14 May 1979

Bowie the Traveller/Conversation with Bowie Capital Radio broadcast.

Bowie played each track from Lodger, talking about that track and the production. The first hour of the program was used for a question session.

Bowie opened the show. 'What I really wanted to do, I thought was, I'm going to do this a lot more in the future because when I talk to press people I don't get the same kind of questions that I get from people who come and see the shows and buy the albums and things. So I thought that publicly it might be better if I get a reaction from people who are actually involved in what I'm doing more than earning their money from being reviewers or critics – and I'll probably get more evil questions!'

Q. When are you going to start directing films?

DB: Oh, I do every night, I've directed so many films, but in reality I think I'll give it … I've had two pieces of advice, one from a very good friend who said that I should plunge into it immediately, and go for a full-scale thing. Another person who I also admire very much said it would just be a waste of time and I shouldn't bother. So I've got two attitudes there. Every time I finish an album I think 'Oh God I can't stand this any more, I've got absolutely nothing to contribute, it's no good, all hell has broken loose in my mind, you know completely … illogical about the whole thing, I just curl up and die for a couple of weeks after making it. I don't know, it's always been like that with me, not one album that I've made that I've walked happily away from and gone about my business. None of it's pleasure any more, it started off not as pleasure and it's now still not pleasure.

Q. Why do you do it then?

DB: I've got to do it.