'David was terrified': the inside story of how Bowie met John Lennon

By Ben Beaumont-Thomas

 

John Lennon and David Bowie at the 1975 Grammy awards. Photograph: Ron Galella/WireImage

 

David Bowie and John Lennon first met in scenes more reminiscent of an awkward children’s playdate than a summit of two of rock’s greatest ever stars, according to a new interview with music producer Tony Visconti.

 

Speaking on the programme Bowie: Dancing Out in Space, airing on BBC Radio 4 and 6Music on 10 January to mark five years since Bowie’s death, Visconti, who produced 11 of Bowie’s studio albums, tells the story of how the pair met in a New York hotel room, ahead of their collaborations on Bowie’s 1975 song Fame and his cover of the Lennon-penned Beatles song Across the Universe.

 

“He was terrified of meeting John Lennon,” says Visconti, who was asked by Bowie to accompany him and “buffer the situation”.

 

Full Story: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/08/david-bowie-met-john-lennon-tony-visconti-fame

In the current "Netflix" Bob Dylan documentary :"No Direction Home", Dylan describes a very similar first encounter with Lennon.  Lennon was cold and condescending and it was actually Yoko Ono who started joking around and broke the ice.

The more you read about Lennon, the more it appears he was a petty, arrogant and unpleasant person.