Bowie Style

John Hutchinson. The threesome appeared in Love
You Till Tuesday, a 30-minute promotional film shot
early in 1969. But days after it was completed,
Hermione ended the relationship, apparently at the
behest of her parents, who thought she deserved
better than a struggling pop singer.
Ken Pitt remembers Bowie returning to his flat
“bruised and insecure”. Deeply traumatised might
have been more accurate, for years later, Bowie was
still affected by the loss: “We had a perfect love, so
perfect that it burned out in two years. We were too
close, thought alike and spent all the time in a room
sitting on the corner of the bed.” The last phrase
reprised a line from ‘An Occasional Dream’, one of
two songs on Bowie’s 1969 album which dealt with
the episode. ‘Letter To Hermione’ was more
revealing: “I tear my soul to ease the pain,” sang
Bowie, but by 1970, hurt had turned to bitterness:
“She took my head / Smashed it up / Left my young
blood rising,” so “I grabbed her golden hair / And
threw her to the ground.” The title, ‘She Shook Me
Cold’, said it all. Some insist that Hermione has
reappeared as “the girl with the mousey hair” in ‘Life
On Mars?’, or even as Ziggy Stardust. More certain
is that Bowie never allowed himself to give so much
to another partner, at least not for many years.
1969’s ‘The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud’ was apparently
written for Mary Finnegan’s son, Richard.
With his good looks and lively mind, Bowie has had
no shortage of women admirers, including more than
his fair share of posh girls seeking a bit of rock’n’roll
excitement. An early encounter with wealth and taste
came via Dana Gillespie, a 14-year-old drama