To mark the first anniversary of David Bowie’s death, Double J will host a day of musical celebration thisWednesday January 11.

From 3pm, Double J host, Australian musical personality and Bowie fan Myf Warhurst will remember the music of the man that was, and the art that will live on with us for countless years to come. We caught up with Myf to chat all things Bowie ahead of the big day.

READ: How Music Deals With Death, From Nick Cave To David Bowie

David Bowie made his mark on all of us, but what is your first memory of encountering him?

Goodness me, I have so many memories of Bowie, and they’re all so formative and important. It began with watchingCountdown, watching ‘Ashes To Ashes’ – you know that clip where he’s wearing his spacesuit? – I was a little kid and I found it so completely terrifying, but I was deeply intrigued. I hate that word ‘haunting’ but it was haunting and terrifying and intriguing at the same time, and I loved it.

I remember I went on a holiday in Adelaide, because I grew up in a small country town, and Adelaide was a big city, and we stayed in a caravan park which was under the flight path and next to a sewage farm, so it was pretty glamorous – I remember in the communal area they had music playing, there was a loudspeaker near the pool, and it was David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’. That song just opened up my world – I remember hearing it, going, ‘This is magnificent, I need to know more about this man.’

And then I watched the clip … ‘Oh my God, David Bowie shot that in Australia! What is he doing in Australia?’ There were two Australian Aboriginal kids in the clip and it was like, ‘He’s made this about us, and our culture, and the problems with our culture,’ and I think I realised what music could do and what music could say at that early point. And I haven’t stopped loving him since.

We’re one year on from his death now, and I remember Double J’s special broadcast then, with a lot of Bowie music playing…

God, that was a hard day. We played 24 hours of Bowie music as well, from when he died, and then I did a three-hour broadcast. And it was such an honour to be able to do something like that – it was incredibly sad, but to be able to also pay tribute to an artist who’d given us so much. It was a really nice thing to do. And looking back on it, as sad as it was, and as hard as it was to do, it was like, ‘I’m lucky to have been able to have done that.’

What do you remember of the reactions from the listeners as you were doing that show?

I think everyone was feeling really shocked, like I was. I’d heard rumblings that he was sick, but that was like a year or two before, and then nothing, and then it just came so out of the blue, especially because he’d just releasedBlackstartwo days before or something.

It’s ridiculous to say you don’t think anyone’s going to die, like Prince, but they just seem so vital and alive. But I guess what we discovered afterwards is that they don’t die, do they? They become more vital, almost, in their passing because we go back and look at what they’ve made and appreciate it again and learn more, and they’ve left their heritage and had a whole impact culturally on many generations, in Bowie’s case, and what a great thing to do.

Are there any artists today that remind you of David Bowie, or perhaps have flourished in his legacy?

I don’t know – I don’t know if anyone could, to be honest. The world’s a different place now. There are many artists who are great, who could cover aspects of having the spirit of Bowie, but just being that whole complete artist the way he was, and possibly the way Prince was too, I don’t know if the industry’s set up for people like that to exist any more.

And the idea of the Double J tribute is celebratory, isn’t it – to celebrate Bowie’s art.

Celebrate his life and celebrate his art, and celebrate what he gave us, and that legacy he gave us. Aside from the sadness of his death, it’s been such a joy because I can go, ‘Oh my God, remember that one? Look at that one! I forgot about that, I didn’t even know about that,’ you know? I feel like almost in his passing I’ve learnt more about Bowie than I ever knew. Which is sad, but also kind of wonderful.

Myf Warhurst’s tribute to David Bowie kicks off a day of celebrations on Double J from 3pm, Wednesday January 11. See the full schedule at doublej.net.au.

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