Bowie does Carson (1980)

This is another clip of Bowie performing on a talk show. Yesterday I had him on Dinah Shore in 1976. This one is from fur years later when he was promoting Scary Monsters on The Tonight Show. He delivers two strong performances, of “Life on Mars” and “Ashes to Ashes.” Johnny Carson characterizes both of the songs as being about space, which is interesting because “Life on Mars” really isn’t, despite the name, but “Ashes to Ashes” kind of is, but to know that means that Johnny, or whoever wrote his line, would have had familiarity with the lyrics. Anyway, Bowie’s performance is solid.

Two other things to note— Carson is clearly taken by the audience reaction to Bowie’s name— “He’d better be good after that!” It’s a reminder of how hot a rockstar he was at the time. He wouldn’t have received the same reaction a decade later (or for that matter a decade before). Also, listen to who else is on this episode. You won’t see them in the clip, but Carson’s other guests are Bob Hope and Richard Pryor. Bob Hope, Richard Pryor and David Bowie? What a lineup!