📰 Now I’m a Business Man – Feature: Feb. 1976

David Bowie
Feb 28, 1976
3 min read

Updated: Feb 28

A Melody Maker cover story and two‑page feature examining David Bowie’s expanding film ambitions, political provocations, and plans for a major European tour in 1976.

Published in February 1976, this Melody Maker feature captures David Bowie at a moment of transition — promoting The Man Who Fell to Earth, considering a major role in The Eagle Has Landed, planning a full European tour, and declaring ambitions that ranged from filmmaking to politics.

📰 Key Highlights

Cover + two‑page feature in Melody Maker, Feb. 1976

Focus on Bowie’s film career following The Man Who Fell to Earth

Confirms he was approached for a major role in The Eagle Has Landed

Notes his desire to tour Europe for the first time in nearly three years

Mentions long‑term plans for a Ziggy Stardust film

Includes Bowie’s provocative political statement: “I want to be Prime Minister of England one day.”

Photography by Terry O’Neill

📰 Overview

In early 1976, David Bowie was entering a new phase of his career. Having completed his first starring film role in The Man Who Fell to Earth, he was increasingly drawn to cinema, European culture, and new forms of artistic expression. Melody Maker’s February 1976 cover story, “Now I’m a Business Man,” captures this moment with a mixture of reportage, speculation, and Bowie’s own provocative declarations.

The feature situates Bowie between projects: promoting his Nicolas Roeg film, considering a major wartime role in The Eagle Has Landed, and preparing for his first full European tour in nearly three years. It also hints at his growing interest in political and cultural influence — a theme that would recur throughout his mid‑’70s interviews.

📰 Source Details

Publication / Venue: Melody Maker

Date: February 1976

Issue / Format: Cover + two‑page feature

Provenance Notes: Based on the provided scan and Bowie’s documented 1976 activities.

📰 The Story

The feature opens with Bowie’s imminent film debut: The Man Who Fell to Earth was set to premiere at London’s Leicester Square Theatre on March 18. The article emphasises Bowie’s enthusiasm for acting and his growing reputation within the film industry.

• The Eagle Has Landed

Producer Jack Wiener confirmed that Bowie had been approached to play a young German officer in the adaptation of Jack Higgins’ wartime thriller. The role would place him alongside Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland.

Bowie read the script and “loved it,” with his agent saying he would “do anything to play the part.”

However, Bowie had not yet accepted the offer, though filming was due to begin at the end of April.

• European Tour Plans

The article notes that Bowie intended to embark on a full‑scale European tour, his first in almost three years, before returning to London for a five‑night run at Wembley Empire Pool from May 3–8.

This aligns with Bowie’s broader mid‑’70s shift toward Europe — a move that would soon culminate in the Berlin period.

• Ziggy Stardust Film

Robert Hilburn, writing from Los Angeles, reported that Bowie was considering a Ziggy Stardust movie as a long‑term project.

This idea had circulated since 1973 and would continue to surface throughout the decade, though it never materialised.

• Political Ambitions

In one of the article’s most striking lines, Bowie declares:

“I want to be Prime Minister of England one day.”

This provocative statement reflects Bowie’s fascination with power, identity, and public influence during the Thin White Duke era.

• A New Persona: The Business Man

The feature’s title reflects Bowie’s growing involvement in film, touring logistics, and long‑term creative planning.

It captures a moment when Bowie was reshaping his public image — moving from glam icon to a more controlled, strategic, and internationally focused figure.

📰 Visual Archive

Melody Maker cover and feature on David Bowie’s film and touring plans, February 1976.

Melody Maker – UK – 1976

• Cover story

• Two‑page feature

• Focus on film roles, touring plans, and Bowie’s evolving public persona

📰 Related Material

Explore the tags below for connected posts and themes.

📰 Closing Notes

This Melody Maker feature captures Bowie at a crossroads — between film and music, America and Europe, persona and politics. It stands as a vivid snapshot of the transitional months before the Station to Station tour and the creative reinvention that would soon lead him to Berlin.

#DavidBowie #MelodyMaker1976 #ManWhoFellToEarth #EagleHasLanded #ThinWhiteDuke #ZiggyStardustFilm