Moonage Daydream Director Brett Morgen, “I Really Had No Idea How People Would Respond”
Moonage Daydream director Brett Morgen has spoken to The Guardian about the reaction to his David Bowie documentary so far and how the singer has inspired him.
Buy David Bowie vinyl, CDs and merch at the Dig! store
Morgen described the reaction to Moonage Daydream following early screenings, “I’ve been wildly surprised; I have felt almost nothing but appreciation and support. I think the way the film has been created is that, if you’re a hardcore aficionado, there’s enough new material to satiate you. And if you’re a casual fan, being able to see the journey in one sitting is illuminating. Most people seem to be very pleased that I didn’t try to explain him. I didn’t do interviews, I just let it be adventurous. Moonage Daydream is a creative endeavour – it’s not a corporate endeavour.”
Buy David Bowie vinyl, CDs and merch at the Dig! store
The director went on to describe how a heart attack shaped the film, “I met David in 2007 to present him something quite different from Moonage Daydream. But the biggest change between 2007 and now was that in 2017, right when I was about to start my deep dive into Bowie’s media, I had a heart attack. I flatlined for a brief while and was in a coma for a week. It was from that position that I began to go through all of his media and so his musings on mortality, on ageing, his way that he approached life, proved to be quite nurturing, cathartic and inspiring for me. That’s where the film really started to take shape.”
Morgen also revealed how working on Moonage Daydream has shaped his perspective on creativity, “What I learned from Bowie is that so much of our lives is about trying to hold on to our comfort, hold on to our success. After five years working on this project, I’m far more inclined to ask myself, ‘What would David do in this situation?’ He generally made great choices and his attitude towards creativity and art is applicable to almost every arena of life.”