This skinny Englishman is probably as old as, or even older than our parents. But there doesn't seem to be a huge generation gap between us. He still dresses like us, listens to the music we listen to and talks as if he's our age. He's still hip.
The man I'm talking about is David Bowie, who will be playing his first show in Hong Kong since 1983 next Sunday. It promises to be one of the biggest shows of the year, not only because he is such a big star, but we are also curious how, at 57, Bowie manages to stay so cool.
Tricks widely adopted by local tai tais, like regular doses of bird's nest and silicon injections, are not what keeps Bowie in good shape. The secret for Bowie, who has influenced musicians of New Romantics, Glam Rock and even Britpop, is probably his music and image.
Time finally has caught up with Bowie because he was 30 years ahead of others when he began, according to culture critic Bono Lee.
'In terms of music he was always in the lead at his peak in the 70s and 80s. Even though he is no longer a trend-setter he still keeps up with what's hot, ' says Lee.
'Many musicians his age sing ballads or other songs as a challenge for their vocals. But Bowie doesn't do that. He sticks with cool music,' says Yuen Chi-chung, chief editor of local music magazine Music Colony Bi-weekly.
'His two recent albums, Reality and Heathen, do not feature a particular new music style, but they still have a unique, cool sound.'
