The people who turn me on

Fan • October 1974

Most people find that they have favourite singers, actors and favourite friends. A superstar like Bowie, is no exception. So he has decided to tell us about the people who turn him on.

ANGIE

Obviously Angie must have turned me on for me to have married her! I mean you just don't go marrying anybody. For a start I suppose I was attracted by her looks but no relationship can last long if it's just based on physical attraction. There has to be more to it than that. You've got to be able to respect somebody in every way, especially if you're going to marry them… With Angie I found that I really liked her personality.

She's got a lively mind and she's always doing lots of different and sometimes unusual things. If I'm feeling jaded or tired she's great because her bubbly mood soon ribs off on me and I don't feel nearly so down any more. Obviously it works both ways and I feel that I can help her out too when she's not feeling so good. I think our relationship's good because we both know how to give and take. That's our secret, I suppose.

ZOWIE

Well he's my son and he really turns me on. That's mainly because he's such an inventive kid, quite capable of looking after himself even though he's so young. But the thing about Zowie is that he's so loving and even if he's been naughty my heart really melts when he rolls his big eyes at me and gives me a kiss. Every name should have a Zowie in it. He really makes for a happy family.

FREDDIE

The reason I've listed Freddie here is because I'm turned on by people who have taste, especially my kind of taste. One of my great loves is clothes. I'm really mad about them. I go through so many different phases, at the moment I'm into short jacketed double-breasted suits but next week I might be into something completely different. With all my changes of mood Freddie is extremely patient. He just listens to my ideas and has this sort of telepathy. Because whatever I think of in my mind he produces for real. I suppose I've come to admire Freddie as a person through his work because people's personalities really come through when they are working, as much as any other time. Freddie comes across as a really tolerant and talented guy. I just hope he'll continue to design incredible clothes for me.

CHERRY VANILLA

Like Freddie I've come to respect Cherry through her work. Since she's worked for us I've been able to see just how talented she is and talent is something that turns me on.

Cherry is also so kind-hearted. If Angie and I want to go out in the evening Cherry is only too pleased to look after Zowie if she's in town. I've even known her put off something she's doing to help out without telling us. You couldn't ask for more than that from a friend.

TWIGGY

When I saw The Boyfriend I was really knocked out with Twiggy's singing and dancing. Since she'd always done modelling before I suppose it came as a real surprise to learn that she could sing and dance too. Models have got a reputation for being dumb. Twiggy is certainly not dumb. I really liked her just to look at before she became an actress and my admiration for her has increased since I saw her in the film. My one regret is that I never got a chance to see her television show because of being in the States. I just hope they repeat them.

MARC BOLAN

Recently Marc Bolan and I have been seeing a lot of each other. We've been friends for a number of years but have both been busy. When Marc's been touring in one place I've been somewhere different and somehow we've always managed to miss each other. But with both of us in New York at the same time recently we've taken the opportunity to see each other as much as we can. Marc's got this tremendous ability to write really original lyrics. His musical taste is so varied that he's introduced me to people I've never even heard of. We've spent many hours talking and playing records which is something I love doing but never seem to have had the chance to do before.

DANA GILLESPIE

Dana's such a quiet, gentle person that I think she found Angie and I a bit over-powering at first but somebody with character like Dana can come into her own eventually. We both respect her for herself and we're sure that it won't be long before she's a star in her own right. She did some concerts in Britain recently which I was unable to attend so I can't wait to see her in concert. For the moment knowing her turns me on enough. But I'm sure seeing her giving a live stage performance would be incredible. Angie looks after her career now.

THE THREE DEGREES

As you probably know my big kick at the moment is soul music. My next album will be much more in the soul style than any of my records so far. There's so much good soul music around at the moment that it's had a big influence on me. One of the groups who has influenced me most is The Three Degrees. I don't just mean their chart hits but also their albums. They've recorded some really great albums. The vocal range they achieve is incredible. Just listening to them turns me on.