Television: 4-3-2-1 Musik Für Junge Leute

David Bowie filmed an appearance on the German music TV show 4-3-2-1 Musik Für Junge Leute on 27 February 1968.

The programme was made by the ZDF network, and was filmed in the port city of Hamburg. Bowie was accompanied on the trip by Joan Barclay, the secretary to Decca executive Marcel Stellman.

During the appearance he sang ‘Love You Till Tuesday’ and ‘Did You Ever Have A Dream’ to the original studio backing tapes, and mimed to ‘Please Mr Gravedigger’.

Apart from Bernie Andrews, no BBC producer felt able to offer David an engagement, but a German television producer did. His name was Dr Günther Schneider and he had a pop programme on Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) called 4–3–2–1 Musik für junge Leute (4–3–2–1 Music for young people). He had heard the album and had immediately contacted Teldec, the company representing Deram in Germany, to ask if David could appear on his show. ‘I’m in the big money at last,’ said David when he read the contract and found that he was to be paid DM–eintausendzweihundertundachtunddreissig. He left for Hamburg on February 26 in the company of Mrs Joan Barclay, secretary to Marcel Stellman. The show was recorded on the 27th and he sang ‘Love You Till Tuesday’, ‘Did You Ever Have A Dream’ and ‘Please Mr Gravedigger’. Transmission took place on March 16 and Günther Schneider was delighted with the result, telling David in a letter that ‘you are by far one of the most sensible and creative young artists I know.’

During David’s absence in Hamburg I had discovered that Harold Prince, the Broadway producer, was in town and had made an appointment for David to see him at the Mayfair Hotel at 4 pm on the 29th. David was due back early on the 28th, but there was no sign of him that day, he came neither to the flat nor his parents’ home. When I called Decca the next day Joan Barclay told me that David had certainly been on the ’plane with her, but they separated at Heathrow where David said he was going to his fiancé’s.

‘His what?’ I asked.

‘His fiancé’s. Why? Hasn’t he got one?’ queried Joan.

‘Not to my knowledge,’ I replied.

Once again David had gone walkabout and I suppose his walking partner was Hermione. He missed the appointment with Harold Prince, the most powerful of Broadway’s creative producers, but had he made a quick call to me from the airport he could have had his oats and eaten them too.

The episode of the show (also known as 4-3-2-1 Hot and Sweet) was broadcast on Saturday 16 March 1968. It was produced by Gunther Schneider and directed by Bob Rooyens.

The audio of Bowie’s performances was released in 2010 on the deluxe edition of the David Bowie (1967) album.

Bowie appeared for a second time on 4-3-2-1 Musik Für Junge Leute on 20 September 1968.