Dylan Jones

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A chronicle of one of the most fascinating lives of our time, Dylan Jones's magisterial biography of David Bowie provides the definitive account of a legendary artist's remarkable journey. This groundbreaking oral history of pop's greatest chameleon draws from hundreds of interviews with friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators, some of whom have never before spoken about their relationship with Bowie. Now available in paperback-with a new introduction by Jones and an afterword featuring a rare, candid interview with Bowie's cousin Kristina Amadeus debunking myths of mental illness in Bowie's family-Jones's DAVID BOWIE: The Oral History (THREE RIVERS PRESS; ON SALE SEPTEMBER 11, 2018; $18.00; 978-0-451-49784-0) weaves a hypnotic spell as it unfolds a remarkable rise to stardom and an unparalleled artistic path.

When David Bowie died in January 2016, social media channels flooded with images of Ziggy Stardust and national newspapers cleared their front pages to cover his life and death. Broadcasts dedicated time, and every celebrity and fan with an iPhone and a Bowie story shared memories and admiration.

Headlines blared, tribute concerts were organized, and Bowie's colorful life was mourned. But the titillating reportage and accounts that followed suggested a more complicated legacy than was perhaps understood, barely scratching the surface of a life that had yet to be done justice in print.

Jones, editor of British GQ and author of When Ziggy Played Guitar: David Bowie and Four Minutes That Shook the World, has now delivered the definitive David Bowie biography. The first major collection and most comprehensive publication since his death, DAVID BOWIE: The Oral History is composed from over 180 conversations with those closest to the star. No Bowie bio has ever been this raw or intimate, or reached deeper into Bowie's vast web of connections in search of the man behind the persona. Containing contributions from those who knew him in all walks of life-from Bowie's landlady to Bono-this tour of a fascinating existence is guaranteed to thrill those just coming to Bowie's story while offering something new to even the most die-hard aficionados. Firsthand accounts draw readers behind closed doors and into studios, private conversations, and bedrooms shared with Bowie. Jones documents accounts from people like John Lennon, Peter Frampton, Tommy Hilfiger, Paul McCartney, Mick Ronson, Boy George, Lou Reed, Luther Vandross, Iggy Pop, Moby, Courtney Love, Kate Moss, Martin Scorsese, and many more. Included are testimonies from:

. George Underwood, on Bowie's first US tour: "The audiences on the Ziggy tour of the US just couldn't believe their eyes. Every night was a sensation. . . . We went most places by Amtrak, which is a great way to see the country. He was high rolling on that tour. Every night was a party. . . . It was a rock and roll circus. . . . In the US he was treated as a star."

. Ava Cherry, on recording in Philadelphia: "David was one of the first white artists they'd recorded in Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. David was immediately accepted by the black community. . . . I heard there were some players who didn't want to be on the record because David was white, but I don't believe that. . . . We went in there and just played away. . . . He also did a show at the Tower Theater in Philly, and that was a huge thing for the city. That's where he recorded David Live. It was great singing with Luther Vandross, as he was such a great singer, such an accomplished arranger, and our voices melded together like magic and butter."

. Kristina Amadeus, on growing up comfortably: "I don't remember him being worried about being lower middle class. His father was from a very affluent family. . . . He went to a good public school and inherited money when he came of age. . . . But David did, like Jagger, adopt an almost Cockney accent for a while because it was trendy."

. Angie Bowie, on marriage: "Our marriage was a partnership to accomplish making David a worldwide star."

. Harry Maslin, on drugs: "He was doing a lot of drugs at that time. As he said himself, he was very much dependent on cocaine at the time. And at times, it was difficult to deal with it. Not that he lost his charm or his ability to be gracious or polite, but being so out there on another planet sometimes, it was a job to bring him back down. It was also my job to keep up with him, so I'm in a very precarious situation here; I've got to do a little cocaine just to stay up with him."

. Tony Parsons, on career and fame: "I always thought he was an artist who wanted to be a star, and a star who wanted to be an artist. He was genuinely passionate about his craft and what he did, but also he wanted to be famous."

. Tracey Emin, on art: "He absolutely loved art, and I think he would have preferred to have been an artist, than a musician. I used to say to him, 'You are an artist-everything you do is art.' But he thought visual art was different, on another level. I think if he had had a choice, it would have been visual art. But he didn't have a choice; he was too good a musician to be able to choose. . . . The surprising thing about him was how unaffected he was. . . . He was very silly, and very slapstick and very open. . . . He appeared to be completely unaffected by his fame. From a personal point of view, it's quite funny. He made me feel so equal in his company."

Jones's narrative of collective voices is a tour de force that illustrates Bowie as an intuitive artist and a social creature who was equally comfortable partying with John Lennon as he was dining with Frank Sinatra.

DAVID BOWIE: The Oral History chases Bowie from Brixton to Bromley to Beckenham, with statements from those who spent time with him in Haddon Hall, those who knew his family, and those who helped him on his way to stardom. Using his years of extensive research, Jones draws commentary from many who have rarely spoken publicly about Bowie, including Kristina Amadeus (Bowie's cousin), Tracey Emin, Ricky Gervais, Baz Luhrmann, and Harry Maslin, who produced Station to Station and has never publicly spoken about Bowie before.

Following Bowie's youth in the English suburbs to London, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, and beyond, Jones's masterful interviews not only capture the essence of Bowie as an artist and public figure, but they also illuminate his debauched years in Los Angeles in the mid-'70s, explore the many artists and moviemakers he spent time with in the '80s and '90s, and examine the complex relationship he had with his schizophrenic half-brother during a period when it was thought by most that he had lost contact with him. The Bowie that emerges is by turns charming and cold, a man who could seduce with his remarkable creativity and yet also leave people behind just as easily as he shed his characters.

Marshaling never-before-seen material from Bowie himself, drawn from interviews conducted by Jones over the course of three decades, DAVID BOWIE: The Oral History is an epic tome with first-person narratives peppered throughout, allowing readers to hear from Bowie, directly:

. on self-expression: "I don't think I would have had the strength of mind at the time to want to go out and just sing my songs straight off. For me, it was always about developing an interesting character."

. on fashion: "Dressing is performance, simple as that. People have always thought I was obsessed with fashion and it's just not true. I'm fascinated by it, and I use it when I need to use it."

. on his mistakes: "I made an awful lot of mistakes, and I did some good things as well. But I can't think in terms of editing it. It's just a bunch of stuff I did, and that's me. That's what I've done, all the goonisms as well as the nice bits."

. on being a public persona: "My past doesn't belong to anyone but me, although I am obviously respectful of people's relationship with it."

. on death: "I just know that death is inevitable. I don't really have much in terms of artistic ambitions for the future, I'm quite happy working on what I'm doing at present. . . . I place a touching importance on each day having been worthwhile."

DAVID BOWIE: The Oral History is an insightful and, at times, deliciously gossipy depiction of one of the most fascinating artists of our time. Jones shapes an intimate, engrossing portrait that weaves together diverse tales of Bowie's remarkable rise to stardom and sheds light on his unparalleled artistic path, transforming our understanding of the mystical David Bowie.