David Bowie’s New York City: A Video Special

The last time I was in New York City, I took some brief video clips in front of some places of significance to Bowie, who lived there for the last 20 years of his life. The embedded video is a little documentary of sorts, with special thanks to Marc Lowe, who arranged and performed Bowie’s “A New Career In a New Town,” which I use in the video.

The New York Times published a walking guide to Bowie’s New York shortly after his death, which I used for guidance in selecting locations. You can link to that guide HERE.

That piece, in turn references an essay Bowie himself wrote about New York, which was originally published in New York Magazine in 2003. You can access that HERE.

Finally, my video ends with references to ten Bowie songs that mention New York. There are more than ten, but this is the list from the video:

1. “The Jean Genie,” 1972. “New York’s a go-go, and everything tastes right.”
2. “New York’s in Love,” 1987. “New York’s in love; With her big green eyes; And her long blonde hair; New York’s in flames”
3. “Don’t Look Down,” 1984. “From New York to shantytown.”
4. “Looking for Water,” 2003. “I lost god in a New York minute, don’t know about you but my heart’s not in it.”
5. “Lazarus,” 2015. “By the time I got to New York, I was living like a king.”
6. “Slip Away,” 2002. “Sailing over Coney Island; Twinkle twinkle, Uncle Floyd”.
7. “She’ll Drive the Big Car,” 2003. “She’ll drive the big car; He’ll sit behind; She’ll keep an eye on Jessica; South along the Hudson.”
8. “No Plan” (2016). “Second Avenue just out of view…”
9. “Shake It” (1983). “I’ll take you to New York; It’s the place that I know well.”
10. “New Killer Star” (2003). “See the great, white scar over Battery Park.”