Paul Morley turns his lens toward David Bowie in ‘Far Above The World’, a philosophical and far-reaching study of Bowie as a permanent cultural force. Rather than a conventional biography, the book traces Bowie’s restless search for new ideas, examining the contradictions that powered his creativity: strategist and enthusiast, intellectual and rock-and-roller, outsider and global star. Johnny Marr praises Morley’s writing as “magical and inspired, like Bowie himself,” while Neil Tennant calls it “a compelling chronicle” that brings Bowie’s many selves into focus.
Set against the decade since Bowie’s death in 2016, ‘Far Above The World’ places his work firmly in the present tense, arguing that his songs, warnings, and reflections grow more relevant with time. Morley follows Bowie’s constant reinvention and his use of pop music as a way to process dangerous, fast-changing eras, framing him as an artist who lived in the future while translating it for everyone else. The book lands as a vivid, thoughtful exploration of why Bowie continues to matter, not as memory, but as an active, evolving influence.