MY FRIENDS and I were big Bowie fans as soon as Hunky Dory came out in 1971. I couldn’t actually afford to buy the album. I only used to get something like five shillings pocket money a week, so we’d go into the record shop and ask to hear it in the stereo listening booth! It was only supposed to be for classical records, but we’d cheekily get the three of us in there and listen to the whole album. Even now when I hear the opening chords to Changes it always reminds me of the listening booth in Newcastle.
When Bowie did Starman on [BBC TV music show] Top Of The Pops with his arm around [guitarist] Mick Ronson it was a great moment in pop. Actually, one forgets Starman wasn’t a particularly big hit. David didn’t have a top three single until The Jean Genie and it seemed rather frustrating at the time.