3 Of The Weirdest David Bowie Interviews

David Bowie was never afraid to be himself—quirky, bold, and sometimes even confrontational. Whether it was early in his career or at the height of his fame, Bowie never played by the rules in interviews. Let’s look back at three standout moments where he was either wonderfully weird, totally unfiltered, or courageously outspoken.

BBC (1964)
Before he became a global music icon, David Bowie—then known as Davey Jones—made his first TV appearance not for a song, but for standing up for long-haired guys. In a 1964 segment on the BBC show Tonight, Bowie spoke on behalf of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men, a group he and his friends at school started.

“Well I think we’re all fairly tolerant,” Bowie said, already showing his sharp wit and defiance. “But for the last two years we’ve had comments like ‘Darling!’ and ‘Can I carry your handbag?’ thrown at us, and I think it just has to stop now.”

It’s unclear whether the group was a tongue-in-cheek protest or a real stand against outdated gender norms—but either way, it was a bold and strange first impression from a future rock star.

The Dick Cavett Show (1974)
Fast forward a decade, and Bowie’s appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in 1974 was memorable for different reasons. At the time, he was battling severe drug addiction, and it showed. He appeared pale, frail, and visibly uncomfortable during the interview.

The clip is hard to watch, a stark reminder of how fame and addiction can collide. Thankfully, shortly after, Bowie made a life-changing move to Berlin with Iggy Pop. There, he got clean and created some of his most acclaimed albums—his Berlin Trilogy—which helped revive his career and health.

MTV (1983)
By 1983, Bowie had fully found his voice—not just musically, but socially. In a now-iconic MTV interview, he directly questioned the network for its lack of representation of Black artists.

“Having watched MTV over the past few months, it’s a solid enterprise with a lot going for it,” Bowie told interviewer Mark Goodman. “I’m just floored by the fact that there’s so few black artists featured on it. Why is that?”

Goodman tried to explain that it was due to audience preferences in places like the Midwest. But Bowie didn’t let that slide. Bowie said:

“I’ll tell you what, maybe The Isley Brothers or Marvin Gaye means something to a black 17-year-old.
“And surely he’s part of America as well. Do you not find that it’s a frightening predicament to be in? Is it not possible [that] it should be a conviction of the station to be fair?”

That moment sealed Bowie’s reputation not just as a creative genius but also as someone unafraid to challenge injustice.