📰 Getting On Famously — Bowie & Brett – 3 Pages: Mar. 1993
- David Bowie
- Mar 20, 1993
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Writer: Steve Sutherland / New Musical Express
Date: March 20, 1993
Length: ~12 min read
A generational meeting staged with wit, warmth, and theatrical flair: David Bowie and Brett Anderson appear together on the cover of New Musical Express, followed by a two‑page feature that captures their conversation, their contrasts, and their unexpected chemistry.
A glam godfather and a rising provocateur compare notes on fame, ambition, and the art of becoming.
In March 1993, NME brought David Bowie and Brett Anderson together for a rare, inter‑generational conversation. The resulting feature — part interview, part performance — reveals two artists navigating the weight of image, the mechanics of pop stardom, and the strange intimacy of influence.
📰 Key Highlights
• NME cover story: “Getting On Famously! Bowie and Brett whoop it up!”
• Two‑page feature by Steve Sutherland with photographs by Pennie Smith
• Bowie discusses ambition, visibility, and the evolution of pop
• Brett reflects on Suede’s rise and the pressures of early fame
• Includes Bowie’s now‑famous Crowley quip: “They’d better have a handle on Greek and Latin…”
📰 Overview
The March 20, 1993 issue of New Musical Express positioned David Bowie and Brett Anderson as two sides of the same glam‑rock coin — one a legendary shapeshifter entering a new creative phase, the other a young frontman on the brink of superstardom with Suede’s debut album.
The cover, shot in stark black‑and‑white, frames the pair against a wall of tangled vines. Bowie, gloved and contemplative, leans into the camera with a knowing half‑smile; Brett stands beside him, intense and angular. The headline — “GETTING ON FAMOUSLY!” — sets the tone for a feature that is equal parts playful and revealing.
Inside, Steve Sutherland’s article captures a lively, sometimes mischievous dialogue between the two musicians. Bowie is relaxed, witty, and generous; Brett is sharp, earnest, and visibly in awe of his idol. Their conversation ranges from ambition to aesthetics, from the meaning of pop to the burden of visibility.
📰 Source Details
Publication / Venue: New Musical Express
Date: March 20, 1993
Format: Cover story + two‑page feature
Provenance Notes:
• Text and imagery verified from the uploaded NME cover and interior pages
• Photographs credited to Pennie Smith
• Feature written by Steve Sutherland
📰 The Story
The feature opens with Bowie and Brett seated opposite one another, the generational contrast immediately striking. Brett, described as “the young Jimmy Page,” sits with a cup in hand, visibly reverent. Bowie, cigarette poised, radiates ease and authority.
Their conversation begins with ambition. Brett asks whether Bowie had a master plan; Bowie admits that before 1970, everything he did was geared toward becoming a pop star. From there, the discussion spirals into the elasticity of pop music — how Bowie broke rules in the early ’70s, how pop could carry weight, and how visibility shapes an artist’s relationship with the world.
One of the feature’s most memorable moments comes when Brett mentions Aleister Crowley. Bowie laughs:
“I’m always suspicious of anybody who says they’re into Crowley because they’d better have a handle on Greek and Latin otherwise they’re talking bullshit.”
Brett reminds him he referenced Crowley in “Quicksand.”
Bowie: “Yes… Haha! Caught out!”
The second page shifts toward broader reflections: the importance of being visible, the responsibility of speaking to millions, and the changing cultural landscape of the early ’90s. Bowie offers Brett gentle, grandfatherly advice — the caption even calls him “Ol’ Grandaddy Glam” — urging him to stay aware, stay curious, and stay true to the work.
The photographs reinforce the dynamic: Bowie smiling, relaxed, amused; Brett thoughtful, absorbing every word. Together, they form a portrait of influence passed from one generation to the next.
📰 Visual Archive
• NME cover featuring Bowie and Brett standing against a vine‑covered wall
• Interior portrait of Bowie smiling with a cigarette
• Interior portrait of Brett Anderson seated with a cup, captioned “Cheer up: the ‘young Jimmy Page’ obviously in awe of his idol”
• Two‑page interview layout with bold pull‑quotes and Pennie Smith photography
📰 Caption
Bowie and Brett — a glam lineage in conversation, NME March 1993.
📰 Related Material
• Jump They Say — NME Single of the Week Advert
• Suede — Debut Album Press Cycle (1993)
• Bowie — Black Tie White Noise Era Interviews
📰 Closing Notes
This NME feature stands as one of the most charming cross‑generational encounters of the ’90s — a moment where Bowie, newly re‑energised, meets a young artist carrying the glam torch into a new decade. Their rapport is warm, witty, and unexpectedly intimate, capturing the continuity of influence that defines pop’s evolving mythology.
📰 Sources
• New Musical Express, March 20, 1993
• Pennie Smith photography
• Contemporary Bowie & Suede press documentation
📝 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.
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