David Bowie (August 30, 1980) – NME Feature “Picking Up the Pieces / Two Men and Their Hunches”

Aug 30, 1980

2 min read

This NME feature from August 30 1980 presents a surreal, tongue‑in‑cheek collage of cultural commentary and imagery centered around David Bowie. The article, written by Andrew Tyler, blends satire, spiritualism, and art criticism, using Bowie’s image as a visual anchor for a piece that explores eccentric British creativity and the absurdities of modern media.

Publication: New Musical Express (NME) Date: 30 August 1980 Country: United Kingdom

The page juxtaposes two sections — “Picking Up the Pieces” and “Two Men and Their Hunches” — each written in Tyler’s characteristic ironic tone. The upper section features a striking photograph of Bowie in formal attire, evoking theatrical poise and spectral elegance.

The accompanying text riffs on avant‑garde art, Brighton’s cultural scene, and the notion of “building a better world,” referencing Dadaist influences and eccentric British co‑ops.

The lower section shifts to a mock‑investigative tone, lampooning spiritualist hoaxes and the London Spiritualist Alliance. Tyler humorously describes “ectoplasmic attacks” and “teleplasmiasis,” weaving parody into commentary on gullibility and spectacle.

Bowie’s image — poised, enigmatic, and detached — serves as a visual metaphor for the article’s fascination with illusion, performance, and reinvention.

CONTEXT AND NOTES

Published during Bowie’s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) era, this feature reflects the NME’s experimental editorial style of the late 1970s and early 1980s, where pop culture, art, and satire collided.

Bowie’s presence on the page underscores his role as both muse and mirror for Britain’s shifting artistic sensibilities — a figure equally at home in high art and tabloid surrealism. Andrew Tyler’s writing, known for its wit and skepticism, captures the eccentricity of British media at the dawn of the 1980s, when Bowie’s image was synonymous with transformation and theatrical irony.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

Event: Satirical cultural feature incorporating Bowie’s image

Era: 1980 – Post‑Berlin / Scary Monsters Era Tone: Absurdist, witty, and art‑critical Photography: Black‑and‑white portrait of Bowie in formal pose; collage layout with smaller surreal images

WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS

NME feature combining satire, art commentary, and Bowie imagery
Discussion of British avant‑garde and spiritualist parody
Visual representation of Bowie as a symbol of theatrical modernity

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