DAVID BOWIE Pin Ups (RCA)

Two separate David Bowie stories, to start off with:

Last Christmas I got an unusual opportunity to litmus the Bowie As Outrage phenomenon when a dancetime TV special featured a film direct from England of David singing “The Jean Genie.” I happened to be watching it with a whole living room full of absolutely middle Americans, from Mother in her 40s to kid sis all of 14 and giggly in love with Alice Cooper. I told them, “Watch this, here comes the first overtly homosexual rock star.” So we did, and I was interested to note their reaction: near total indifference. They took one look: “Oh yeah, he is, isn’t he?” and went back to their cranberry sauce without the hint of a shudder. When just the day before, Mother had drawn me aside during Christmas shopping and confided a certain disturbance over Lori’s Alice hotpants: “Is... he, really... or just a put-onV as she so fervently hoped.