Monday 11 January 2016

David Bowie: 1983, 1989, 2016

for Jon (who else?)

Tunbridge Wells, Summer 1983

Best pal Jon and I spend two hours a day clearing Jon’s parents’ garden, for £1.50 an hour. After two hours, we down tools, ask for our wages, and then head into town, each of us to buy a David Bowie album. Each one costs £2.99, a special promotion RCA are doing in the light of the commercial success of ‘Let’s Dance’. Then it’s back to his house to listen to the albums.

Work. Wage. Album. Listen. Repeat.

It becomes the Summer of Bowie.

Salzburg Station, Summer 1989.

Inter-railing with Jon, and we find ourselves with time to kill in Salzburg station. We decide to play 20 Questions. At some stage, one of us inevitably chooses David Bowie. The identity revealed, the next person chooses a mystery animal/vegetable/mineral to be guessed. After a few questions, it is obvious that the mystery is David Bowie. The last few questions go thus:

Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Who are you? David Bowie.

Oh, how we laugh.

The next person’s go, and it is obvious what is going to happen.

Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Are you David Bowie? No
Who are you? David Bowie.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

It just gets funnier and funnier until we can’t breath.

11th January 2016

Jon emigrated to Australia a few years ago, so although we communicate a lot via the internet, we very rarely see each other. I got a message from him last week saying he was on a flying visit to Blighty. Seems somehow appropriate that we arranged to meet up today – 5.30, Charing Cross, and my return train is at 9.03, but some people you make the effort for (well, one person...).

We may be playing a game of 20 Questions.

We will definitely be choosing David Bowie.

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