"On the other hand, what I like my music to do to me is awaken the ghosts inside of me. Not the demons, you understand, but the ghosts"

David Bowie’s distinction between “ghosts” and “demons” reveals a nuanced understanding of the inner life stirred by music. The “ghosts inside of me” represent echoes of the past, memories, emotions, lost opportunities, or versions of oneself that linger beneath the surface. Unlike “demons,” which often symbolize darker, destructive forces such as trauma, shame, or self-sabotage, ghosts are subtler. They inhabit the space between pain and nostalgia, haunting but not necessarily harming. For Bowie, music is not simply an external pleasure or a distraction; it’s a conduit that stirs these dormant aspects of his psyche, bringing to life feelings and images that might otherwise remain unacknowledged.

Awakening ghosts through music suggests an act of gentle introspection rather than confrontation. It’s a way of contacting latent sensitivities, desires, or longings, perhaps those that were deeply felt at different times or under different identities. These ghosts can be bittersweet, reminders of love, loss, innocence, or transformation. For an artist like Bowie, whose career thrived on reinvention and exploring the boundaries of identity, summoning these ghosts could mean reclaiming forgotten fragments of creativity and inspiration. The act is not about exorcising pain or wrestling with inner chaos, but about recognizing the layered complexity of being human, the shadows that make us who we are.

Ultimately, music becomes a means not only for personal excavation but also for connection. By awakening ghosts, Bowie acknowledges the shared human experience of living with the past and all that it continues to evoke. His music invites listeners to explore their own “ghosts,” to feel nostalgia, longing, and the whole constellation of private emotions that define our inner world. Rather than fearing what’s inside, Bowie’s approach celebrates vulnerability, embracing the persistent, haunting beauty of memory and emotion.