David Bowie: The Oral History

An intimate, magisterial biography of David Bowie, drawn from over 180 interviews with friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators—“the ultimate oral history of the artist’s life and musical journey” (Billboard)

“There have been many books about David Bowie, both before and after his death, but GQ editor Dylan Jones’s is among the best, as well as the most revelatory.”—The Guardian

Tracing David Bowie’s life from the English suburbs to London to New York to Los Angeles, Berlin, and beyond, David Bowie describes a man profoundly shaped by his relationship with his schizophrenic half-brother Terry; an intuitive artist who could absorb influences through intense relationships and yet drop people cold when they were no longer of use; and a social creature equally comfortable partying with John Lennon and dining with Frank Sinatra.

By turns insightful and deliciously gossipy, it sparks with admiration and grievances, lust and envy, as the speakers bring you into studios and bedrooms they shared with Bowie, and onto stages and film sets, opening corners of his mind and experience that transform our understanding of both artist and art.

Including illuminating, never-before-seen material from Bowie himself, David Bowie is an epic, unforgettable cocktail-party conversation about a man whose enigmatic shape-shifting and irrepressible creativity produced one of the most sprawling, fascinating lives of our time.