Simon Goddard on Bowie’s 1976 Odyssey

In this interview, I welcome back Simon Goddard, author of the David Bowie Odyssey series, on the occasion of the U.S. release of Bowie Odyssey 76. The seventh volume of Simon’s year-by-year account of Bowie’s life during the 1970s examines one of the most consequential, productive and controversial years of Bowie’s career.

Much of our conversation focuses on the political dimension of Bowie’s 1976 story and Simon’s decision to place the Thin White Duke against the broader backdrop of Britain at the time. Simon discusses the disparity between Bowie’s flirtation with fascist imagery and rhetoric and the actual political situation in Britain, where racism, immigration tensions and the rise of the far right were serious concerns. He explains why figures such as Enoch Powell are important to the book and how the political atmosphere he encountered while researching 1976 shaped his understanding of Bowie’s behavior.

We examine some of the most controversial incidents associated with this period, including Bowie’s comments about fascism, his return to Britain and the much-discussed Victoria Station photograph. Simon distinguishes Bowie’s behavior from expressions of actual fascist or racist ideology while also arguing that some of what Bowie said and did was reckless and should not simply be ignored. We also discuss Bowie’s visit to the location of Hitler’s bunker, reports about Nazi-related material in his possession, his interest in books about figures such as Joseph Goebbels, and the difficulty Simon encounters in separating well-supported accounts from stories about Bowie that have grown or changed over the years.

Simon explains why he tries to understand these events within the cultural context of the 1970s rather than simply applying contemporary standards to them. We also discuss the striking contrast between Bowie’s engagement with provocative Nazi imagery and his immersion in the liberal artistic culture he encountered in Berlin.

Beyond the political controversies, we consider just how much Bowie accomplished during 1976. Station to Station and The Man Who Fell to Earth were released, the entire Isolar tour took place, Bowie worked with Iggy Pop on The Idiot, and he began creating Low while attempting to reduce his drug use and move beyond the Thin White Duke.

Simon sees this period as an important transition in Bowie’s understanding of his own career. Bowie increasingly recognized that he could separate his role as a major touring rock star from his determination to pursue his own artistic interests. By the end of 1976, Simon argues, Bowie had begun leaving behind the madness surrounding the Thin White Duke and moving toward the creative independence that would define the next stage of his work.

For our previous discussion, which focused especially on ’74, see below: