Heroes: David Bowie and Berlin [Paperback]

In 1976, David Bowie left Los Angeles and the success of his celebrated albumsDiamond DogsandYoung Americansfor Europe. The rocker settled in Berlin, where he would make his Berlin Trilogythe albumsLow,Heroes, andLodger, which are now considered some of the most critically acclaimed and innovative of the late twentieth century. But Bowies time in Berlin was about more than producing new music. As Tobias R?ther describes in this fascinating tale of Bowies Berlin years, the musician traveled to West Berlinthe capital of his childhood dreams and the city of Expressionismto repair his body and mind from the devastation of drug addiction, delusions, and mania.
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Painting a vivid picture of Bowies life in the Sch?neberg area of the city, R?ther describes the artists friendships and collaborations with his roommate, Iggy Pop, as well as Brian Eno and Tony Visconti. R?ther illustrates Bowies return to painting, days cycling to the Die Br?cke museum, and his exploration of the citys nightlife, both the wild side and the gay scene. In West Berlin, Bowie also met singer and actress Romy Haag; came to know Hansa Studios, where he would recordLowandHeroes; and even landed the part of a Prussian aristocrat inJust a Gigolo, starring alongside Marlene Dietrich. Eventually R?ther uses Bowie and his explorations of the cultural and historical undercurrents of West Berlin to examine the city itself: divided, caught in the Cold War, and how it began to redefine itself as a cultural metropolis, turning to the arts to start a new history.

Tying in with an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, in September, 2014,Heroestells the fascinating story of how the music of the future arose from the spirit of the past. It is an unforgettable look at one of the worlds most renowned musicians in one of its most inspiring cities.?

Tobias R?theris a journalist for thló)