David Bowie: Rock ’n’ Roll with Me

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Above left, “David on board Amtrak, taking a photograph of me, taking a very blurred photo of him!” Markus Klinko: “I was working with Iman in 2001. I had just photographed her for the cover of her forthcoming coffee table book, I Am Iman, and we had scheduled an editing meeting. To my great surprise, she was accompanied by David. He was every bit as charismatic as one would expect. About half an hour into the editing session, David turned around and asked me if I would be interested in shooting the cover of his next album! I couldn’t have been more thrilled.” You have taken some incredible shots of David when he was filming The Man Who Fell to Earth, you were originally going to be his body double weren’t you? What are your memories from the film shoot? It’s my favourite Bowie film of all time. What’s yours?

All this dark energy would be absorbed into Bowie’s next creation The Thin White Duke: the isolated, cold-blooded European alien who summoned a pre-pop atmosphere of neo-romanticism and a search for the arcane created a whirlpool of vitality on Station to Station.When I showed David the Polaroid of the portrait, he loved it and asked if he could have it as the cover of his new album. I replied, ‘But this is a special commission for Vogue.’ Then I asked him how many albums he thought he would sell. ‘A million,’ he replied. I realised Vogue would sell about 80,000 copies, which would soon be forgotten so I agreed David could use it as his next album cover. Vogue never spoke to me again!”

We had a little party on the Trans-Siberian Express. We had a few drinks (copious) with some tourists and young Russian soldiers who said they were in the construction unit. David came off second-best on this occasion and I managed to snap the aftermath!” Was it traveling with David which prompted you to document what was happening for posterity or were you always interested in photography? Justin de Villeneuve: “Twiggy and I flew to Paris where David was recording his new album, ‘Pin Ups,’ and I booked a studio to take the portrait. When T & B sat in front of me, I realised we had a problem. Twiggy and myself had just returned from the Bahamas and she had a dark tan. David was as white as a ghost. They looked weird together. The problem was resolved when the make-up artist Pierre LaRoche and myself decided to draw masks on their faces of the same colours. It was only when I looked through the lens viewfinder that I noticed Bowie’s eyes were different. All the times I’d met him before and I had never noticed!I really liked all the spiders. I think they realised that Hutch and I plus the two brass/woodwind guys were just there to bulk up the sound, even where we were positioned, at the side of the stage, confirmed that it was, very much, David and The Spiders show! Masayoshi Sukita acquired a Nikkormat camera for me in April ’73, just after David and I arrived in Tokyo (by ship) for a tour. The first picture I took of David was an outside shot beside a carriage on The TransSiberian Express, which is one of the images I’ve included in this selection. Yes, It’s mine too. It was a really, happy time. We were all healthy and David was completely focussed. He knew this was a unique opportunity to do something that was, not only a great project but almost designed for him. We (David, Me and Coco) were staying in a ranch style home. The whole episode was pleasurably memorable. Did you see David’s brilliant musical ‘Lazarus’? (I saw it in NYC & London, inc the filming, adored it) What did you think of it?

Their time together spanned world tours and the five albums he released, from Aladdin Sane in 1973 to Station to Station in 1976, as Bowie became an international star and one of the most recognisable people on the planet.A common theme that seemed to run through your friendship with Bowie was his confidence in asking your opinion. In the book, you describe a moment when Bowie played you a new song he'd written called "Space Oddity." Do you remember what you thought of it? Andrew Kent: “I was hired on the basis that: If you get along with David and he likes your pictures, you’ll have the job. I ended up travelling on the tour through the United States and then Europe. They just kept adding more dates. After the first few shows, we had a late night session to approve the photos. I’d marked each one and David said, “Your choices are fine. We don’t have to do this anymore.” I was the first photographer to get blanket approval from David. I could use anything I wanted and was given access to shoot everything. David didn’t like a camera in his face all the time, so I would only take shots at worthwhile moments. I had a good feeling for when it was appropriate. The non-profit Los Angeles radio station dublab has created a playlist especially for the exhibition. It features songs from the time of that trip, as well as Bowie's once and future collaborators, including Mott the Hoople, Lou Reed, Brian Eno and Queen. April 2023 until the 22nd October 2023. Spring public opening with guided tour, and Private View on the 1st. The private view is open to everyone but guests must RSVP to the Wende.