Musically, lyrically and aesthetically, David Bowie left a lasting mark on culture. A genius songwriter who understood the true power of artistic metamorphosis long before the rest of the world did, his various experiments with sound and character will always stand as trailblazing.
Although innovation and reinvention are two aspects that define Bowie’s lauded career, it wasn’t so simple or, indeed, glorious. The British artist had a more oscillating life than most musicians of his standing, with him experiencing as many crushing lows and he did soaring highs.
A key factor in this nature was his extensive use of drugs. He was open about first experimenting with narcotics as a teenage mod in the early 1960s, however, wouldn’t start using them in a more concerted manner until he had found lasting fame.
Famously, the first time Bowie tried marijuana – the narcotic most widely used by his generation – was with bass player extraordinaire, John Paul Jones, in his pre-Led Zeppelin days when he was one of London’s most sought after session musicians. Yet, even at this point, Bowie would use drugs as and when, and they weren’t a fixture of his daily life. It was only after the 1972 masterpiece Ziggy Stardust was released, and confirmed him as a real star, that both drink and drugs would start to impress themselves on himself more permanently.
In 2003, Bowie spoke to Q about how fame and going to America were the catalyst for him heavily using drugs and becoming so addicted that it inspired albums such as Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs and Young Americans.
He said: “Ziggy Stardust was actually drug-free apart from the occasional pill: amphetamines, speed… When we first started doing Ziggy we were really excited and drugs weren’t necessary. The first eight months were real fun and then it soured for me. I went to America and got introduced to real drugs and it all went pear-shaped.”
Interestingly, despite the likes of Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs long being deemed Bowie’s definitive drug albums, when he spoke to Playboy in 1976 – just as he was weaning himself off of cocaine and America – he explained that 1970’s The Man Who Sold The World, is “the most drug-oriented album I’ve made”.
In what will come as a surprise to fans, the musician maintained that he was the “most fucked up” during the making of the 1970 album, because of his heavy use of hashish.
He said: “Well, The Man Who Sold The World is actually the most drug-oriented album I’ve made. That was when I was the most fucked up. Young Americans probably is a close second, but that is from my current drug period. The Man was when I was holding on to some kind of flag for hashish. As soon as I stopped using that drug, I realised it dampened my imagination. End of slow drugs.”
Editors’ Picks
- 1970s Rock
- Bowie albums
- classic rock history
- David Bowie
- drug culture in music
- Glam Rock
- Music Interviews
- The Man Who Sold the World
