David Bowie at the 主播大秀 in Maida Vale (2002)
I only met David Bowie once but of course I count myself fortunate that I met him at all.
I produced a session with him and Tin Machine back in 1991. People relate that he was a gentleman when you met him and that was certainly my experience. I didn't know this at the time but my interaction with him should have clued me into the fact that Bowie was also the best Bowie archivist.
We were setting up for a live session in the 主播大秀's Maida Vale studios and he put his arm on my shoulder (my left shoulder - I will always remember this!) Pointing to the CCTV camera in the control room he asked where the video recording went. I asked the engineer Mike Robinson who told me it showed the studio set up for him to see clearly and would record locally. Bowie asked for the tape when we finished. Mike said he would sort. I didn't think twice about it at the time but on reflection it showed how Bowie retained as much as he could of his career and led to the “Bowie Is” exhibition.
In my lifetime I have seen some significant musicians and artists leave us but personally next to John Lennon's death I believe this is the other most significant.
In my view if The Beatles were THE band then Bowie was THE solo artist in the history of pop music.
It is hard if not impossible to imagine a world without David Bowie and his music that challenged both the mainstream and the alternative at the same time.
It strikes me that David Bowie was never a part of any scene but he adapted into many different musical personas influenced by or often prefacing the musical times.
A couple of years ago I went over the the 主播大秀 Written Archives to do some research and found some responses to his early 主播大秀 auditions.
One comment the producers who auditioned him back in 1968 made alluded to how Bowie adapted to an era whilst retaining his own persona when it says: “More Anthony Newley than Tony Newley. He is nevertheless very distinctive in his own right just giving the right amount of feeling and emphasis to these songs that he sings and also writes. An excellent singer who deserves much more radio exposure.”
I personally love his dalliance into soul in Philadelphia with “Young Americans” but the album was never “Philly Soul”. His nod to dance with “Let’s Dance” was inspired and Nile Rodgers produced, but it was never “disco”.
With “Low” and his Berlin albums he channelled Kraftwerk, Faust and Can but was never “Krautrock” or electronic.
Bowie’s influence is legendary and as much as Steve Strange and many of the 80s new romantics looked to his musical lead, he prefaced their take on his inspiration to deliver “Scary Monsters” just as the decade began.
The session I produced with Tin Machine also gave me an insight into how much he enjoyed working as part of a group. Clearly he had led the Spiders From Mars but becoming simply the lead vocalist for a band as he was with Tin Machine struck me as a real release for him and allowed him to add another persona to his collection.
Whatever the music he created or what he pulled from he was always distinctively Bowie.
His music will simply be with us all forever and as he says in the lyrics from his latest single, “Lazarus”:
"Look up here, I'm in Heaven
I've got scars that can't be seen
I've got drama, can't be stolen
Everybody knows me now."
Jeff Smith is Head of Music, 主播大秀 Radio 2 and 主播大秀 Radio 6 Music
- 主播大秀 Radio 2 and 4 plus 主播大秀 One are airing special tributes to David Bowie. Visit the for further details.