Bowie: A Biography - JFK247

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Savage asking me when discussing the absence of new Bowie music. “Put it this way: if he was done, then I’d say good on him, and enjoy yourself.” All right then. Good on him. And enjoy yourself. But how about an EP? I am sitting at a small table under a hanging rack of fashion magazines inside Café Gitane, where Moby told me Bowie comes for his French roast. Or was it Italian roast? This is where the guy gets his morning coffee. He comes in around six in the morning, before any of the tourists or locals would arrive. He sits, I’m told, by the window and stares out at the church across Mott Street. I am not here to meet him. It’s long after six anyway. I’m here to be imbued by his spirit I guess. I’m here so that I might be reinspired as if first hearing Kraftwerk or the Velvets. I’m here for maintenance. This is church on Sunday shit. The warm environment, with its basket of tomatoes; bright yellow cash register, the color of a Tonka dump truck; and portrait of Jimi Hendrix behind the busy counter must have reminded him some of the Giaconda in that other Soho. I stare at the menu and wonder what he orders. Coffee, served with a little cube of dark chocolate, perhaps? Baked eggs with basil and cream? No, probably granola, now that he is heart healthy.
I am now the same age Bowie was when he planned the Glass Spider tour and have survived similar follies. The pretty waitresses with their vaguely French air and pale green aprons flit about among the flow of equally good-looking patrons. Perhaps he leaves here and walks up Prince Street to browse in the aisles of the McNally Jackson bookshop. One day, maybe he’ll find this book in their music section downstairs, flip through it and say out loud, “No, no no. You got it all wrong.” I think maybe we all have ultimately. There is no getting Bowie right, really. It’s like getting religion right. People have been trying for a long time to get God right, even longer to get right with God. Maybe the key is to just treat the idea of Bowie the man—sick, sometimes scared, a little slower on his feet, possibly never to tour or record again—with as much reverence as Bowie the god. To view all that he has achieved simply as a great human achievement. People who know that I’ve been working on this book still e-mail me when they see him: “Saw David Bowie and Iman on 7th Avenue!” “He stared at your uncle for ten minutes in a cafe in Woodstock!” As if I’m supposed to throw on my coat and head over there. Their excitement always annoys me a little bit. I’ve seen him too; but again, he was just a guy trying to hail a cab. Those who are invested just like me, who believe, who are Bowie-ists, want to not just see but also feel and believe in him, but this is hard sometimes as he withdraws from the public (hear
Page 3 and 4:
Introduction T he idea was not even
Page 5 and 6:
photo book, David Bowie has not wri
Page 7 and 8:
that I do own and am currently tryi
Page 9 and 10:
‘David, David, David,’ I do ove
Page 11 and 12:
apartment building and the Modern G
Page 13 and 14:
unlikely was it that someone as sup
Page 16 and 17:
Prologue I T WAS THE SECOND NIGHT o
Page 18 and 19:
darker end of Simon & Garfunkel or
Page 20:
energized in a way that Fashion Roc
Page 23 and 24:
World War II, this home is static.
Page 25 and 26:
more likely to develop the disease.
Page 27 and 28:
claim the baby but was rebuffed by
Page 29 and 30:
with him,” Hilda Sullivan said,
Page 31 and 32:
early ’46. Once his legal papers
Page 33 and 34:
all accounts, he became the greates
Page 36 and 37:
2. T HE HIGH STREET in the southern
Page 38 and 39:
West Indian immigrants settled and
Page 40 and 41:
imagination and, eventually, by ste
Page 42 and 43:
ads rounds the panel out). Dinah in
Page 44 and 45:
Terry may have been the one who pro
Page 46 and 47:
he finds a patch of yellow marigold
Page 48 and 49:
white tube, with its small screen a
Page 50 and 51:
British space program mission heade
Page 52 and 53:
mother’s generation, once again,
Page 54:
technically living? Do you age? Do
Page 57 and 58:
other skulking around a small town,
Page 59 and 60:
Studying other people. [Russian act
Page 61 and 62:
jockey Alan Freed (who has a great
Page 63 and 64:
the thirties and the forties becaus
Page 65 and 66:
you can look sharp and still be a b
Page 67 and 68:
dancing and fighting.” Oral contr
Page 69 and 70:
fame or creative expression. “The
Page 71 and 72:
was twelve … I had the bowl cut.
Page 73 and 74:
Mulligan. He was the next best thin
Page 75 and 76:
Burns, the senior Frampton was a
Page 77 and 78:
his classroom and even encouraged h
Page 79 and 80:
got slugged for it. “When I was f
Page 81:
knowing the details of why he had t
Page 84 and 85:
and American pop history (from Prud
Page 86 and 87:
ecords.” By 1960, the blues had r
Page 88 and 89:
like heroes when they flew to Londo
Page 90 and 91:
Pink Moon album) and author (White
Page 92 and 93:
paintings and was almost never with
Page 94 and 95:
ands for fetes and functions, they
Page 96 and 97:
would spend the rest of the 1960s t
Page 98 and 99:
gigs, then went on to something els
Page 100 and 101:
acting as if he and his combo were
Page 102:
usiness heights, including … tale
Page 105 and 106:
noted nowadays, remains every inch
Page 107 and 108:
By thirteen Marc too had his first
Page 109 and 110:
penchant for boasting to the eager
Page 111 and 112:
’cause I write great things and I
Page 113 and 114:
other with braggadoccio, David’s
Page 115 and 116:
happy playing the blues, gulping sp
Page 117 and 118:
The Manish Boys promoted the single
Page 119 and 120:
The band still had no real money an
Page 121 and 122:
then a white Russian-peasant-type s
Page 123 and 124:
another marriage of convenience for
Page 125 and 126:
traffic jam. The band rode in the b
Page 127 and 128:
trusting your instincts worked well
Page 129:
different from the gruff white blue
Page 132 and 133:
thought that he’d made it. It was
Page 134 and 135:
felt they should do, they did it an
Page 136 and 137:
horticultural terraced cottages tha
Page 138 and 139:
laid groundwork for the empowered r
Page 140 and 141:
“A lot of the inspiration started
Page 142 and 143:
unknown new group the Velvet Underg
Page 144 and 145:
intense stage presence were unlike
Page 146 and 147:
little mod racing up-hill along War
Page 148 and 149:
“dreadful.” As he elaborated fo
Page 150 and 151:
Cockney’s prison break. Bowie far
Page 152 and 153:
1600s. During World War I they’d
Page 154 and 155:
care. Bowie was devastated to be in
Page 156 and 157:
In 1967 Tony Visconti, then a twent
Page 158 and 159:
According to Visconti, after leavin
Page 160 and 161:
survival. I amazed and dazzled them
Page 162 and 163:
Pitt at the time.” Kemp says, “
Page 164 and 165:
the young David Bowie. Kemp and Bir
Page 166 and 167:
omantic to starve with these artist
Page 168 and 169:
Bowie-ism. I displayed his compact
Page 170:
at! But I am also struck by how bra
Page 173 and 174:
There’s a point in most people’
Page 175 and 176:
production of “The Pistol Shot,
Page 177 and 178:
Hermione, along with a local rock g
Page 179 and 180:
“I’d become more interested in
Page 181 and 182:
“In Feathers, he was happy,” Hu
Page 183 and 184:
own private life,” Pitt writes to
Page 185 and 186:
eauty, creativity and intelligence.
Page 187 and 188:
having released a self-titled album
Page 189 and 190:
Five,” Bowie attempts to project
Page 191 and 192:
Dream,” in which he sings of the
Page 193 and 194:
ig. With them as role models, we di
Page 195 and 196:
ather partnered with a UK label, Ph
Page 197 and 198:
Charlie Parker than Elvis. ‘Space
Page 199:
something discussed by the Mercury
Page 202 and 203:
and early twenties. Taking jobs at
Page 204 and 205:
Buddhist spirituality via the Lab a
Page 206 and 207:
Oddity” made its unofficial debut
Page 208 and 209:
and dress in sharper relief. The Ar
Page 210 and 211:
sunglasses indoors. I have a cigare
Page 213 and 214:
9. M ARY ANGELA BARNETT was born on
Page 215 and 216:
She studied all the major subjects
Page 217 and 218:
College, then a women’s school. T
Page 219 and 220:
an inch.” The fact that Angie off
Page 221 and 222:
elished having his own space to lea
Page 223 and 224:
flashes me back years and I’m rig
Page 225 and 226:
There were several incidents around
Page 227 and 228:
eally like me, and having to share
Page 230 and 231:
10. T HE GREATEST CONCENTRATION of
Page 232 and 233:
Records. Wyper increased the market
Page 234 and 235:
“Letter to Hermione,” based on
Page 236 and 237:
the tape. Laughable when you think
Page 238 and 239:
1969 together and early in the new
Page 240 and 241:
did not love her. There are at leas
Page 242 and 243:
client to organize his schedule, in
Page 244 and 245:
just stay home and rent The Wizard
Page 246 and 247:
1993, once said. “I’d just sit
Page 248 and 249:
yeas to pay this lot off?’” Ron
Page 250 and 251:
over the salon, typically as hostes
Page 252 and 253:
all hype, isn’t it?” Something
Page 254 and 255:
Beatlemania-like pandemonium dubbed
Page 256 and 257:
friendly shoulder to cry on,” say
Page 258 and 259:
with David Bowie. Then an accountan
Page 260 and 261:
on May 7, 1970. While Defries spoke
Page 262 and 263:
induced paranoia.” Much of the ly
Page 264 and 265:
Bowies claimed to be shocked when t
Page 266 and 267:
wife is pregnant …” These devel
Page 269 and 270:
11. W HEN THE IRISH LITERARY AESTHE
Page 271 and 272:
later, Oberman was relieved. “I s
Page 273 and 274:
androgynous flamboyance with a gian
Page 275 and 276:
Bingenheimer’s enthusiasm for Bow
Page 277 and 278:
Fowley, cannily sober. “It was hi
Page 279 and 280:
motels! What’s his name? Tom Wait
Page 281 and 282:
something he could use to drum up i
Page 283 and 284:
versions of “Hang On to Yourself
Page 285 and 286:
Only by ear. It was quiet in there.
Page 287 and 288:
Mars?”), madness (“The Bewlay B
Page 289 and 290:
parents’ suspicions of his still
Page 291 and 292:
Man” and “Like a Rolling Stone
Page 293 and 294:
expensive London hotel with an unch
Page 295 and 296:
pudding) and generally perverse gal
Page 297 and 298:
Bowies as well. They had much in co
Page 299 and 300:
“He definitely had musicianship.
Page 301 and 302:
Bowie may have been inspired by the
Page 303 and 304:
heads, saying, ‘How do we do this
Page 305 and 306:
he’d been pursuing since his earl
Page 307 and 308:
“Lou was going through an incredi
Page 309 and 310:
think there was a poll of artists w
Page 311 and 312:
“Bowie’s manager was fishing,
Page 313 and 314:
“Everybody we knew, this guy is t
Page 316 and 317:
13. T HE OLD-STYLE PHONE BOX in whi
Page 318 and 319:
carries his guitar and exposes his
Page 320 and 321:
embodiment of the dead sixties drea
Page 322 and 323:
…?,” “where young people have
Page 324 and 325:
He was already transforming, in par
Page 326 and 327:
a man’s dress, and more generally
Page 328 and 329:
performed a three-song Bowie medley
Page 330 and 331:
the contemporaries of people who ha
Page 332 and 333:
conquered British pop. One thinks T
Page 335 and 336:
14. R ELEASED BY RCA on June 6, 197
Page 337 and 338:
would elaborate on this to William
Page 339 and 340:
composed narrator, a jaded hipster
Page 341 and 342:
thing. As a rock duo, I thought we
Page 343 and 344:
have witnessed the end of his remar
Page 345 and 346:
trademark denim. [Vocalist/lead gui
Page 347 and 348:
interested in. He had his aesthetic
Page 349 and 350:
and literature. Deranged poets that
Page 351 and 352:
The members of Mott were not pretty
Page 353 and 354:
Kemp and his troupe performed onsta
Page 355 and 356:
persona ascended, or the fact that
Page 357 and 358:
don’t for a minute understand it.
Page 359:
agged, I was naïve, it was a heave
Page 362 and 363:
like KSAN in San Francisco. He and
Page 364 and 365:
would tell me, “so these mixtures
Page 366 and 367:
everyone who had been working on it
Page 368 and 369:
spirituality with him. Garson was,
Page 370 and 371:
“Life on Mars?” soar. Bowie him
Page 372 and 373:
they had all become spacemen for th
Page 374 and 375:
might think but certainly a hell of
Page 376 and 377:
partners. In their study Open Marri
Page 378 and 379:
school-educated geniuses in Roxy Mu
Page 380 and 381:
houses for free, you have to be on,
Page 382 and 383:
one striking.” “Watch That Man
Page 384 and 385:
othel piano before Bowie again invo
Page 386 and 387:
The short was fed to UK and America
Page 388 and 389:
‘Yeah, go, you can have him.’
Page 390 and 391:
Word came from London: the Stooges
Page 392 and 393:
ice for three decades. By the time
Page 394 and 395:
tour. But the truth of it was, the
Page 396 and 397:
player, was stealing their gear out
Page 398 and 399:
Bowie makes a devil sign as he sere
Page 400:
Angeles eccentric named Black Randy
Page 403 and 404:
“But you get a good high with cok
Page 405 and 406:
confirmation that he’d made it. I
Page 407 and 408:
circulate around this time. Once he
Page 409 and 410:
were coming due for limousines, stu
Page 411 and 412:
(whose lyrics were among those comp
Page 413 and 414:
Ziggy flaming-rooster haircut) atop
Page 415 and 416:
clear in his vision for the set,”
Page 417 and 418:
Flowers, Garson, drummer Tony Newma
Page 419 and 420:
Hamlet-style, and “Panic in De tr
Page 421 and 422:
moved on to something new. “After
Page 424 and 425:
17. T HE STRIPPED-DOWN and funked-u
Page 426 and 427:
etween the Diamond Dogs and Philly
Page 428 and 429:
not neglect paying real respect to
Page 430 and 431:
dangerously enthused in a way that
Page 432 and 433:
camera man driving through L.A. and
Page 434 and 435:
viewing audiences would get a taste
Page 436 and 437:
Bowie is clearly thinking too long
Page 438 and 439:
finally waking up to his own sense
Page 440 and 441:
lifestyle,” former Defries partne
Page 442 and 443:
new personal assistant Corinne “C
Page 444 and 445:
With regard to his personal life, D
Page 446 and 447:
years I had really worn out my welc
Page 448 and 449:
otherhood, and as a result he comes
Page 450 and 451:
as he would tell Cameron Crowe the
Page 452 and 453:
germ killers. It’s the Black Dahl
Page 454 and 455:
awareness of the illusion of calm i
Page 457 and 458:
18. U PON HIS ARRIVAL in Los Angele
Page 459 and 460:
survival. But when that starts to b
Page 461 and 462:
People down on the streets knew Bow
Page 463 and 464:
ecorded a spoken-word album with Ki
Page 465 and 466:
Mayersberg, pack in layers of tragi
Page 467 and 468:
ehearsal period. “We wanted to ge
Page 469 and 470:
The last line of the film, after he
Page 471 and 472:
Rod used to party a lot. David was
Page 473 and 474:
mountains / And once there were sun
Page 475 and 476:
(the entire interview is archived o
Page 477 and 478:
“Albeit quite different from Diam
Page 479 and 480:
have been Dean Martin and Sammy Dav
Page 481 and 482:
e proud of it. The timing was poor
Page 483 and 484:
einvent Iggy and Iggy would reenerg
Page 485 and 486:
European high culture as a kind of
Page 487:
like he’s crooning through a belc
Page 490 and 491:
heard American rock ’n’ roll mu
Page 492 and 493:
structured song-writing thrown into
Page 494 and 495:
glamorous hippie-style living. For
Page 496 and 497:
amounts to a strange pride, or at l
Page 498 and 499:
all up. So Iggy going from ‘Loose
Page 500:
uncompromising Low, isn’t the sam
Page 503 and 504:
Bowie, as he sings on the title tra
Page 505 and 506:
Breaks” among them—are iconic i
Page 507 and 508:
musical options. What makes “Hero
Page 509 and 510:
his friend’s career. “David was
Page 511 and 512:
finally emits a cry of Ooooh” and
Page 513 and 514:
was left recycling his old glitter
Page 515 and 516:
Christmastime?” Bowie makes a bad
Page 517 and 518:
apparent to her that she was not go
Page 519 and 520:
was very talented and when he met m
Page 521 and 522:
also housed in the bowels of the bu
Page 524 and 525:
21. N INETEEN SEVENTY-NINE began wi
Page 526 and 527:
uilding and B, have me taken off th
Page 528 and 529:
invention to the form before it bec
Page 530 and 531:
ands come on SNL and simply play th
Page 532 and 533:
time the economy goes south, art gr
Page 534 and 535:
guys,’” Destri, then at Bowie
Page 536 and 537:
the black hair.” Bowie ran throug
Page 538 and 539:
eplaced his entire body—with a pu
Page 541 and 542:
22. A LTHOUGH HE WOULD END the deca
Page 543 and 544:
National Front members to the clubs
Page 545 and 546:
punk, from the Clash’s Mick Jones
Page 547 and 548:
Bowie was there on a mission. As St
Page 549 and 550:
video for “Ashes to Ashes” was
Page 551 and 552:
Lindsay Kemp’s traveling show Pie
Page 553 and 554:
Gary Numan, who took in a performan
Page 555 and 556:
ass line aside, it’s one of the m
Page 557 and 558:
idols.” The Hunger is a cult hit
Page 560 and 561:
23. T HE FORCE WITH WHICH MTV took
Page 562 and 563:
what’s important. Everything’s
Page 564 and 565:
twenty-first-century city.” Blade
Page 566 and 567:
on MTV or white radio as an artist
Page 568 and 569:
Boss) by the end of the decade. Dav
Page 570 and 571:
flower”). I interviewed the singe
Page 572 and 573:
Ziggy rooster cut a decade earlier.
Page 574 and 575:
more records, and yes, the Police c
Page 576 and 577:
people it was a betrayal. You can
Page 578 and 579:
lues. When we got back, I emptied a
Page 580 and 581:
24. N INETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR, the year
Page 582 and 583:
ack. Bowie was, after all, still in
Page 584 and 585:
wasn’t much of my writing on it,
Page 586 and 587:
forty-seven, was in serious decline
Page 588 and 589:
the magnitude of it. It was so enor
Page 590 and 591:
this. Britain is a very small islan
Page 592 and 593:
actually is goblin abducted, Connel
Page 594 and 595:
1997’s Earthling; fallen in love
Page 596 and 597:
devoured its prey it would drape th
Page 598 and 599:
from every phase of his career, ove
Page 600 and 601:
chromosomes to stay eternally young
Page 603 and 604:
25. B OWIE WAS BEHIND THE TIMES in
Page 605 and 606:
me, “to work on songs together. S
Page 607 and 608:
himself, said, ‘Remember we made
Page 609 and 610:
eat, Bowie shouts, “C’mon and g
Page 611 and 612:
Released in May of 1989, the album
Page 613 and 614:
dance troupe, La La La Human Steps.
Page 615 and 616:
prom dress, filled in for the absen
Page 618 and 619:
26. F OR MUCH OF THE late eighties,
Page 620 and 621:
in 1969. They lived modestly in exi
Page 622 and 623:
Florence at the St. James Episcopal
Page 624 and 625:
Bowie model must have been a little
Page 626 and 627:
Mercury, Tina Turner and John Lenno
Page 628 and 629:
lead guitarist for that band was Mi
Page 630 and 631:
Perhaps Bowie’s finest album of t
Page 632 and 633:
Continue,’ and he started in with
Page 634 and 635:
called Art Crime or Art Murder has
Page 636 and 637:
of nights of him putting his arm ar
Page 638 and 639:
over. What living legend ever gets
Page 640 and 641:
Bowie when you become involved.”
Page 642 and 643:
wasn’t worth it? A half dozen tim
Page 644 and 645:
All the bonds had been bought prean
Page 646:
avery fully returned, and was rewar
Page 649 and 650:
power ballad “Glycerine”) but t
Page 651 and 652:
Newley-besotted youth. “That’s
Page 653 and 654:
since “Loving the Alien” a deca
Page 655 and 656: goatee, brocade coat, mess o’ eye
Page 657 and 658: Corgan, Placebo’s Molko and Frank
Page 659 and 660: accounts) more often than not find
Page 661 and 662: pop culture. Bowie was coming up wi
Page 663 and 664: As Bowie spent the sixties trying t
Page 666 and 667: 28. “I LOVE Velvet Goldmine,” s
Page 668 and 669: for his ambitions. Bale plays Arthu
Page 670 and 671: more gracefully. While the soundtra
Page 672 and 673: Bale and McGregor, and Toni Collett
Page 674 and 675: “No beats, no technology, just na
Page 676 and 677: literally features Bowie hanging on
Page 678 and 679: took the stage, bowed calmly and wa
Page 680 and 681: somewhat blocked in the city and ha
Page 682 and 683: awkward situation of being stuck up
Page 684 and 685: It’s Bowie who opens the entire c
Page 686 and 687: oller skates,” he quipped upon an
Page 689 and 690: 29. I T IS HARD to listen to Realit
Page 691 and 692: time with his daughter, taking care
Page 693 and 694: Mick Rock. “He’d officially sto
Page 695 and 696: Bowie, Iman and their family closed
Page 697 and 698: Gervais says. “For some reason, j
Page 699 and 700: developed a machine that turns ordi
Page 701 and 702: Labryinth-era Bowie, appearing to a
Page 703 and 704: that when word got around that Bowi
Page 705: Side of Manhattan was populated wit
Page 709 and 710: Joads and their fellow travelers wi
Page 712: Bibliography
Page 715 and 716: and Giroux, 1990. Edwards, Henry, a
Page 717: in a New Town. London: Jawbone Pres
Page 720 and 721: Time Out London, August 23-30, 1995
Page 723 and 724: Acknowledgments I ’d only read ab
Page 725 and 726: order to behave badly all the time
Page 727 and 728: Thanks to David Buckley, Peter and
Page 729: eISBN: 978-0-307-46239-8 v3.0
show all

Bowie: A Biography - JFK247

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?