I have been toying with Flickr a lot lately. I like it. It’s a vibrant community that shares most of its personna and thoughts through pictures. It’s also a wealth of history through the eye of a lens. I was recently pointed to Michael Oberman’s pics on Flickr. For the most part it has lot of pictures of birds, flowers, and other nature stuff. In the middle of all that, it has this shot:
That’s Michael, his brother, and a very young David Bowie sitting on Oberman’s mom’s couch. It was Bowie’s first night in the United States, sometime in January, 1971. He was here to promote his newest album, The Man Who Sold the World, as well as pushing his yet to be released album, Hunky Dory. His first US performance was in Washington DC. While here, he started working on his next album. It would be Ziggy Stardust. The first time he came to the US, he had to shack up in someone’s mom’s house. The next time he came back, a year later, he was a star.
To think it all started on Michael’s mom’s couch in Silver Spring.
Moon thanks so much for posting this. I have never seen this before. Things are a bit quiet on the Bowie front at mo tho I am looking forward to getting my copy of Young Americans special edition.
Bowie’s not really quiet right now, he just is musically. I have never been as fascinated with his voice overs as I am with his music.
I am however, very anxious to see his “performance” on Spongebob.
Hi Moon,
But d’ya know who’s that Oberman ? I’ve looked in the index of the Buckley’s biography… nothing.
And so many rock’s books even have no index…
Best. Nightflight.
Michael Oberman had nothing to do with Bowie. Michael’s brother ( seated next to Bowie )worked for Mercury records at that time and was hired to promote “The Man Who Sold The World” in the US. That lasted about two months, didn’t go anywhere, and Bowie returned to England and promptly signed with RCA. There are pics of Oberman with Bowie during that tour. I just this was the most fascinating.
Hello I am Jack Birkett, the incredible Orlando.
Just to tell you that in the video of Bowie:
I am only dancing is me and Annie stainer the dancers, not Lindsay Kemp…Visit my web in:
http://www.myspace.com/theincredibleorlando
Thank you to lisen to me Jack Birkett
Thanks for the correction Jack. I’ll update the post this weekend hopefully. Your performance in the John I’m Only dancing video is one of my four year old son’s favoritest musical performances ever. Is there more video of those performances? I just love them too.
Contrary to what you said, “Michael Oberman had nothing to do with Bowie”–I interviewed him for my music column in the Washington Star. His first interview on his first trip to the U.S.
The reference was in response to nightflight’s statement that you were never mentioned in the biography. My response was that you would not have been in the biography because you were not associated with Bowie. I obviously didn’t think you had absolutely nothing to do with him, the picture is quite obvious.
Hey, put it on your calendar. (It’s on mine.) DB’s SpongeBob premier is on the 11th! of November.
“The next time he came back, a year later, he was a star.”
That’s not quite right. Bowie was back in the USA in September, 1971 to sign the RCA deal. This was before Hunky Dory’s release, so he wasn’t any more of a star then than in January.
I’d be curious to hear of any details of his live performances in January & February, 1971. Have yet to see a review of a show. The only rumoured venue I’ve seen is the Quiet Knight in Chicago. The story is Bowie didn’t have the paperwork necessary for perfomances. I’ve heard a Philly radio interview. Are there any others in circulation?
True, I embellisghed a little, within a couple of years he was a star.
As far as the performances, I could never find anything more than venue dates. So, I have no clue.