The late David Bowie, known for his musical and fashion innovation, was once rumored to have disguised himself in public during the 1980s. Music PR legend Alan Edwards, who worked with Bowie and other icons like The Rolling Stones and Britney Spears, recently shared this story with NME. Edwards recalled, “He told me his secret to not being recognized was to wear a cloth cap and have a Greek newspaper under his arm. That way if anyone ever questioned whether it was him, they’d look closer and think, ‘Well it can’t be… he’s obviously Greek’.”
Edwards founded The Outside Organisation and has just released his memoir, I Was There: Dispatches from a Life in Rock and Roll. In the book, the insider sheds light on how Bowie mostly assimilated with others, hanging out and making coffee, even when his star was rising—particularly during his role in Nagisa Ōshima’s 1983 war epic Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence. “It was when I went on tour with him that it started to sink in how down-to-earth and charming he was,” Edwards said.
Bowie also had a talent for evading recognition even as he became one of the biggest pop stars of the time. According to Edwards, no one batted an eye when Bowie submitted a routine traffic report on the radio. Edwards said, “and even to this day I don’t think anyone knew it was David Bowie. He was this extraordinary creative genius, but also a pure, disarming, nice gentleman.”
Bowie passed away in 2016 at the age of 69 after privately battling liver cancer. While he was known for his androgynous style and genre-defying artistry, this new story shared by Edwards proves he never took himself too seriously.
In other Bowie news, Patsy Kensit recently reflected on the most erotic experience of her life, which involved Bowie brushing her hair. Kensit acted alongside Bowie in the 1986 musical film Absolute Beginners. The actress previously shared that she was “completely in awe” of the rock star. However, like many fans, she was struck by his charisma
Read the full article on NME here: Read More