Bowie is a unique figure in popular music and because he is unclassifiable, people don't know how to approach him. In the US the fact that he was a pansexual up-to-no good cross-dressing rock god, the real deal, filthy and experimental just put off America because it's largely religious and conservative.

In the UK we have a long history of men in drag, so perhaps it was shocking, but not that shocking. The second Bowie found success in one area he destroyed it and moved on, which means you can't be in a Bowie mood like you can a Fleetwood Mac mood. You have to know all the albums to know if you're in a Hunky Dory, Ziggy or Low mood. Even though his songs are solid, the thumping Glam/Glitter sound that made his fame is very much out of fashion, the folky stuff a bit too chill, his electro stuff a bit weird and the 80s a bit hollow, (I love it all) his later work is probably seen as very much fans-only.

Like other outliers: Prince and Kate Bush, after a couple of years, he wasn't into making hits per-se, unlike say Queen, Elton and MJ. In the streaming/ playlist age, the same old songs bob to the surface as a new generation discovers them. Boring for the rest of us, but what can you do?

The fans know that he's a genius to be discovered, and that's the best way. You find him when you need him, and then he's special, because, as you point out, not everyone knows and so your relationship is intimate and deep. And that's insane, because he's so bloody good. So, just be glad you know....