David Bowie releases list of 42 random and obtuse words that he says describe his writing process

David Bowie has been in self-imposed media lockdown in recent months, even around the release of his newish album, The Next Day. He’s been in a couple of music videos, but he hasn’t given any interviews, nor said much of anything publicly. That all changed this week when The Rumpus writer Rick Moody asked Bowie to illustrate his “work flow diagram” for the record, prompting Bowie to turn in a list of 42 separate, obtuse words that supposedly influenced the new record—words like “effigies,” “osmosis,” “chthonic,” and “funereal.” The full list is below.

Moody then turned Bowie’s 42 words into a 12,000-word piece of his own that’s well worth a read. Check it out at The Rumpus.

David Bowie's work flow diagram
Effigies
Indulgences
Anarchist
Violence
Chthonic
Intimidation
Vampyric
Pantheon
Succubus
Hostage
Transference
Identity
Mauer
Interface
Flitting
Isolation
Revenge
Osmosis
Crusade
Tyrant
Domination
Indifference
Miasma
Pressgang
Displaced
Flight
Resettlement
Funereal
Glide
Trace
Balkan
Burial
Reverse
Manipulate
Origin
Text
Traitor
Urban
Comeuppance
Tragic
Nerve
Mystification