The elites liked him, so “David Bowie was a genius” is the received wisdom.
He represented the opposite of the male prototype of which Archie Bunker was supposed to be the symbol.
Let’s try to keep this in perspective. He was an entertainer.
“The United States had become a place where entertainers and professional athletes were mistaken for people of importance. They were idolized and treated as leaders; their opinions were sought on everything and they took themselves just as seriously”
Robert A. Heinlein