
Listen to David Bowie Impersonate Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, and More in 1985 Recording Session
Bowie Also Does Iggy Pop, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Others in "Absolute Beginners" Session
Jan 21, 2016
Iggy Pop
Photography by Jimmy King
Back in 1985, when David Bowie was recording his vocals for the theme song to the Julian Temple film Absolute Beginners (which Bowie also acted in), he started messing around in the studio and singing the vocals in the style of other famous singers, including Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, and Anthony Newley. Audio of the session has now been posted to YouTube and you can listen to Bowie’s spot on impersonations below.
The clip was posted by Zach Staggers, drummer in the band So So Glos. As he explained to The Talkhouse, Mark Saunders, a close friend of his family and a producer, gave Saunder’s dad a copy of the tape. The session was recorded at New West Studios in London and the same day Mick Jagger also showed up in the studio for the duo to record their charity cover of “Dancing in the Streets.” There’s a much more detailed account of the whole thing over at The Talkhouse.
As we previously reported, Bowie passed away on January 10 after an 18-month battle with cancer. His death came as something of a shock, as his cancer diagnosis was not made public and he had just released his final album, Blackstar (styled as ★) two days before his passing.
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