BBC 6 Music have announced that they will be hosting a week of special programming on David Bowie from March 25-31.
The programmes will follow the release of his new album The Next Day on Monday, and take in concerts and interviews from the archives and a host of new documentaries. There’ll also be a significant focus on Bowie’s Berlin-era albums Low, Heroes and Lodger.
Particular highlights will include Marc Riley, 7-9pm on every weekday, revisiting a series of interviews he did in 2004 with a number of Bowie affiliates, including long-term collaborating producer Tony Visconti, who Bowie worked with on The Next Day, photographer Mick Rock, producer Ken Scott and bandmate Bob Soley, as well as playing session tracks Bowie recorded in 2000.
Mary Anne Hobbs will be replaying the interview she did with Bowie in 1997 to mark his 50th birthday over her weekend breakfast slots from 7-10am on March 30-31, which will be followed on the Sunday with Cerys Matthews taking a tour around the http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/david-bowie-is/ Victoria & Albert Museum’s Bowie exhibition following it opening to the public on March 23, broadcast from 10am-12pm.
Earlier on the Sunday, from 3-4am, The Live Music Hour will be playing Bowie’s 1971 Paris Theatre set, only broadcast twice before, once when it was relayed live on June 3 1971 and again later that month, alongside cover versions recorded by various session artists for the BBC over the years.
Later on the same day, from 12-1pm comedian and writer Danny Robins will be exploring the importance of Berlin to Bowie, including a visit to the Hansa Studios where he recorded parts of Low and "Heroes". Later on, Adam Buxton will be drawing various Bowie oddities out of the archives from 4-6pm and from 8-10pm, Stuart Maconie will have Low as his focus album on the Freak Zone.
Says Marc Riley: "It was June 15 1972 that David Bowie changed my life. Performing ‘Starman’ on a kids TV programme called Lift Off three weeks before his legendary appearance on Top Of The Pops. When he announced ‘the last show we’ll ever do’ from the stage of the Hammersmith Odeon just about a year later, I thought I’d never even get to see him in concert. Who’d have thought over nearly three decades later I’d be introducing him onto that very same stage? Bowie changed my life. It’s as simple as that.”
For more details, head to 6 Music’s website, where they’ll also be collecting together all the special programmes for a Bowie one-stop shop over the week.
