Beefheart, Yoko Ono, Neil Young, Marc Bolan, Eno, Bryan Ferry and definitely Bowie."
Thurston continued to praise Bowie's foresight and taste. He said Bowie had an uncanny ability to discover new, exciting music and bring it to the attention of the mainstream.
"He was the one gentleman who excitedly applauded Devo and Suicide and in the '80s was rumored to have been checking out Pixies, Sonic Youth, et al," Thuston said. "He asked Sonic Youth to play "I'm Afraid of Americans" with his band at his 50th birthday party at Madison Square Garden in 1997."
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