David Bowie (August 30, 1980) Picking Up the Pieces / Two Men and Their Hunches – New Musical Express

A two‑part feature page from New Musical Express combining avant‑garde art commentary with a humorous exploration of spiritualism and psychic phenomena, including a reference to David Bowie’s interest in the subject.

Writer: Andrew Tyler

Publication: New Musical Express

Date: August 30, 1980

Length: 5 min read

The upper section, titled “Picking Up the Pieces,” discusses experimental art and cooperative creativity, referencing Brixton Drawing and alternative workshops. The tone is playful and intellectual, reflecting NME’s engagement with fringe artistic movements. The lower section, “Two Men and Their Hunches,” shifts to a satirical look at spiritualism, ectoplasm, and séance culture. It mentions historical figures such as Reverend William Stainton Moses and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, alongside modern enthusiasts. Bowie appears briefly in the narrative, cited as having expressed curiosity about psychic research and the paranormal, a theme consistent with his artistic fascination with mysticism and metaphysics.

PUBLICATION

Publication: New Musical Express

Date: August 30 1980

Country: United Kingdom

Section / Pages: Feature Page

Title: Picking Up the Pieces / Two Men and Their Hunches

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

Event: Cultural and spiritual commentary feature

Era: 1980 – Scary Monsters period

Tone: Satirical and investigative

Photography: Black‑and‑white images of séance subjects and Bowie portrait

Audience: NME readers interested in art, mysticism, and pop culture

“From Chicago, where David Bowie is recording his new album, he has been in touch with the editor of the London Spiritualist.”

THE STORY BEHIND IT

This feature reflects NME’s eclectic editorial approach in 1980, blending pop‑culture reportage with esoteric humour. Bowie’s mention connects his creative process during the *Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)* sessions to his enduring interest in metaphysical ideas. The article’s juxtaposition of art collectives and psychic phenomena mirrors Bowie’s own synthesis of high art and mysticism, positioning him as both participant and observer in Britain’s evolving cultural landscape.

WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS

Event: NME feature combining art and spiritualism

Era: 1980

Tone: Witty and surreal

Photography: Bowie portrait and séance imagery

Audience: British music and culture readers

CONTEXT AND NOTES

Andrew Tyler’s writing style blends journalistic curiosity with absurdist humour, typical of NME’s tone at the dawn of the 1980s. The inclusion of Bowie situates him within a broader conversation about creativity, belief, and eccentricity. The piece also reflects the magazine’s shift toward cultural essays that extended beyond music criticism, anticipating the interdisciplinary tone of later 1980s British press.

“Poltergeist lookalike claims attack of the ectoplasm accounts for ‘teleplasmists’.”

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