David Bowie Part 1: The Berlin Aftermath (1979 – Mid 1980)

Lodger Sessions & Completion – February-March 1979

📅 1979-02-10
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Brian Duffy Studio

🎸 Event: Visuals: ‘Lodger‘ Album Cover Photography
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie collaborates with photographer Brian Duffy on the distorted “fallen figure” imagery. Bowie arrived with a fresh burn on his hand, which remained visible in the final artwork.

Promotional Interviews – February 1979

📅 1979-02-12
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Thames Television / BBC Studios

🎸 Event: TV Interviews: Afternoon Plus, Thames At Six & Tonight
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Intensive press day. Interviewed by Mavis Nicholson, Rita Carter, and Valerie Singleton. Discussion focuses on ‘Just A Gigolo’ and his life in Berlin. David displays a healthy appearance and a new short-haired ‘schoolboy’ look.
📅 1979-02-13
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Dorchester Hotel, Mayfair

🎸 Event: Press Interview: Jean Rook (The Daily Express)
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: David is interviewed by Jean Rook. During the session, he discusses his departure from the ‘tax exile’ lifestyle and his return to the UK public eye as part of a strategic media blitz.
📅 1979-02-13
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Capital Radio, Euston Tower

🎸 Event: Radio Interview: ‘Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Live broadcast interview by Nicky Horne. David discusses his recent work and the upcoming release of the ‘Lodger‘ album.
📅 1979-02-14
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Café Royal, Regent Street

🎸 Event: Just A Gigolo Press Conference & Photo Call
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Midday press conference to promote the UK release of ‘Just A Gigolo’. David appears for a major photo call aimed at re-establishing his presence in the British press.
📅 1979-02-16
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Nashville Room

🎸 Event: Attending: The Human League Concert
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: David attends a performance by The Human League. Wearing a houndstooth jacket and cuffed jeans, he meets the band backstage. This visit is noted as a significant endorsement of the burgeoning synth-pop scene.

Just A Gigolo Soundtrack Release – February 1979

📅 1979-02-16
📍 London / Berlin, UK & Germany 🇬🇧🇩🇪
🏛️ Jamco / Ariola Records

🎸 Event: Release: Just A Gigolo Soundtrack
🎤 Artist: David Bowie & Various Artists
🗒️ Notes: Release of the soundtrack album. Bowie contributes to ‘Revolutionary Song’, performed by The Rebels with David on guitar and vocal refrain.
📅 1979-02-16
📍 Japan 🇯🇵
🏛️ Overseas Records MA-185-V

🎸 Event: Single Release: David Bowie’s Revolutionary Song
🎤 Artist: The Rebels (featuring David Bowie)
🗒️ Notes: Japanese single release of the ‘Just A Gigolo’ track. David provides guitar and vocal refrain.
📅 1979-02-27
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ BBC Television (Old Grey Whistle Test)

🎸 Event: TV Broadcast: David Bowie On Stage
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Broadcast of four songs from the 1978 ‘Stage‘ tour. The BBC highlights live performances as part of the momentum leading up to ‘Lodger‘.

Lodger Studio Sessions – March 1979

📅 1979-03-03
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Record Plant Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: Musician Role-Switch Experiments
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Recording sessions involve deliberate instrument-swapping among the musicians. This experimental technique, encouraged by Bowie and Brian Eno, aims to create unfamiliar textures and spontaneous musical performances.
📅 1979-03-07
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Record Plant Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: Basic Tracks Completed
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: The core backing tracks, which originally began in Montreux in late 1978, are finalized in New York. The focus now shifts toward final vocal tracks and production layering.
📅 1979-03-10
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Record Plant Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: Overdubs & Vocal Sessions
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie records his final lead vocals for the album. Tony Visconti oversees additional overdubs and sonic treatments, further defining the dense and pressurized atmosphere of the record.
📅 1979-03-15
📍 Los Angeles, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Producers Workshop

🎸 Event: Production: Final Mixing Completed
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Final mixing sessions are completed in Los Angeles. The tapes are prepared for delivery to RCA Records, officially concluding the recording phase of the Berlin Trilogy.

Visuals & Planning – March 1979

📅 1979-03-25
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ David Mallet Production

🎸 Event: Visuals: Planning the ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ Video
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie collaborates with director David Mallet on a provocative visual concept. The project is built around themes of performance and identity play, featuring theatrical character shifts for the upcoming promotional film.

Guest Appearance John Cale – April 1979

📅 1979-04-01
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Carnegie Hall

🎸 Event: WKCR-FM Benefit: Guest Appearance with John Cale
🎤 Artist: John Cale ft. David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: David joins John Cale onstage during a benefit concert for WKCR. Dressed in a black kimono, David plays viola on Cale’s song ‘Sabotage’. Despite having never played the instrument before, he performed a four-note part specifically learned for this appearance.

Visuals & Media Impact – April 1979

📅 1979-04-08
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Good Earth Studios, Soho

🎸 Event: Recording: ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ Backing Track
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Recording of a specialized backing track for the ‘Kenny Everett Video Show’. The session features a lineup including Tony Visconti, Sean Mayes, and Simon House. This version was created to facilitate the television lip-sync performance.
📅 1979-04-09
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Ewart Studios / Thames TV

🎸 Event: Filming & Taping: ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ Video
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Directed by David Mallet, this session includes both the filming of the official promotional video and the taping for the ‘Kenny Everett Video Show’. Bowie performs as the lead singer and three distinct backing singers in drag. The iconic lipstick-smear gesture was an improvised moment during the shoot.

Radio Specials & Promotion – April 1979

📅 1979-04-15
📍 Los Angeles, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ KLOS-FM Radio Station

🎸 Event: Radio Broadcast: ‘An Hour With David Bowie’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: A major US radio special featuring an extensive interview where David discusses his Berlin period and provides insights into the upcoming ‘Lodger‘ album for the American market.
📅 1979-04-18
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Good Earth Studios, Soho

🎸 Event: Radio Taping: ‘Bowie The Traveller’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Recording for Capital Radio. In a unique promotional event, twelve winners of an essay competition join David in the studio for an exclusive advance listening session of the ‘Lodger‘ album.

Single Release & TV Premiere – April 1979

📅 1979-04-23
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Thames Television

🎸 Event: TV Premiere: ‘The Kenny Everett Video Show’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: World premiere of the ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ performance. The broadcast showcases Bowie’s theatrical drag personas to a mass audience, generating significant public interest.
📅 1979-04-27
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ RCA Records (BOW 2)

🎸 Event: Single Release: ‘Boys Keep Swinging’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Official UK release of the lead single from ‘Lodger‘, featuring ‘Fantastic Voyage’ on the B-side. The vinyl runout grooves contain cryptic messages: ‘Your Bicameral Mind’ and ‘Mind Your Bicameral’.

Lodger Release & D.J. Visuals – May 1979

>
📅 1979-05-05
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ UK Official Singles Chart

🎸 Event: Chart Entry: ‘Boys Keep Swinging’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ enters the UK charts for a 10-week run, eventually peaking at number 7. This represents a significant commercial success for Bowie in the British market.
📅 1979-05-12
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ BBC Radio 1 Studios

# 🎸 Event: Radio Recording: Star Special
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: David records a two-hour radio special as a guest DJ. He selects and discusses his favorite tracks, providing insight into his musical influences at the time of the ‘Lodger‘ release.
📅 1979-05-16
📍 London, 🇬🇧 UK
🏛️ Earl’s Court Road / Studio Locations

🎸 Event: Visuals: ‘D.J.’ Music Video Filming
🗒️ Note: Bowie films the street-based promotional clip directed by David Mallet, mixing staged scenes with real public interaction to match the song’s media-satire theme.
📅 1979-05-16
📍 United Kingdom, 🇬🇧 UK
🏛️ Music Press / Broadcast Media

🎸 Event: Promotion: Album Launch Interviews
🗒️ Note: Bowie gives interviews discussing the experimental recording process, the travel-influenced themes, and the role of collaboration with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti.

Album Release: Lodger – May 1979

📅 1979-05-25
📍 London, UK 🇬🇧
🏛️ RCA Records (BOW LP1)

🎸 Event: Album Release: ‘Lodger‘
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Release of the final installment of the ‘Berlin Trilogy‘. Produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti. The album features a ‘hodgepodge’ of styles, described by David as ‘Bowie pop’ rather than rock. Featuring Adrian Belew, Brian Eno, and the Alomar/Murray/Davis rhythm section. It peaks at No. 4 in the UK and No. 20 in the US.

Lodger Video Shoots – May 1979

📅 1979-05-20
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Ewart Studios, Wandsworth

🎸 Event: Music Video Filming: ‘D.J.’ & ‘Look Back In Anger’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Studio filming for the ‘D.J.’ and ‘Look Back In Anger’ promotional videos. Working with director David Mallet, Bowie creates the visual aesthetics that define the ‘Lodger‘ era.
📅 1979-05 (month)
📍 Europe / United Kingdom
🏛️ RCA Promotion Campaign

🎸 Event: Business: International Promotion Strategy
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: RCA pushes a visual-heavy campaign around the album’s imagery and singles, emphasizing Bowie’s evolving identity and modern, global aesthetic.
📅 1979-05-17 – 1979-05-22
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Post-Production / Editing Suites

🎸 Event: Visuals: ‘D.J.’ Video Editing
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Final editing is completed on the promotional film, reinforcing the chaotic public-space concept that mirrors the song’s critique of celebrity and media culture.

Summer 1979 — Singles & Visual Expansion

📅 1979-06-02
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ UK Official Singles Chart

🎸 Event: Chart Peak: ‘Boys Keep Swinging’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ reaches its highest position at number 7 in the British charts. The commercial success is maintained despite the controversial music video featuring Bowie in multiple drag personas.
📅 1979-06-08
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Sotheby’s Auction House

🎸 Event: Save the Children Charity Auction: ‘Lipograms’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie & Various Artists
🗒️ Notes: Auction of ‘Lipograms’ (lipstick imprints on paper) for charity. The concept originated after Bowie sent a lipstick-marked thank-you card to Charles of the Ritz. Other participants include Audrey Hepburn and Jack Nicholson.

Single Release ‘DJ’ – June 1979

📅 1979-06-29
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ RCA Records (BOW 3)

🎸 Event: Single Release: ‘DJ’ / ‘Repetition’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: UK release of the second single from ‘Lodger‘. An edited version of ‘DJ’ is paired with ‘Repetition’. The single eventually reaches number 29 in the UK charts.
📅 1979-06-29
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ RCA Records (PB-11661)

🎸 Event: Single Release: ‘DJ’ / ‘Fantastic Voyage’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: US release of the ‘DJ’ single, featuring ‘Fantastic Voyage’ as the B-side. The release is part of the major North American promotional campaign for the ‘Lodger‘ album.

Single Release ‘Yassassin’ – June 1979

📅 1979-06-29
📍 Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱
🏛️ RCA Records (PB-9417)

🎸 Event: Single Release: ‘Yassassin’ / ‘Repetition’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Dutch release of the reggae-influenced track ‘Yassassin’. A specific edit was produced for the Benelux market due to the local popularity of the genre.
📅 1979-06-29
📍 Istanbul, Turkey 🇹🇷
🏛️ RCA Records (79.014)

🎸 Event: Single Release: ‘Yassassin’ / ‘Red Money’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Turkish release of ‘Yassassin’. The title is Turkish for ‘long live’, complementing the Eastern-style violin contributions by Simon House.
📅 1979-06-00
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ David Mallet Production

🎸 Event: Visuals: ‘D.J.’ Promotional Video Completion
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Final post-production and editing of the promotional clip is completed for international television distribution. The video emphasizes a chaotic relationship between the performer and the public audience.

Visuals & Late Summer Singles – July-August 1979

📅 1979-07-05
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ WNEW-FM Radio Station

🎸 Event: Radio Interview: Dave Herman
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: David is interviewed by DJ Dave Herman for the WNEW-FM radio show. During the session, he discusses the conceptual background of the ‘Lodger‘ album and his recent transition from Berlin to New York.
📅 1979-07-00
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Ewart Studios / Production Facilities

🎸 Event: Visuals: ‘Look Back in Anger’ Video Production
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Final production and editing phases for the ‘Look Back in Anger’ promotional film, directed by David Mallet. The video features Bowie as a tormented artist in a studio attic, utilizing expressionist theatrical makeup.
📅 1979-08-20
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ RCA Records (PB 11724)

🎸 Event: Single Release: ‘Look Back in Anger’
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: The third single from ‘Lodger‘ is released in the United States, backed with ‘Repetition’. The release is supported by the newly completed music video highlighting the album’s darker visual themes.

Ziggy Stardust Film Screening – August 1979

📅 1979-08-31
📍 Edinburgh, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
🏛️ Edinburgh Film Festival

🎸 Event: Film Screening: ‘Bowie’ (Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars)
🎤 Artist: David Bowie / D.A. Pennebaker
🗒️ Notes: D.A. Pennebaker screens his 1973 concert film, then titled ‘Bowie’. This historic 35mm Dolby print screening is a major success. This specific version still includes Jeff Beck‘s guest appearances on ‘Round And Round’ and the ‘Love Me Do / The Jean Genie’ medley, which were later edited out for the official 1983 release. Bowie did not attend the screening despite an invitation.

Re-recordings: Kenny Everett Show – September 1979

📅 1979-09-15
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Good Earth Studios, Soho

🎸 Event: Recording: Space Oddity (1979 Re-record)
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie records a stripped-down acoustic version of his 1969 hit. This version was later released as the B-side of the ‘Alabama Song’ single in 1980 and featured on the 1992 Rykodisc reissue of ‘Scary Monsters’.
📅 1979-09-15
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Good Earth Studios, Soho

🎸 Event: Recording: Panic In Detroit (1979 Re-record)
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: A raw studio remake featuring Zaine Griff on bass and Andy Duncan on drums. This version remained unreleased until it appeared as a bonus track on the 1992 ‘Scary Monsters’ reissue.
📅 1979-09-15
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Good Earth Studios, Soho

🎸 Event: Recording: Rebel Rebel (1979 Version)
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Recorded during the same session as ‘Space Oddity‘ and ‘Panic In Detroit’. This specific 1979 arrangement remains officially unreleased.

TV Performance: Kenny Everett Special – September 1979

📅 1979-09-18
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Ewart Studios, Wandsworth

🎸 Event: Taping: The Will Kenny Everett Ever Make It To 1980? Show
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Visual recording of ‘Space Oddity‘ directed by David Mallet. Bowie performs in a ‘padded cell’ set, a stark visual departure from the ‘Lodger‘ aesthetic. The session features musicians Zaine Griff, Andy Duncan, and Hans Zimmer on piano.
>

New York Avant-Garde — October 1979

📅 1979-10 (early month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Downtown Club Scene (Mudd Club / Hurrah’s)

🎸 Event: Social: Immersion in New York New Wave Scene
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie spends time in downtown clubs observing emerging avant-garde performers and new wave artists, absorbing ideas that influence his upcoming visual and musical direction.
📅 1979-10 (early month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Live Performance Venues

🎸 Event: Creative: Meeting Klaus Nomi & Joey Arias
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie encounters avant-garde vocalists Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias, later inviting them to participate in rehearsals for an upcoming television performance.
📅 1979-10-05
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Ciarbis Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: Session with John Cale
🎤 Artist: David Bowie & John Cale
🗒️ Notes: Bowie (vocals) and Cale (piano) collaborated on improvisational recordings including ‘Piano-La’ and ‘Velvet Couch’. The session was characterized by a high degree of spontaneous experimentation and remains officially unreleased.
📅 1979-10 (mid month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Rehearsal Studios

🎸 Event: Rehearsals: Concept Development for Television Performance
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie begins experimenting with theatrical staging, oversized costumes and performance art concepts that move away from traditional rock presentation.
📅 1979-10 (mid month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Private Art Studios

🎸 Event: Creative: Visual Art & Expressionist Influence
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie spends time sketching and exploring neo-expressionist ideas, visual concepts that begin shaping the aesthetic direction leading into the next studio phase.
📅 1979-10 (late month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Costume Workshops

🎸 Event: Visuals: Experimental Costume Construction
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Work begins on rigid, theatrical costumes and props intended for a surreal television appearance, reflecting Bowie’s growing interest in performance art and visual disruption.
📅 1979-10 (late month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Studio Rehearsal Spaces

🎸 Event: Creative: Early Concepts for Next Studio Phase
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie begins shaping musical ideas that will lead into a more aggressive, guitar-driven direction for his future recordings.

Film Screening: Nicolas Roeg Retrospective – October 1979

📅 1979-10-25
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Carnegie Hall Cinema

🎸 Event: First US Screening: The Man Who Fell To Earth (Uncut)
🎤 Artist: David Bowie / Nicolas Roeg
🗒️ Notes: The first US screening of the uncut version of the film takes place during a Nicolas Roeg retrospective. This version includes approximately 20 minutes of footage previously censored in the original 1976 US theatrical release.

SNL Preparation & New York Takeover — November 1979

📅 1979-11 (early month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ NBC Studios / Rehearsal Spaces

🎸 Event: Rehearsals: Saturday Night Live Concepts
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie initiates structured rehearsals for his upcoming television appearance, developing avant-garde staging ideas that blend theatre, mime, and performance art.
📅 1979-11 (early month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Costume Workshops

🎸 Event: Visuals: Oversized & Mechanical Costume Development
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Development of experimental costumes, including rigid tuxedo structures and sculptural outfits designed to restrict movement and create a stylized, non-human stage presence.
📅 1979-11-15
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Rehearsal Studios

🎸 Event: Creative: Collaboration with Klaus Nomi & Joey Arias
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie rehearses with avant-garde vocalists Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias, integrating highly stylized movement and theatrical vocal presentation into the performance concept.
📅 1979-11-15
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ NBC Technical Facilities

🎸 Event: Technical: Stage & Prop Experiments
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Technical tests are conducted with props and visual effects intended to produce surreal and fragmented imagery during the live television broadcast.
📅 1979-11-25
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Studio 8H / NBC Studios

🎸 Event: Rehearsals: Final Performance Run-Throughs
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Final rehearsals at Studio 8H refine choreography, camera blocking, and costume-related movement constraints to ensure the performance functions within the limits of a live broadcast.
📅 1979-11-30
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Press & PR Meetings

🎸 Event: Media: Controlled Publicity Strategy
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Specific details regarding the visual nature of the upcoming performance are kept strictly confidential to ensure maximum impact during the broadcast.

End of a Decade — December 1979

📅 1979-12-00
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ RCA Records (DJL1-3545)

🎸 Event: Promotional Album: 1980 All Clear
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: A special promotional-only compilation album released in the US to clear the way for the new decade. It features tracks from the ‘Berlin Trilogy‘ albums and was distributed to radio stations and press.
📅 1979-12-07
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ RCA Records (BOW 4 / BOW 12 4)

🎸 Event: UK Single Release: John I’m Only Dancing (Again)
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Release of the 1975 ‘Young Americans‘ outtake. The 12-inch features the full 6:59 version. Issued in a limited edition of 50,000 picture sleeves.
📅 1979-12 (early month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ NBC Studios / Studio 8H

🎸 Event: Technical: Final Costume & Camera Tests
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Final technical preparations are completed for the upcoming television appearance, including camera blocking and testing of restrictive theatrical costumes.
📅 1979-12 (mid month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ NBC Studios / Dress Rehearsal

🎸 Event: Rehearsals: Saturday Night Live Final Run
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie and his collaborators complete dress rehearsals, refining choreography and surreal staging elements designed to challenge conventional rock performance.
📅 1979-12-15
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ NBC Studios / Saturday Night Live

🎸 Event: TV Broadcast: Saturday Night Live Performance
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie performs three songs in a landmark avant-garde television appearance featuring theatrical costumes and mime-inspired movement, marking a transition toward the 1980s aesthetic.
📅 1979-12-16
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ WXRK-FM Studios

🎸 Event: Radio Interview: Good Afternoon
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: David is interviewed by Flo and Eddie. The conversation is informal and covers his recent work and life in New York.
📅 1979-12-16
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Booth Theatre, Broadway

🎸 Event: Theatre Visit: The Elephant Man
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: David attends a performance of ‘The Elephant Man’. After the show, he meets director Jack Hofsiss, a pivotal moment leading to Bowie taking over the lead role in 1980.
📅 1979-12-16
📍 Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺
🏛️ ABC Studios / National Broadcast

🎸 Event: TV Special: Countdown End Of The Decade
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: A special end-of-the-decade retrospective is broadcast in Australia, featuring highlights of Bowie’s massive impact on the music scene throughout the 1970s.
📅 1979-12 (late month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Private Studios / Writing Sessions

🎸 Event: Creative: Early Writing for Next Studio Era
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie begins shaping lyrical and musical ideas that will feed into the early 1980 recording sessions and the shift toward a sharper, more aggressive sound.
📅 1979-12-31
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ ITV Network

🎸 Event: TV Broadcast: The Will Kenny Everett Ever Make It To 1980? Show
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Premiere of the music video for the 1979 re-recording of ‘Space Oddity‘, directed by David Mallet. The performance features Bowie in a padded cell set.

New Year Transitions — January 1980

📅 1980-01-01
📍 London, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ RCA Records (BOW 5)

🎸 Event: Single Release: ‘Alabama Song’ / ‘Space Oddity‘
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Release of the Brecht/Weill cover, recorded in 1978. The B-side features the new 1979 acoustic version of ‘Space Oddity‘. The single eventually reaches number 23 in the UK charts.
📅 1980-01 (early month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Private Rehearsal Spaces

🎸 Event: Creative: Demo Sessions for Next Album
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie starts developing rhythmic structures and demos for the songs that will eventually form the ‘Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)’ album, exploring a more direct and aggressive sound.
📅 1980-01-15
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ RCA Records HQ

🎸 Event: Business: Strategic Planning for 1980
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Meetings with RCA executives regarding the promotional strategy for the new year, focusing on the upcoming studio album and potential theatrical projects in the United States.

Power Station Sessions — February-March 1980

📅 1980-02-15
📍 Europe / Germany 🇩🇪
🏛️ RCA Records (PB 9513)

🎸 Event: Single Release: ‘Alabama Song’ / ‘Space Oddity‘
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: European release of the single. The 1979 version of ‘Space Oddity‘ on the B-side receives significant airplay following the impact of the Kenny Everett television broadcast.
📅 1980-02-23
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Power Station Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: ‘Scary Monsters’ Studio Sessions Begin
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Formal recording for the new album begins with producer Tony Visconti. The sessions feature the core rhythm section of Alomar, Murray, and Davis, focusing on a textured rock sound.
📅 1980-02–03 (period)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Power Station Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: Guitar-Focused Direction & Overdubs
🎤 Artist: David Bowie ft. Robert Fripp
🗒️ Notes: Studio sessions emphasize sharp guitar arrangements and structured compositions, including contributions from Robert Fripp, signaling a stylistic shift away from Berlin-era abstraction.

Studio Climax & Visual Innovation — March-June 1980

📅 1980-03-01
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Power Station Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: Robert Fripp Guitar Overdubs
🎤 Artist: David Bowie ft. Robert Fripp
🗒️ Notes: Robert Fripp records his distinctive guitar layers in a single marathon session. His contributions define the avant-garde edge of tracks like ‘Fashion’ and the album’s title track.
📅 1980-03 (month)
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Power Station Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: Vocal & Concept Development
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Bowie develops lyrical themes of identity and anxiety while recording lead vocals. Initial discussions begin with David Mallet regarding the high-budget visual concept for ‘Ashes to Ashes’.
📅 1980-04-00
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Power Station Studios

🎸 Event: Recording: Final Studio Overdubs
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Final instrumental layers are added. The sessions move towards a pressurized sound, reflecting Bowie’s artistic transition since the ‘Lodger‘ period.
📅 1980-05-01
📍 Beachy Head / Hastings, England 🇬🇧
🏛️ Location Shoot (David Mallet Production)

🎸 Event: Visuals: ‘Ashes to Ashes’ Music Video Filming
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Filming of the landmark promotional film. Bowie appears as a Pierrot, a tormented patient, and an astronaut. The shoot features solarized effects and key figures from London’s New Romantic scene.
📅 1980-05-15
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Power Station Studios

# 🎸 Event: Recording: Completion of ‘Scary Monsters’ Sessions
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Core recording for the studio album is officially completed, marking the definitive end of the Berlin-influenced production phase.
📅 1980-06-00
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
🏛️ Power Station Studios / Mastering Facilities

🎸 Event: Production: Mixing & Mastering
🎤 Artist: David Bowie
🗒️ Notes: Final mixing and mastering of the new tracks. Bowie and Tony Visconti finalize the sonic landscape for the upcoming global distribution of the new material.