Bowie Author Adam Steiner on CHANGESTWOBOWIE

In this interview, I speak with author, journalist, and essayist Adam Steiner about CHANGESTWOBOWIE, the 1981 compilation album that followed the highly successful CHANGESONEBOWIE. Adam is the author of Silhouettes and Shadows: The Secret History of David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) as well as books on Nick Cave and Nine Inch Nails. Our conversation focuses on how CHANGESTWOBOWIE differs from its predecessor and what its song selection and sequencing reveal about the way Bowie’s work was being presented at the beginning of the 1980s.

A major theme of our discussion is the album’s structure. Unlike CHANGESONEBOWIE, which largely follows a chronological progression through Bowie’s career, CHANGESTWOBOWIE presents its material in a deliberately non-chronological order. Adam and I discuss how unusual that choice is for a compilation album and consider the effect it has on the listening experience. Rather than telling a straightforward story of artistic development, the compilation places songs from different periods alongside one another, creating unexpected connections between distinct eras of Bowie’s career.

We spend considerable time discussing the album’s opening track, “Aladdin Sane,” and why such an unconventional song was chosen to introduce the collection. Adam reflects on the song’s distinctive musical structure, Mike Garson’s piano performance, and its place within Bowie’s catalog. The conversation expands into a broader discussion of how certain songs resist easy categorization and why some of Bowie’s more challenging work nevertheless became central to the way his career was represented.

Throughout the interview, we examine how the compilation balances major singles with selections that reveal different aspects of Bowie’s artistry. Adam notes that the collection offers a more varied and, in some respects, less predictable portrait of Bowie than the earlier compilation. We discuss how the sequencing encourages listeners to move between different musical styles, personas, and periods without following a strict timeline.

Another recurring topic is the way Bowie’s songs draw on literary, cultural, and musical references. Using tracks featured on CHANGESTWOBOWIE as examples, Adam discusses connections between Bowie’s work and broader artistic influences, as well as recurring themes that appear across multiple albums. We also talk about how certain images and ideas reappear throughout Bowie’s career, allowing listeners to identify links between songs that were recorded years apart.

Taken together, our conversation treats CHANGESTWOBOWIE not simply as a collection of previously released songs, but as a curated presentation of Bowie’s work at a particular moment in time. By looking closely at its sequencing, song choices, and historical context, Adam and I explore how the compilation offers a distinctive perspective on Bowie’s music and the many creative directions represented within his catalog.

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Below you can watch our earlier discussion about CHANGESONEBOWIE: