MAGAZINE ECONDS SECONDS #33, 1995 • Sby George Petros & Steven Blush So much has already been said about DAVID BOWIE: “He was the first Rock Star who…” — “Before him, no one had dared to…” — He single-handedly started the…” — “Every one of his albums was…” — “Everything he said was…” — so what can we say? That he was the first Rock Star who was Gay and Straight at the same time? Good and bad at the same time? Cutting-edge and over with? That he was the most flaming and focused and stayed cool the longest? That he is one of the handful of all-time world-class Rock Stars? How about this — before him, no one had ever blown your mind quite like David Bowie. 78 “It’s entirely possible that the idea of murder as art is an option for some people.” SECONDS: In terms of your writing, are together. He taught me a wonderful riff hits a formula or a by-product? which became “The Supermen.” BOWIE: I don’t know, I don’t have too SECONDS: We hear about your many. You’re speaking to fascination with the New the wrong artist; I think you York stuff, Lou Reed, should ask Elton John. Andy Warhol, even Wayne SECONDS: Bowie County — impersonators over the years BOWIE: Wayne County I — do you see them as a met twice in my life and I compliment or an insult? couldn’t stand him. I had BOWIE: I don’t know. absolutely no fascination They’re glitches in music for him at all. I felt he was history; they’re kind of absolutely useless. I saw interesting. I don’t really him work a couple of times feel about them one way or — I didn’t know him at all. another. There was a couple The only one I was aware of Gary Numan songs I of until I got to America quite liked — I guess they was Lou Reed and The all have their moments. Velvet Underground that There’s always one song in there that’s I’ve been huge fans of since the Sixties. It worth it all. It was only recently I’ve been was such an alternative to what was going made aware of how influential my music on. The New York Dolls I got to buddy up — or our music I should say because a lot with when I came over and we just felt of it has to do with Brian Eno — has been like-minded. In England, their own form on American bands. I always felt we were was Roxy Music and T-Rex, a loosely- incredibly Eurocentric in what we did. knitted movement. SECONDS: When you first came out, SECONDS: I assume no one was selling a did you feel part of the Hippie movement lot of records — because your music seemed a reaction to BOWIE: Well, we did very well in those ethics? England. It took America BOWIE: It was the thing a lot longer. The Ziggy I’m so against — idealism. Stardust thing and what Unfortunately, idealism subsequently followed was turns into a certain kind of quite huge in England, fundamentalism. I was a and so were Roxy Music reaction to that, although and T-Rex. much more naive and un- SECONDS: Your work thought-out. I kind of know with people like Iggy Pop what I do these days. I or Lou Reed, was that didn’t know what it was collaborative or in tribute? that I did in those days. BOWIE: It’s hard to say. I SECONDS: Jimmy Page was a huge fan of both. played on some of the SECONDS: You Mannish Boys stuff. resurrected their careers. BOWIE: He did indeed, BOWIE: Well, we were with the first fuzz box in England. He was all in the right place at the right time this kid who just left art school and was and it just worked out well for everybody the youngest session man in the world, concerned. It was collaborative, definitely, fifteen or sixteen. He was a fresh-faced kid with Iggy. I spent a lot of time writing for who had a real joy for playing. The Led him as well as producing. For me, Iggy’s Zeppelin thing — it’s hard to put the two strength was as a lyricist. I thought 79 D A V I D B O W I E he was the funniest, darkest lyricist of BOWIE: Because they’re told by an art the time. I really wanted to give him elite that things have to be absolute and musical support that would get him a pure. For instance, Keith Haring who wider audience. It just seemed so unfair was a wonderful Graffiti artist but was that he was virtually plucked from his coterie of neglected, as was Lou fellow artists and elevated Reed when I first started to a point … we were given working with him — I the impression that he was was going through a very elevated into high art because experimental stage what he had to say was an when I started working absolute of some kind — that with Iggy on The Idiot. it transcended street Graffiti I had some ideas which — which is absolute bullshit. reached fruition when It’s important for the art I started working with world to create a distinction Brian on Low. The Idiot, because for commercial for me, was a format for reasons more than anything devising a new kind of else, you can’t put a $200,000 musical scenario. price tag on somebody who’s SECONDS: What just a “street artist.” You have misconceptions do people have about the to create a synthetic platform for them. Glam scene? They were many other Graffiti artists BOWIE: I think they believe we all had running around like Fab 5 Freddy who a lot in common with each other and that were quite as good, but because they there weren’t many of us — there were didn’t have a specific motif, a well-defined hundreds of copies really quickly. Within signifying character, they kind of got lost. months, we had Sweet and Gary Glitter If I stayed with one kind of music and and all these others. I plodded on with it all these think myself, T-Rex, and years, at least I would’ve Roxy Music felt not a part had “integrity.” I never stay of with one thing for more than all that. ten minutes, so of course SECONDS: What’s the I’m not “serious” about what relationship between I do — which is absolute glamour and Rock, and bullshit. I’m probably one how has that changed of the most serious artists I over time? know. I really feel that it’s BOWIE: What I find with important to my life that a lot of younger bands what I do has integrity, but these days — especially it’s not perceived the same the ones who’ve cut their by so many — I don’t believe teeth on a lot of the early in a world of absolutes or Seventies bands — is that fundamentalism. I don’t there’s more of a desperate need not for work in that kind of polemic atmosphere. recognition, but for insulating themselves I really am a fan of hybridization and I from the world. What I believe we were believe that the mutation of systems is doing in the early Seventies was making the way that things will go. an occasion of our personalities. It’s SECONDS: You’ve also had a career as almost tribal now. There’s a different spin film actor and stage performer. How do on glamorization. you view yourself in that context? SECONDS: Why have people run away BOWIE: Being in the studio recording is from pretention? the most pleasurable activity of all for me, 80 “In the late Sixties there were several people walking about in London with great holes in their heads.” quickly followed by painting. The other relationship. stuff I do for a number of reasons. Acting, SECONDS: What does the public have for instance, is because I have a thing wrong about Brian Eno? about the directors and I BOWIE: That he’s not want to get near them and funny. I don’t think see what it is they do. I they’d imagine he has an really have no ambitions incredibly weird sense of in that particular world. humor — a very funny guy It doesn’t seem terribly and extraordinarily pithy. exciting to me. It’s probably Like all Brits, he’s great at more exciting if you’re the put-down as well. doing it in Europe, maybe SECONDS: Is there any in New York it’s more fun, music you’ve consciously but God forbid one would avoided? end up in LA —the most BOWIE: Country & frenetic, seething, hostile Western. I have no idea city on the face of the how to get anywhere near Earth under the guise of that. When they were being this laid-back, cool carting Buddy Rich into place, which it is not. the hospital, the doctor leaned over and SECONDS: How did you get to that point asked if he was allergic to anything and in the Eighties — he said, “Yeah, Country & Western.” BOWIE: The main problem with the SECONDS: Tell me about your interest in Eighties was the Eighties. It was such a body art. nebulous, commerce-oriented period that BOWIE: When I was a kid, there was a I felt invalidated. I escalated myself into thing with the Surrealists that always some kind of MOR hell with stayed in my mind.