4. David Bowie
This was the breakthrough for David Bowie. It took him a long time to find his identity, and he made some very odd, unsuccessful records. He made this novelty record called The Laughing Gnome, and that would’ve sunk most people’s careers forever. I mean… it was really quite awful! But I knew where he got inspiration from, a guy called Anthony Newly, and I understood where he was coming from… it just didn’t work very well.
Then he comes out with ‘Space Oddity’ and he was experimenting with everything, with concepts and words and sounds. There were sounds coming out of that you’ve never heard before. I’ve always been interested in experimental music, sounds from a different source, that sounded weird. ‘Space Oddity’ had electronic sounds on it – a thing called a stylophone, which is like a 15 quid little toy – and it was about a man in space. It was not a love song. And immediately it was something so different, and so refreshing. I was blown away by it. I thought, this guy’s got amazing talent. After that, he didn’t have another hit for three years! He still hadn’t found Ziggy Stardust, hadn’t found a real identity. Then obviously he went and kept changing his identity. and kept ahead of the game all along, which is why I admired him so much.
