David Bowie Outlaw: Essays on Difference, Authenticity, Ethics, Art & Love

Description

This book explores the relevance of David Bowie’s life and music for contemporary legal and cultural theory. Focusing on Bowie the artist, as well as his artworks, this book brings to life particular theoretical ideas, creative methodologies and ethical debates that have contemporary relevance within the fields of law, social theory, ethics and art. What unites the essays presented here is that they all point to a beyond of law: to the fact that law is not enough, or to be more precise, that it is too much – too much to bear. For those of us who, like Bowie, see art, creativity and love as what ought to be the central organising principles of life, law is inadequate. In the face of its certainties, its rigidities, and its conceits, these essays – through David Bowie – call forth the monster who laughs at the law, celebrate inauthenticity as a deeper truth, explore the ethical limits of art, cut up the laws of writing, and embrace that which is most antithetical to law, love. This original engagement with the limits of law will appeal to those working in legal theory and law and popular culture, in art and cultural studies, as well as those with a more general interest in David Bowie's life and music. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Difference 1 Law’s monsters: the hopeful undecidability of David Bowie Introduction A monster framework The hopefulness of monsters Bowie as hopeful monster Bowie and gender/sexual ambiguity Conclusion Authenticity 2 Authenticity: what a drag! Introduction On authenticity Subverting (artistic) authenticity Conclusion Ethics 3 ‘Flirting’ with fascism: the Thin White Duke, art and ethical limits Introduction An ethical framework for evaluating artworks The Thin White Duke and fascism Judging Bowie’s artwork Conclusion Art 4 Cutting up the laws of writing: the Burroughs effect Introduction Cutting up Burroughs Before Burroughs: the dreamscape After Burroughs: accelerating the process Diamond Dogs Conclusion Love 5 Bowie love: beyond law Introduction Escaping necessity Love as letting go Love as humility Love as posthuman References Index