Tuesday 12 January 2016

A character and a gentleman

David Bowie 1947 - 1969


I met David Bowie in Hong Kong in the late 1970s. He was en route to perform in Australia and I was a Government official who was required to speak to him about his entry and stay. Mr Bowie was part way through a long and tiring journey and his manager wanted to spare him the nuisance of personal attendance to this matter.

As an internationally renowned celebrity Mr Bowie could have been irritated by this bureaucratic 'intrusion' into his day to day business. He could have spat the dummy or he could have sought special and priority treatment in some display of self importance. That would have been the behaviour we so often hear about from those whose lives seem to exist in some superior world.

None of this was the case when I met Mr Bowie. He was polite, respectful and simply...a nice 'bloke'.

I have never forgotten that half an hour meeting.

David Bowie; a character and a decent man.

2 comments:

  1. That is pleasing to hear. So some others did not take kindly 'bureaucratic intrusion'?

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    Replies
    1. Some people who live in a world of endless red carpets where every request no matter how self centred or outlandish is entertained are stumped by bureaucracy which we mere mortals take in our stride.

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