Dylan Jones's engrossing, magisterial biography of David Bowie is unlike
any Bowie story ever written. Drawn from over 180 interviews with
friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators, some of whom have never
before spoken about their relationship with Bowie, this oral history
weaves a hypnotic spell as it unfolds the story of a remarkable rise to
stardom and an unparalleled artistic path.
Tracing Bowie's life from the English suburbs to London to New York to
Los Angeles, Berlin, and beyond, its collective voices describe a man
profoundly shaped by his relationship with his schizophrenic
half-brother Terry; an intuitive artist who could absorb influences
through intense relationships and yet drop people cold when they were no
longer of use; and a social creature equally comfortable partying with
John Lennon and dining with Frank Sinatra.
By turns insightful and deliciously gossipy, David Bowie is as
intimate a portrait as may ever be drawn. It sparks with admiration and
grievances, lust and envy, as the speakers bring you into studios and
bedrooms they shared with Bowie, and onto stages and film sets, opening
corners of his mind and experience that transform our understanding of
both artist and art. Including illuminating, never-before-seen material
from Bowie himself, drawn from a series of Jones's interviews with him
across two decades, David Bowie is an epic, unforgettable
cocktail-party conversation about a man whose enigmatic shapeshifting
and irrepressible creativity produced one of the most sprawling,
fascinating lives of our time.
