Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga soundtracks are a big part of kids’ lives today, doesn’t mean that their “music” is worth a damn. I’m not saying Bowie was as phony and utterly untalented as they are, but arguing merit from popularity doesn’t count for much. After all, popularity also got Obama elected twice.
“...but arguing merit from popularity doesn’t count for much.”
Except, that is precisely what the writer did by invoking Uum’s funeral.
The thing is, outside of "Let's Dance" and a few hits in the mid-70s, Bowie didn't get a tremendous amount of radio airplay and most of his records weren't big sellers when they were originally released.
A lot of his fans discovered him later on when they went to college. His biggest selling records tended to be compilations of songs from different albums. But he pretty much always had basically a cult following.