The death of a once in a lifetime generational musical genius; David Bowie died on 10th Jan 2016 from cancer.
I came late to the Bowie fan club in my middle twenties after an ex-girlfriend lent me her copy of Bowie's 'Young Americans' album, and yes I did return it. But only after I had fully immersed myself with the music from this most brilliant album. As a young black kid from North London growing up in the 1980s, Bowie never really registered on my musical radar, even though I had a healthy eclectic mix of musical tastes. From the newly emerging British Soul and R&B to seventies & eighties punk and new wave, right across to the new Rave scenes of the late eighties and early '90s and much more.
But Bowie's Young American's had the most amazing transpositive effect on me; I could close my eyes and easily be transfer to some beautiful musical atmospheric dimension. For me, it has a fantastic hypnotic effect, not only audibly but also physically, one that I'll never become tired of hearing or in-fact feeling. Another of his earlier albums 'Hunky Dory' also affects me in a different, but similar way too.
The Late David Bowie, photographed in London - by John Ferguson
But the story behind 'Young Americans' is a testament to Bowie's mercurial musical brilliance. While in America and during the Diamond Dogs album tour of 1974, he was still actively looking for something new. Something entirely different away from his then-current state of mind, and much like his self-termination of the Ziggy Stardust era in July 1973, he sought to reinvent himself once again. He wrote the entire Young Americans album in 8 creatively packed days. By then, Bowie was living in New York and had already begun to immerse himself into the sound of black America. He said on his visits to Harlem, "No-one knew who I was; this was the best part of the journey. I could go to any district inhabited mostly by black people in the US and go unnoticed. It was fantastic".
Bowie went to concerts in Harlem and also San Francisco in California and met with groups and singers like the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and others, eventually teaming up with a young Luther Vandross who orchestrated the backing vocals throughout the album. Another standout performer on the album is the subline sound of David Sandborn's saxophone; I later went on to purchase my own Sax and began to learn, but unfortunately never continued.
His Young Americans album is closely followed by Hunky Dory as my two favourites of all Bowie's works. Two albums so incongruous of each other, it's incredible to think the same artist could produce such amazingly differing sounds. But that's the magic of the man, a genuinely masterful creative.
So fast forward some 15 or so years later, after listening to most of Bowie's work, I get a call saying 'would I like to photograph David Bowie tomorrow at a central London hotel'? Well, there's an old adage that declares "one should never meet your hero's". I don't ever regret meeting and photographing David, but I can honestly say that it was the most nerve-racking photo session I've ever had. In the many photoshoots I've had with celebrities I'm usually very good at finding a corner or part of a hotel room that makes for an ideal spot. This shoot allowed for nothing. No portable background, no studio lights, and no assistant, just me and 5mins to get enough pictures for a cover image and an inside spread. No problem, or so I thought.
BOWIE - Photographed in Paris, France by John Ferguson
There followed a litany of problems. The hotel room chosen for the interview was just perfect...for the interview. But for the photographs, it was a photographer's worse nightmare. It was dark, very intimate, in which I mean tiny and worse of all, filled or rather cluttered with ill-fitting ornate (ugly) furniture. I scanned the room frantically searching for a suitable spot or the place where I could get to photograph one of the most critical cultural heroes in music history. Has luck would have it, I spotted another room, the bedroom, with the corner of the bed illuminated by the most perfect shaft of light hitting this small portion of the room. Just perfect, I thought, so went over to speak with David and his PR agent, whom I knew well. 'We'll do the pictures here' if that's ok with you David" I said with an air of confidence. "Err...no I don't think so" came back David's reply, said, with the biggest beaming smile one can imagine. My heart sank, I was just about to remonstrate with David to say "why the bloody hell not!!" when Alan his PR manager said, "two minutes now John, can we get on with it?"
At this point, I gave up; I was resigned to just a couple of headshots of Mr Bowie. So I ask David to stand where he stood, at the corner of the bedroom, the beautiful light was still pouring through the curtains onto the bed behind him, but it wasn't to be. I picked up my camera, ready to photograph David; I pressed the shutter button and took David's picture. The camera's battery then inexplicably decided to die on me. WTF was going on? The fear inside of me had now risen to epic proportions. David had now walked off to the other side of the room, with me still trying to figure out what was happening to my camera. I gave it up and frantically headed for my kit bag to retrieve my second camera, by now David, the journalist and PR man Alan were all talking amongst themselves.
BOWIE In concert in Paris, France. Image by John Ferguson
I knew my time was up, but I still had to ask. David gave me a very feeble smile and beckoned me over. He sat on one of the chairs and turned towards me; I took two more photographs before he halted my session.
I came away with a total of 3 images from my shoot with Mr Bowie. To say I was distraught wouldn't have come anywhere near its meaning. I felt physically sick. I literarily fell out of the room; I had the stature of a condemned man walking towards the gallows. How could it had gone so horribly wrong?
But as they say, you live and learn, and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and all that rubbish.
Anyway, the three images were used for the interview piece and have been reproduced many times again since. The real disappointment for me was not getting that one great picture that I had already taken in my mind's eye over and over again. But it wasn't to be. The funny thing is that I got invited back to photograph Bowie again, in Paris for the start of his European tour. I photographed his concert, which was terrific, and was then told I would be able to take backstage pictures of David. But alas, this time I was to be given less than 5 mins, in another dark corner of a Paris restaurant, and he was again very difficult, but at least this time my camera worked as it should.
I'm glad I had my experience with Mr Bowie, and got to shake his hand and to meet him personally; and it's something I'll always remember, especially when I hear his music. And it now brings a smile to my face when I think of that; the most challenging situation in my photographic career... so far.
He was gone far too soon. R. I. P. Mr Bowie.
Do you know Bowie was the first-ever white artist to appear on the famous 70's 'Soul train' music show in 1974 with his single Young Americans?
Unfortunately, his Young American performance isn't available any more, but he did appear on two other occasions. Here his singing 'Golden Years' on Soul Train in 1975
Is there a particular Bowie Track or Album which has made an effect on you over the years? I'd love to know, leave a comment below.
Thanks
John
John Ferguson Photography
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