Driven to the brink of madness by cocaine, overwork, marital strife, and
a paranoid obsession with the occult, David Bowie fled Los Angeles in
1975 and ended up in Berlin, the divided city on the frontline between
communist East and capitalist West. There he sought anonymity, taking an
apartment in a run-down district with his sometime collaborator Iggy
Pop, another refugee from drugs and debauchery, while they explored the
city and its notorious nightlife.
In this intensely creative period, Bowie put together three classic
albums--Low, "Heroes", and Lodger--with collaborators who included
Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, and Tony Visconti. He also found time to
produce two albums for Iggy Pop--The Idiot and Lust For Life--and to
take a leading role in a movie, the ill-starred Just A Gigolo.
Bowie In Berlin examines that period and those records, exploring
Bowie's fascination with the city, unearthing his sources of
inspiration, detailing his working methods, and teasing out the elusive
meanings of the songs. Painstakingly researched and vividly written, the
book casts new light on the most creative and influential era in Bowie's
career.