DAVID BOWIE’S MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN SCOTLAND

David Bowie album cover 

As fans celebrate the late great David Bowie's birthday, theshowbizlion.com thought it would be fun to remember some of his most memorable moments in Scotland.

The Life On Mars singer and Man Who Fell To Earth star passed away in 2016 after a battle with cancer.

He was born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, in Brixton, London but he spent much of his life travelling and frequently visited here over the years.

One of his earliest headline gigs, still using his real name, was in 1964 in December 3 in Lothian Road, Edinburgh at the ABC cinema. He was in a group called the Manish Boys.

Five years later he played as David Bowie, the name of his second studio album in Kirkcaldy at the Adam Smith Theatre in November 1969. The album was later re-released oin 1972 by RCA as Space Oddity.

1969 also saw Bowie perform at the Edinburgh Fringe, as an actor this time round, in Lindsay Kemp's The Looking Glass Murders which incorporated his music.

One year later he plays at Grampian TV studios - now STV - in Aberdeen for the Cairngorm Ski Night show.

In 1973 the Starman also played the now defunct Apollo, then known as Green's Playhouse in Glasgow with songs from Hunky Dory,The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

One year on he and Scots Shut belter Lulu had a fling, despite him being married to Angela Barnett and Lulu subsequently covered and had a hit with The Man Who Sold The World.

1978 saw Bowie play four-nights at Glasgow's Apollo from June 19 - 22 and in 1983 he brought Let's Dance to Murrayfield Stadium and played to a crowd of 47,000.

Six years on he also played with Tin Machine at The Forum in Livingston before returning to the capital to perform for the Royal Highland Exhibition Centre in 1990 and Glasgow's Barrowland.

2003 was sadly the last time David Bowie performed in Scotland at Glasgow's SECC but in 2014 he asked for Scotland to remain part of the UK, via Kate Moss at the Brit Awards.

His impact and influence on Scots will never be forgotten and many today paid tribute as Bowie’s widow Iman shared a quote from author Margaret Atwood, saying: "I exist in two places, here and where you are."

MICK JAGGER, MOËT CHANDON AND MORE...IN SCOTLAND

MICK Jagger might have emerged from Edinburgh’s Balmoral Hotel with the rest of the band, but he didn’t actually stay there.
Thousands of people turned out to watch the wrinkly rockers as they came out of the hotel ahead of their gig in Murrayfield Stadium.
But Mick pulled a fast one. He actually stayed at the prestigious Prestonfield house the night before the gig and the day after with his ballerina girlfriend Melanie Hamrick.
The two spent some quality time together at the hotel while oblivious guests at a Chas charity bash danced away to music at Friday night event The Rocking Horse Ball held in the grounds.
Mick enjoyed a morning jog around the surrounding grounds and climb up the nearby Pentlands where he met a local cow (the four legged kind) on Saturday before heading into town early to meet with the rest of his group.
He managed to sneak into the hotel via a side door at the station so it looked like he was with the rest of the band.
After the gig he returned to Prestonfield for another night of chill before flying off on Sunday.



HAIRCUT One Hundred Star Nick Heyward
revealed he’d initially come to Glasgow years ago to meet Claire Grogan after becoming besotted with her in Gregor’s Girl - but met his wife instead.
The two girls went to school together but Nick ended up falling for Glasgow born Marion Killeen who shared a similar birthday.
He said: “I just wanted to marry Claire. Everybody did at the time. You saw Gregory’s Girl and thought yeah. We’ve since got to know one another pretty well and have talked about it. I thought she wasn’t into me at all and she said ‘no I wasn’t’.
Nick who was in Glasgow with his son who is now his sound engineer was appearing on STV’s Live At Five when we bumped into one another.
As I went over the stories of the week I joked with him that I was due to have my Haircut 100 the next day at Taylor Ferguson’s salon.

Taylor Ferguson meantime told me the latest look for this season is ‘No Style’.
He said: “All you do is give people a shape to suit their lifestyle. It’s a natural look.”
Taylor who has coiffed the hair of everyone from Gazza to Neil Lennon and Alan Rough in between, recently appeared on a show about the 78 World Cup. His was the elected hairdressing team to look after their hair - a selection of mullets and perms at the time.
Taylor revealed he used to get perm lotions in by the pallette. He reckons they won’t ever come back because they are too hard to maintain.


I’ve always loved watching The Real Hustle so it was great to meet one of the principal players R  Paul Wilson last week.
He was the director behind new Film Isolani which enlisted Celtic wag Lisa Hague as producer.
Paul who is usually known for his confidence in the show admitted he was nervous as I met him in the foyer of the GFT.
He said: “It does feel good but obviously these things are very worrying.”
He also reckons Lisa is a Real Hustler and explained: “It was fantastic working with Lisa who managed to get hold of things for the film. I don’t know how she got it and I’ve learned not to ask.”
I’d met Paul before at a magic festival in Edinburgh where he taught me some of the oldest tricks of the trade and he told me he heads back there every week.
He said: “I’m based in Glasgow now and love it here. Edinburgh is only an hour away so I’m through all the time.”

I had a very quick chat with Eileen Longmuir, wife of Original Bay City Roller Alan this week.
Alan who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting lots of times, has been very ill in Mexico and was diagnosed with a virus that has been attacking his major organs.
Eileen who has been by his side throughout has been keeping in touch to let me know his progress.
She had planned to try to fly him back to the U.K. for treatment if his condition stabilised but that has not yet happened.
Like anyone who has met him, I’m hopeful that he will have the strength to recover from this. Fellow Roller Woody returned from Japan to the news and has also sent him a heartfelt message for his recovery.
Les McKeown who will soon play Scotfest in Edinburgh is also hoping he will be able to join him at future gigs.

FEAST FOR THE BEAST
MOET Chandon kicked off their big summer party by celebrating their Moet Grand Toast at Corinthian Club.
The champagne house were marking 275 years since Claude Moet brought his bubbles to the party.
All my blogger pals including Everyday Man, Middle Aged Man, ForeverYoursBetty and A Model Moment were out in force for the rooftop celebrations.
Moet’s representatives Izzy Cameron and Gemma Leisgang proved to be hostesses with the mistresses alongside Vine PR’s Mary McGowne.
Later in the day, as the bubbles were poured down a pyramid of glasses, STVs Jennifer Reoch and I ended up speaking French with a group of ladies who were visiting the city from Paris.
They were more than impressed that Moet had chosen Glasgow for their big celebration.
Normally I drive after an event but this time round I had one glass too many so I was picked up in style - by my friend white van man.

Charity worker and performer Bubbles the Clown went wild at Blairdrummond Safari Park on Sunday.
Bubbles aka David Forsyth joined 250 kids from the Les Hoey Dreammaker Foundation at the park to sing and play games.
He told me he’s off of New York this week to perform his routine at Coney Island on June 17. I’m not sure if they’ll get his catchphrase - It’s fur the weans.
Meantime the park was full of cheeky monkeys with one wee primate showing off a little too much of himself on top of one of the cars...




Sent from my iPhone