đź“° The Night They Raided Bowie - Article : Dec. 1974
- David Bowie
- Dec 14, 1974
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 30
A dramatic and colourful 1974 NME eyewitness report on David Bowie’s late-night police encounter in Philadelphia during his *Young Americans* era.
Bowie briefly detained by cops — the Thin White Duke meets Philly law enforcement.
New Musical Express
Date: December 14, 1974
Length: 5 min read
đź“° Key Highlights
• Detailed account of Bowie being stopped and questioned by Philadelphia police
• Incident occurred while leaving a club at 3 a.m.
• Bowie and his entourage detained over suspected fake ID and underage drinking
• Eye-witness report by NME photographer Joe Stevens
• Includes Bowie’s cool reaction and witty remarks
đź“° Overview
Published on December 14, 1974, this lively NME feature recounts a chaotic night in Philadelphia where David Bowie and his group were briefly held by police after a night out, capturing one of the more surreal real-life moments of the *Young Americans* period.
đź“° Source Details
Publication / Venue: New Musical Express (NME)
Date: December 14, 1974
Format: News feature / Eyewitness report
Provenance Notes: Original 1974 NME magazine article with exclusive photos.
đź“° The Story
While attempting to leave a Philadelphia club at 3 a.m., David Bowie and his entourage (including Ava Cherry and others) were stopped by police. Officers questioned their ages and accused them of possessing false identification. Bowie, ever the showman, responded with his usual dry wit. After a short detention and discussion, the group was released. The piece includes humorous observations and Bowie’s unflappable demeanour throughout the ordeal.
đź“° Visual Archive
Black-and-white photos showing David Bowie being escorted by police officers, plus a shot of Bowie performing with a backing singer on stage. Prominent headline “The Night They Raided Bowie…”
đź“° Related
For more similar posts, check out the tags at the bottom of the page.
đź“° Closing Notes
This entertaining NME report perfectly captures David Bowie’s mid-70s cool — even when surrounded by cops at 3 a.m., the Starman remained effortlessly unfazed.
đź“ť 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."You remember Trevor and Woody, don't you..
"And the rumour spread that I was ageing fast"
David Bowie "Width Of A Circle."
NO, NOT that fast, sweetheart. Why, a Philadelphia cop wouldn't even believe that you were over twenty-one.
Let's begin, appropriately enough, in the middle. Bowie and his entourage (played by Mike Garson, Ava Cherry, Jeffrey Mac-Cormack A.K.A. War-ren Peace, two body-guards and assorted guides) were sitting in this Philly club called the Artemis, previewing Daring Dave's new_al-bum (see news pages for the squalid details) when, whammo!, at 3 a.m. the Philly Phuzz schlepped in in search of under-age drinkers and other vicious criminals.
A bunch of kids actually had the temerity to be in possession of false identity papers! Imagine that!
So Bowie and his gang attempted to exit by squeezing through the embattled throng. Ava Cherry (who's a
NME's lensman-on-the-loose JOE STEVENS was there. This is his report.
bright, mature 22) was in the lead and got re-buffed by a police captain who took one look at her and growled, "If ya ain't got no proof of yore age, siddown, miss!"
Ms Cherry turned away in disbelief, and Bowie pushed forward to meet with similar treatment.
"You don't believe that I'm not at least 21 years of age? Incredible! That's quite flat-tering, actually. Why, every-one knows that I'm at least 52."
After a few minutes of huddled discussion among themselves, the cops agreed to let the Bowie party go after all, leaving us to ponder their motives. The kids who were unable to produce the required identification were prob-
ably herded to the station to await bail from their parents, and probably a hiding after-wards.
Throughout it all, Bowie signed autographs and chat-ted cheerfully with the kids. One young thing who was detained for lack of proof of age, offered David her body. "When I get out of jail, David," she breathed, "I want to sleep with you."
Once all that was over with, the party split back to the hotel by limo and ordered some breakfast. Just in case you didn't know, breakfast (bacon, eggs, etc.) for 15 people at the Barclay Hotel will set you back no less than $375.
Image, wise, the fag-tag on Bowie seems to be on the downswing, and winning "worst-dressed woman" awards seems to be a thing of the past.
The man who once said "I'm gay and I've always been gay" appears to have abando-ned the limp wrist set.
His ex-spokesperson, Cherry Vanilla, lays it down this way: 'David knows how to turn anyone on. He's hot all the time, but he never sleeps with guys. I've seen him kiss guys on the mouth he knows how to do it to them, that's for sure - but he never sleeps with them. Never."
Goodnight, ladies and gentlemen, and all the ships at sea. Your sons are safe from Beckenham pop stars, but Lawdy! - watch out for your daughters!
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