📰 Bowie Today – From Brixton to Berlin: Special, Feb. 1978

Melody Maker’s definitive 1978 profile of David Bowie — spanning Berlin, film sets, the Heroes era, and the creative partnership that reshaped modern music.

📰 Key Highlights

• Published in Melody Maker, February 18, 1978

• Full cover feature: “BOWIE TODAY”

• Written by Michael Watts

• Includes:

– Exclusive Berlin interview

– On‑set report from Just A Gigolo

– Director David Hemmings’ commentary

– Reflections on Low, Heroes, and the Berlin period

– Bowie’s first in‑depth UK interview in over two years

• Photographs across Berlin locations and film sets

• Announcement of Bowie’s 1978 world tour

📰 Overview

Melody Maker’s February 1978 Bowie special is one of the most important press documents of his Berlin period. It captures Bowie at a moment of clarity and reinvention — sober, focused, and creatively fearless — as he completes Heroes, films Just A Gigolo, and prepares for the legendary 1978 world tour.

📰 Source Details

Publication / Venue: Melody Maker

Date: February 18, 1978

Issue / Format: Cover + eight‑page special

Provenance Notes: Major UK music‑press exclusive; Bowie’s first extended British interview since 1975.

📰 The Story

⭐ 1. The Cover – “BOWIE TODAY”

The cover presents Bowie seated against a stone wall, relaxed but alert — a visual declaration of the new Berlin Bowie:

• stripped‑back

• grounded

• post‑Ziggy, post‑Thin White Duke

• an artist rebuilding himself through discipline and experimentation

The headline promises openness:

“Bowie talks openly today for the first time about his life since Ziggy Stardust.”

⭐ 2. The Berlin Interview – Reinvention & Renewal

Michael Watts’ interview is Bowie’s first deep conversation with a British paper in over two years.

Key themes:

Why Berlin?

Bowie describes Berlin as a place of anonymity, discipline, and creative freedom — a city where he could “disappear” and rebuild his life.

The Eno–Visconti partnership

He praises Brian Eno as “a very private person” and describes their collaboration as “fruitful,” rooted in experimentation and mutual trust.

Recording Heroes

He discusses:

• the studio atmosphere

• the fractured, atmospheric sound

• the role of improvisation

• the emotional weight of the title track

A new band

Bowie reveals his 1978 touring band, including:

• Carlos Alomar

• Dennis Davis

• George Murray

• and Bowie himself on keyboards

Views on fame

He speaks candidly about pressure, burnout, and the need to reclaim his identity after the extremes of the mid‑’70s.

⭐ 3. “From Brixton to Berlin” – On the Set of Just A Gigolo

Watts visits the Berlin film set where Bowie is shooting Just A Gigolo with:

• Marlene Dietrich

• Kim Novak

• director David Hemmings

The article paints a surreal picture:

• tango scenes in Café Wien

• 1920s Berlin recreated in neon and marble

• Bowie navigating film acting with quiet professionalism

It’s a portrait of Bowie as a multi‑disciplinary artist — musician, actor, cultural observer.

⭐ 4. “The Camera the Camera” – David Hemmings on Bowie

Director David Hemmings offers insight into Bowie’s acting:

• disciplined

• intuitive

• visually aware

• capable of “stillness” on camera

Hemmings frames Bowie as a natural screen presence — not a rock star dabbling in film, but an artist with genuine cinematic instincts.

⭐ 5. “There Is Still a Lot of Fan in Me” – The Interview Continues

The final pages return to Bowie’s voice.

He reflects on:

• his early days playing sax behind Sonny Boy Williamson

• his fascination with German culture

• the chaos of film sets

• the joy of rediscovering music

• the balance between persona and person

The headline — “There is still a lot of fan in me” — captures Bowie’s humility and curiosity, even at the height of his influence.

📰 Visual Archive

“Bowie Today – From Brixton to Berlin,” Melody Maker, February 18, 1978.

📰 Related Material

Explore the tags below for connected posts and themes.

📰 Closing Notes

This Melody Maker special stands as one of the definitive documents of Bowie’s Berlin era — a portrait of an artist rebuilding himself through discipline, collaboration, and fearless experimentation.

🏷️ Hashtags (Archive Tags)

#DavidBowie #BerlinTrilogy #Heroes #BrianEno #TonyVisconti #JustAGigolo #MelodyMaker #1978 #GlamSlamChronicles

📰 Sources

• Melody Maker, February 18, 1978

• Bowie’s Berlin‑period interviews and press archives

• Contemporary film‑set reporting

📝 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.