In 1976 David Bowie was at the peak of his stardom and simultaneously his struggles with addiction. His subsequent move to Berlin and collaborations with Lou Reed and Iggy Pop are the stuff of legend, birthing some of his most creative and influential material with the likes of Low and Heroes (both released in 1977). This period in Bowie’s life is now documented in the graphic novel Low: Bowie’s Berlin Years by Reinhard Kleist. While it may seem an odd way of documenting the story, it is a natural fit with Bowie haunted by the ghosts of his past personas, namely Ziggy Stardust and searching for a new creative spark and trying to rediscover himself.
Fans will especially lap up the references to this period in Bowie’s life from flashbacks to his time in LA and interactions with John Lennon. His friendship and collaborative relationship with Iggy Pop is really well handled, showing how the two fed off each other, resulting in some of the best music either released, but also how this led to friction later. Brian Eno, a key figure in this era of Bowie’s discography, also features prominently.
The graphic novel’s visual nature really captures the contrast between sunny Los Angeles and dark and gloomy Berlin, with its thriving electronic scene and the likes of Kraftwerk mentioned heavily. The visual contradiction is one of the book’s highlights, really showing how both cities handled fame and artistic freedom.
It is impressive how much Kleist manages to fit into the book’s brisk 180 pages. Newcomers to Bowie might struggle with some of the references, but there is so much detail to absorb with plenty of blink-and-you’ll miss it nods, not just to Bowie’s career but to the music scene of the mid-late 1970s in general.
This book is a real labour of love and a testament to a high point in Bowie’s career and remarkable at how short it was in essence, at just a couple of years and how influential it would prove for his later work and overall legacy. It is an engrossing read that you don’t want to put down, a treasure trove for fans of Bowie’s work and a reflection of the cultural shifts in both sides of Berlin in the ’70s. This is a must read for any fans of Bowie’s work and those particularly interested in how he cut himself loose of the shackles of Ziggy Stardust and reinvented himself once again.
Words by Chris Connor
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