David Bowie was one of the most well-known English singer-songwriters to have walked the face of the Earth and is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His musical career started in the early 1960s with his self-titled album, David Bowie. It was during the 1960s that he also dipped his toe into the acting scene, making walk-on appearances and playing small roles while still releasing his own original music until the 1980s, when he not only had time on Broadway thanks to a production of The Elephant Man, which he appeared in over 150 times from 1980 to 1981.
Arguably his most well-known acting role came to him in 1986 thanks to Jim Henson's musical Labyrinth. Bowie played one of the lead roles and antagonist Jareth the Goblin King. And though David Bowie passed away in 2016 due to liver cancer, his influence is still felt to this day in many forms of art, and he has inspired people from many walks of creative life.
What Is The Black Labyrinth?
Describing himself as a "modern day renaissance man", Aurelio Voltaire is the mastermind behind The Black Labyrinth project. Voltaire wears many hats in his life, including musician, filmmaker, and toy maker. Those subscribed to his YouTube channel may also know him for his gothic fashions and home design.
According to Aurelio Voltaire's website, "he is a songwriter whose music can best be described as a collection of murder ballads, tongue-in-cheek exercises in the macabre, with just enough bawdy songs about Star Trek and Star Wars to keep a convention audience rolling in the aisles."
And although Voltaire may not be known by name, his works are certainly known, having a hand in creating songs for the Cartoon Network show The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and has made stop-motion commercials for major brands like Budweiser, Marvel, and Kelloggs, to name a few.
He has even had a hand at directing films for the likes of major networks including the SyFy Channel, USA Networks, TLC, and the Discovery Channel, and has worked with the likes of Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance and Deborah Harry of Blondie for other projects.
But now, he might be known for The Black Labyrinth.
Labyrinth Is Considered A Cult Classic
The Jim Henson directed and George Lucas produced Labyrinth came to life thanks to a previous collaboration Jim Henson had done with Brian Froud on The Dark Crystal. The film reportedly had a $25 million budget, but did poorly in the US market, making just $12.9 million back.
The films did much better overseas, but still only grossed $34 million worldwide. While it may not have done spectacularly in theaters, the film did join the ranks of movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and rapidly became a cult classic thanks to rentals and TV showings.
According to the film's IMDB page, it follows sixteen-year-old Sarah, the film's protagonist, in her journey through the labyrinth to try and rescue her baby brother Toby, who was taken away at her wish by the Goblin King Jareth.
The film stars fourteen-year-old Jennifer Connelly as Sarah alongside Bowie's Goblin King. At the time, Connelly was not aware that she was working alongside one of the biggest musical artists of all time, but said that Bowie was "funny and gracious and made me feel so comfortable."
To this day, the film maintains a fairly high rating among its core fan base, even boasting an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.6-star audience rating on Google, a far cry from the 50% it was given on Metacritic.
Members Of Bowie's Team Are Helping With The Black Labyrinth
While whispers and rumors of how a sequel to Labyrinth could possibly be made without David Bowie, Aurelio Voltaire has found his own way of paying tribute to not only Bowie but the music from the film as well.
Aurelio Voltaire has dropped his 13th studio album entitled The Black Labyrinth with 20 tracks that take inspiration from the original film. This project is particularly special because it allowed Voltaire to work with 15 members of Bowie's band stemming as far back as the early days of his career.
This includes the likes of pianist Mike Garson, drummer Sterling Campbell, and producer Mark Plati. The project also features other prominent members of the alternative music scene like My Chemical Romance and the Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Voltaire also has some help from popular goth TikTokers like Dusty "Goth Dad" Gannon of Vision Video. The album also features a wide array of musical instruments like bagpipes, violins, Japanese Taiko drums, and the marimba, all used to bring Voltaire's vision to life.
The Black Labyrinth pulls inspiration from the music David Bowie made from the 1970s through the 1980s. Voltaire considers this his "magnum opus" and it can be found on Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and Deezer for fans of both David Bowie and goth-inspired music.