Television: Hits A GoGo

David Bowie appeared on the Swiss TV show Hits A GoGo on 3 November 1969.

The shoot took place in Zürich and was broadcast live. Bowie lip-synced to ‘Space Oddity’.

The good news was that ‘Space Oddity’ was on the top ten in Switzerland and on November 2 David and I went to Zürich, where he was to appear in the Swiss TV programme Hits A GoGo. The producer of this show was Mani Hildebrand, who had been the Swiss delegate to the Malta Song Festival, and David felt at ease working with someone he knew. There was an old friend of mine on the show, drummer Blinky Davidson, who had been with the Mark Leeman Five and was now with the Nice. Others on the bill included Ayshea and Julien Clerc. David and I stayed for two nights in Room 37 of the Hotel Excelsior, Dufourstrasse 24, but I wouldn’t advise any Bowie fans to ask for that room as I remember it overlooked a very noisy street.

We lunched in the studio restaurant where we were accompanied by the representatives of Swiss Philips, an elderly man elegantly dressed in a manner befitting his age. The other artists were also attended upon by representatives from their respective recording companies, but they were much younger men dressed in the cliché style of workers in pop. They, and some journalists from a Swiss pop magazine, were making fun of our man behind his back and motioning to David that it was too bad he had that old square while they had these groovy young guys. Perhaps sensing he was a little out of place, our man excused himself after the meal and left. David then got into a bad mood, not because of the rudeness of the others, but because his pride had been hurt. One’s record company representative was a status symbol, and he felt he had been let down by his.

‘Oh come on David,’ I protested. ‘That man has probably gone back to his office to do more skilled work for you and ‘Space Oddity’ in one afternoon than this lot have done for their artists in a month.’

‘Yes, I suppose you’re right,’ answered David, ‘but why can’t he dress like you?’

We smiled and finished our coffee.