It’s been years and years since I did a line of coke, but I can taste the drip in my throat watching this performance of Young Americans on the Dick Cavett Show in ’74.
Also: in rock and roll, black-up singers are inevitable. They made a documentary about it.
Also also: intelligent knicks and knacks about Bowie’s lyrics and context at this site.
Young Americans was a great single (and a fine album as well). My own favourite jukebox fare from Bowie was Amsterdam, which was the B side to Sorrow, back in about 1973. Amsterdam is a Jacques Brel tune and can be found on the CD release of Bowie’s Pinups album, listed as Port of Amsterdam.
this is killer. probably still had good cocaine in ’74 for The People. likely PBS had enough of a budget to provide pre-show bumps in the Green Room too. but i guess they didn’t have Crest Whitening Strips yet? love the 12-string and the lapels.
recently saw a good doc on the plane, Cavett’s Watergate. I’d forgotten all the interviews & coverage he did, pivotal point in my life as a 7-8 yr old.