We have lost another icon

The following morning, I was awoken with the news that another icon of music had sadly passed away, David Bowie, and like Lemmy, only days after his birthday as well.

Born David Jones, he had to change his name due to the Monkee’s Davy Jones having the same name already and he chose the name Bowie after the Bowie knife.

He ‘acquired’ his different coloured eye due to an accident at school in a rugby match clash.

After training at art school, he decided to try his luck as a musician and when Space Oddity was released coinciding with the moon landing it became a major hit.

After two or three years in the wilderness, Bowie came back with the LP Space Oddity and from then on he changed his persona, going through Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and The Thin White Duke, where he became the first white artist to appear on America’s Soul Train show.

Interestingly, Bowie sang with three artists in the late 1970s who soon passed away afterwards. The three were Marc Bolan, Bing Crosby and Freddie Mercury.

He was even forgiven for shouting ‘Hello Newcastle’ at the beginning of his Glass Spider gig at Roker Park.

In another coincidence of sorts with Lemmy, after a gig at the city hall, Newcastle, in the 1970s, he went for a few drinks afterwards at the Mayfair. As it was closing at 2am he asked if there was anywhere else still open.

The Mayfair’s bouncers escorted him to a little place called the Stage Door whereupon he was refused entry. ‘But I’m David Bowie’, he exclaimed, to which the bouncer replied ‘you’re not getting in wearing jeans’.

Yet another great joins the great gig in the sky and as I say, for they always come in threes, who’s next?

RIP David Bowie.

Alan Vincent