Major Tom

The music of David Bowie has been a part of the soundtrack of my life for over 50 years. One of Bowie’s first hits was “A Space Oddity” released in 1969 at the height of the space race and just a week before the moon landing. It was inspired in part by the 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey” directed by Stanley Kubrick.

The lyrics introduce a fictional astronaut, “Major Tom” and tells the story of his isolation and loss of control over his destiny, certainly a reference to Bowie’s own odyssey with the drug abuse and emotional upheaval he was enduring at the time. 

“Here am I floating ‘round my tin can, far above the moon, Planet earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do” are the Major’s poignant last words.

“Major Tom” is an all metal assemblage constructed of a solid aluminum vacuum mold, probably for a mirror frame, a vintage Hoover vacuum face plate, an antique auto headlight surround and a decorative steel ball adorned with air brushed “freak dots”.