Bowie Stories

HI Bob,

Bravo on your moving, evocative last lines about David Bowie. Reminded me of the last paragraph of Gatsby "And so we move on ... floating in a tin can." For a while it felt like he invented the world we lived in. He was certainly the most European of any of the UK rock stars. Who thought of Berlin as hip until he went there and gave this lost generation its theme song "Heroes." Never put on much of an accent when he sang. After I recorded my first album "Aquashow" I wanted him to produce the second so I sent him a letter via RCA. And it got to him! And the next time he was in New York he called me from the Sherry Netherlands Hotel, no assistant, no secretary, just picking up the phone and him saying "Hi, it's David Bowie." He invited me down to Electric Lady Studio for a listening party of his new album "David Live." It was during his MainMan era and the eclectic entourage was everything you might imagine. But it was my first contact with rock royalty and he was eloquent and elegant
and inspiring and so knowledgeable. He asked me what kind of album I wanted to make, I said like "Hunky Dory" but with more guitars. He laughed at that. Alas, he had to go off on tour so we never had the chance to work together. Judging by the careers of those he did work with (Lou, Iggy, Ian Hunter) it probably would have changed my life.

We will not see the likes of him again for a very long time.

Best regards,
Elliott Murphy

__________________________________________

Suicide !!! I was thinking that after seeing the "last photo" of David... The one where he's looking like William Burroughs. How do you pass two days after that pic? Wouldn't you be bedridden? Wouldn't you be so weak that you couldn't walk? He looked vibrant in that pic.

He was so special. I've worked with many artists. I spent almost a year on the road with him playing drums on the Glass Spider Tour. He really was/is a superstar. A classy guy. Charismatic, intelligent, considerate and the ultimate gentleman. He trusted all his musicians. He knew we would play for the songs and for him. Like soldiers guarding the fort. We backed him up and never let him down!

The fact that I was hearing his voice in my monitors every night was an unbelievable feeling. I actually had/have his records in my collection. I was and always will be a fan.

Did I mention he was funny? Well he was. After our first show in Brussels, back at the hotel, I got a phone call in my room. I answered "Hello," and the voice said "Hi Alan, it's David." There was no David in the crew, who can this be? So I said "David who?" He then answered, "The singer in the band, silly."

It was funny when it happened. David had never called me before and I just never expected it. He wanted to go out for a drink and wondered if I'd like to join him and one or two other band members. Ha! This became the norm about once a week.

So many stories. So many fantastic shows. David was the ultimate professional.

Can you imagine what an honor it was to play his songs?

An innovator, an alien possibly ; )

A great man. Like I've said and you said Bob, his music will live on forever.

Peace. Alan Childs

__________________________________________

Dear Bob,

This happens all the time. Cancer is not always a drawn-out ordeal that turns you into a skeleton. I've seen that awful version too but it can also be stealthy and quick. My husband had stage IV lung cancer, and you would never know it. The doctors didn't know it either. He felt unwell - aches and pains, out of breath - and it took them 5 months to find it. By then it was a terminal diagnosis - spread all over - but you would never know it to look at him. Even 6 months into treatment he felt well, we went hiking, made plans for the future, even his oncologist thought he could last for a long time...and then it spread to his brain and he was gone in 6 weeks.

(It's awful to speculate and none of our business but I'm putting my bet on lung cancer precisely because no one has said what kind. Lung cancer has so much stigma, as though the sufferers brought it on themselves. My husband never smoked but people always assume he did)

We might never know what happened to Bowie, but if he did get such a diagnosis 18 months ago he could either ignore The End or plan for it. And of course, he did what he did, and turned it into art. None of us know of course, but perhaps he knew it would get him eventually, and he executed this plan for that inevitable end, not knowing when it would be. His End could have been quick, or he could have aided it (but I would call that "assisted death" rather than "suicide") and I respect him immensely for directing, as much as one can, such a horrible fate.

My heartfelt condolences to his wife and children and especially his teenager daughter. I hope the world gives them space but the people who love them do not.

Our world has another hole in it.

Zoe Keating
__________________________________________

Bob -- In 1997, when my father was dying of cancer, he literally willed
himself to continue living until my brother was married. He should have
died the day before the nuptials, but he just kept going. Fifteen
minutes after the ceremony ended, he breathed his last. I suggest that
Bowie may have done the same thing. He was determined to keep living
until the album was released. Once it came out, he went.

Mind over matter.

Douglas C. Weinstein


--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25




-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --