Ongoing History of New Music Daily: The legendary eyes of David Bowie

The next time you see a good picture of David Bowie, have a good look at his eyes. They appear to be different colors. However, they are not. Here’s an explanation.

Back in 1962 when David was just 15, he got into a playground fight with his friend George over a girl and George landed a punch right in David’s left eye. He was hospitalized, had multiple operations, and was out of school for four months.

When things finally healed, things were different. His left eyeball had been scratched by the punch, causing the pupil to remain permanently dilated. Two different-sized pupils are a condition known as aniscoria.

The dilated pupil made that eye look brown while his right eye stayed its blueish-green. It also left Bowie with a permanent depth perception problem.

Check out Tuesday’s piece on early Smashing Pumpkins. And don’t forget to check out my podcast The Ongoing History of New Music where you listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Stitcher, or wherever you get your on-demand audio.