Bowie @ 75

This is my most lavish and gorgeously appointed book ever.

• The hardback cover is printed using neon inks
• There’s an envelope containing a black and white print and a repro tour poster.
• There are two fold-outs, a timeline and an illustration
• The book is housed in a plastic slipcase that is screen-printing and lined in black felt

This however makes for the most expensive book any publisher has designed for me.

In Bowie@75, I first curate and then celebrate 75 David Bowie career highlights, milestones and events good and bad, including in that list of 75, every studio album. Along with the text is a panorama of photography—live shots, studio, memorabilia—of every stripe imaginable, approximately 350 pictures in all.

Here’s the Table of Contents (or close to the final, anyway, i.e. pre-last edit).

Introduction

Part 1: Pop Singer

• “Scream Like a Baby:” Born in Brixton.
• “Teenage Wildlife:” Bromley Technical High School
• “Boys Keep Swinging:” David receives the punch seen ‘round the world.
• “There Is a Happy Land:” Bowie sees the release of his first record, a single.
• “Silly Boy Blue:” David Bowie issues his debut album.
• “Moonage Daydream:” The Apollo Moon Landing and “Space Oddity”
• “Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud:” David Bowie issues his second first album.
• “All the Young Dudes:” David Bowie and Mick Ronson perform live together for the first time.
• “Rebel Rebel:” David marries Angela Barnett.
• “Sons of the Silent Age:” The Man Who Sold the World
• “All the Madmen:” David meets Andy Warhol, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.
• “Lady Stardust:” Hunky Dory, the Third First David Bowie Album
• “It’s No Game:” David Bowie tells Melody Maker magazine that he is gay.

Part 2: Rock Star

• “Across the Universe:” The Spring, Summer and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
• “The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell:” Transformer, Raw Power and David Bowie.
• “Slip Away:” Aladdin the USA
• “Here Comes the Night:” David Bowie “retires.”
• “I’m Dreaming My Life:” Pinups
• “A New Career in a New Town:” Ex-Pat
• “We Are the Dead:” …and Ziggy played guitar.
• “Where Have All the Good Times Gone:” David Live
• “I Can’t Explain:” David appears on The Dick Cavett Show.
• “She’ll Drive the Big Car:” BBC airs Alan Yentob’s Bowie documentary Cracked Actor.
• “Sweet Thing:” Plastic Soul
• “Bring Me the Disco King:” David has his first US #1 when “Fame” hits the top of the Billboard charts.
• “Five Years:” After finding out he was broke, David breaks ties with manager Tony Defries.

Part 3: Musician

• “Blackout:” The Thin White Duke
• “Across the Universe:” The Man Who Fell to Earth
• “Can You Hear Me:” RCA issue the platinum-selling greatest hits record Changesonebowie.
• “Modern Love:” David tells Playboy he’s bisexual.
• “This Is Not America:” The Berlin Years
• “Dum Dum Boys:” The Idiot, Lust for Life and Later, the Recycling Thereof
• “The Loneliest Guy:” Low
• “Beauty and the Beast:” “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” with Bing Crosby
• “Speed of Life:” David apologizes in Melody Maker for previous statements supporting fascism, blaming it on the drugs.
• “Future Legend:” A Slow-Burning Hit with “Heroes” if Not So Much “”Heroes””
• “A Small Plot of Land:” Lodger
• “Fashion:” David performs on Saturday Night Live, accompanied by Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias.
• “Cracked Actor:” David Bowie premieres in the theatrical production of Elephant Man.
• “New Killer Star:” David appears on Carson.
• “Art Decade:” Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
• “Too Dizzy:” “Under Pressure”
• “Look Back in Anger:” David criticizes MTV for not playing more videos by black artists.

Part 4: Showman

• “Starman:” David signs a $17 million deal with EMI, kicking off thecollaboration with Let’s Dance.
• “The Stars (Are Out Tonight):” The Serious Moonlight tour hits the US Festival.
• “Day-In Day-Out:” Kurt Loder assures America about Bowie.
• “Sense of Doubt:” Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
• “Shake It:” Let’s dance some more.
• “Hang Onto Yourself:” David Bowie’s influential older brother Terry Burns commits suicide.
• “Beat of Your Drum:” Bowie and Jagger duet on “Dancing in the Street” in support of Live Aid.
• “Fascination:” Labyrinth
• “Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me:” David co-produces and writes six songs on Iggy Pop’s Blah-Blah-Blah album.
• “Come and Buy Me Toys:” Never Let Me Down and The Glass Spider Tour
• “You Belong in Rock ‘n’ Roll:” “Tin machine, tin machine…”

Part 5: Rock Icon

• “Reality:” The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
• “Girl Loves Me:” David marries Iman Abdulmajid.
• “You’ve Been Around:” Black Tie White Noise
• “Dead Man Walking:” Outside
• “Breaking Glass:” The Infamous US Tour Following Nine Inch Nails
• “Win:” Bowie’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
• “Everyone Says ‘Hi:’” David’s 50th Birthday Concert at Madison Square Garden
• “Joe the Lion:” David Bowie and the Urban Jungle
• “I Can’t Give Everything Away:” Bowie Bonds
• “Looking for Satellites:” David launches Bowienet, essentially the first good website by a musician.
• “Looking for Water:” ‘hours…’
• “I’m Afraid of Americans” The Concert for New York City

Part 6: Artist

• “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship:” Heathen
• “Boss of Me:” David Bowie turns down a knighthood.
• “Where Are We Now?:” Reality
• “Fantastic Voyage:” David Bowie performs his last full concert.
• “Dancing Out in Space:” Is David’s last public performance a three-song set at a charity event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York?
• “Fame:” The Grammys recognize Bowie, however belatedly.
• “Lazarus:” The Next Day
• “Golden Years:” David Bowie is opens at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
• “Ashes to Ashes:” David Bowie delivers Blackstar, then dies in New York.