📰 Dangling on a String - Article: Mar. 1977

Writer: David Hancock

Publication: National RockStar

Date: March 5, 1977

Length: 4–5 min read

A tongue‑in‑cheek, semi‑satirical feature documenting the British music press’s increasingly desperate attempts to secure an interview with David Bowie during his elusive Berlin period. Framed as a competitive “game,” the article captures the mystique, misinformation, and myth‑making surrounding Bowie in 1976–77.

A newsroom parlour game becomes a metaphor for Bowie’s most secretive artistic era.

The article describes journalists from rival papers scrambling across Europe — from London to France to Berlin — in pursuit of the Thin White Duke, only to find themselves outmanoeuvred at every turn. Bowie’s silence becomes the story.

📰 Key Highlights

• One‑page feature in National RockStar, March 5, 1977

• Written by David Hancock

• Satirical framing: “Get The Bowie Interview” as a competitive game

• Covers Bowie’s movements from 1976–77: London → France → Berlin → Los Angeles

• References the recording of Low, The Idiot, and Bowie’s work with Iggy Pop

• Notes the secrecy surrounding Bowie’s Berlin period

• Mentions rumours of Bowie joining Iggy Pop’s British tour

• Includes a dramatic Bowie portrait

• Captures the press’s frustration and fascination

📰 Overview

By early 1977, David Bowie had become one of the most elusive figures in rock. After the Station to Station tour and his dramatic exit from the U.S., he vanished into a haze of rumour, retreating first to France and then to Berlin. The press — hungry for answers — found themselves chasing shadows.

National RockStar’s March 5 feature turns this pursuit into a satirical “game,” complete with rules, players, and failed missions. Each publication sends a representative to track Bowie down, extract a quote, and claim victory. But Bowie’s movements — recording sessions, relocations, sudden disappearances — keep the press perpetually one step behind.

The article captures the atmosphere of the Berlin era: secrecy, reinvention, and the sense that Bowie was shedding old skins while the world tried to keep up.

📰 Source Details

Publication / Venue: National RockStar

Date: March 5, 1977

Format: One‑page feature with photograph

Provenance Notes: Sourced from original print scan; includes full article text and Bowie portrait.

📰 The Story

The Game Begins

The article opens with the “rules” of the press game: each paper chooses a representative who must locate Bowie and secure an interview. The game begins in May 1976, when Bowie arrives at Victoria Station for the Wembley shows.

False Leads & Dead Ends

Journalists attempt to infiltrate the filming of The Man Who Fell to Earth, only to discover Bowie isn’t filming — he’s ill, and the production is in disarray.

France: The Château d’Hérouville Sessions

Rumours place Bowie at the Château d’Hérouville, recording what will become Low. But access is impossible, and Bowie’s mental state is described as fragile.

Berlin: The Thin Wall Studio

When word leaks, Bowie flees to Berlin, where he and Iggy Pop convert an abandoned hotel into a makeshift studio. The press descends on the city, but Bowie remains unreachable.

Los Angeles Interlude

Barbara De Witt, a Los Angeles contact, informs journalists that Bowie has briefly left Berlin for the U.S. — only for plans to change again.

Cancelled Interviews

Bowie reportedly agrees to give interviews at the end of January 1977 — then cancels everything the following week.

The Semi‑Finals

The article ends with a rumour: Bowie may be playing keyboards on Iggy Pop’s British tour, beginning in Aylesbury. The press waits for confirmation, but National RockStar signs off:

“Don’t watch this space, buddy. We’re out.”

A perfect encapsulation of Bowie’s ability to control his own narrative.

📰 Visual Archive

David Bowie during the Berlin era — elusive, reinventing, and keeping the press guessing.

📰 Related Material

• Melody Maker – Iggy Pop Berlin Feature (Mar. 5, 1977)

• David Bowie – Low (1977)

• Iggy Pop – The Idiot (1977)

• Berlin Trilogy documentation

📰 Closing Notes

This feature captures the mythology of Bowie’s Berlin period — a time when silence, secrecy, and reinvention became part of the art itself.

#DavidBowie #BerlinEra #NationalRockStar #1977 #ThinWhiteDuke #IggyPop #TheIdiot #Low #ReleaseChronicle

📰 Sources

• National RockStar, March 5, 1977 – feature article

• Contemporary Berlin‑era documentation

• Minimal provenance references from collector archives

📝 Copyright Notice

All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.