Bowie on German TV

This clip is of Bowie’s appearance in 1978 on the German television show, “Musikladen.” It amounts to a 45-minute concert, with an abbreviated but similar set to what he was performing on the Isolar II tour that year (performances from which are captured on the live album, “Stage”).

I had never come across this before but I’m glad I found it now. Its worth hearing in its entirety. The set begins with the instrumental, “Sense of Doubt,” followed by my favorite song, “Beauty and the Beast,” then, “‘Heroes,’” “Stay,” “The Jean Genie,” “TVC15,” “Moon of Alabama,” and even an encore version of “Rebel Rebel”

A few notes:
– Imagine deciding to open a foreign television show, that probably ran with commercials over an hour, with a brooding instrumental like, “Sense of Doubt.” I don’t know what else to say other than Bowie must of have been confident about his ability to keep an audience.
– Bowie seems to have had a lot of affection for “TVC15.” He played it as one of three songs on his famous “Saturday Night Live” appearance the following year, and it was one of four songs he performed at the 1985 “Live Aid” concert. I like the song very much, but it strikes me as interesting because even at the time it was not anywhere close to one of his top three or four best known or most beloved songs. The other thing that’s interesting about this particular performance is that he ends with the line, “TV Eye,” which of course is the name of an Iggy Pop song (actually, a Stooges song).
– Bowie identifies “Alabama Song” as German, because, he says it was written by the German composer Kurt Weill (the lyrics were by Bertolt Brecht). I don’t especially like the song, but Bowie did— as did the Doors, who I think have a better-known version. Bowie would later appear in a television production of Brecht’s play, “Baal.” I’m not quite sure what the appeal is (its also worth nothing that “Alabama Song” with originally written in the 1920s— so it wasn’t some sort of contemporary avant-garde German song).
– I think this is the earliest I have heard this particular arrangement for “Rebel Rebel,” but it would become Bowie’s standard arrangement for live performances of the song thereafter.

Anyway, Bowie’s performance here is very strong and again, its worth hearing.