David Bowie interview at 17!

[@shaneclower]

Love it. "The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-haired Men"

[@cyndibear5]

I find this so amazing -- here he is at 17 and already thumbing his nose at the "norm". David Bowie was most assuredly one-of-a-kind. We'll miss you, David!

[@Dustshoe]

You get a sense of the old world in juxtaposition right at the end of this piece with that jaunty, violin 1950s romantic film-type music that must have been doing young peoples' heads in by 1964.

[@april1969simnel]

Right? I wouldn't have been surprised in the least if they'd've cut to a kitten playing in a basket.

[@helenbryant404]

RIP David. We could do with more guys like you now.

[@mazzy846]

+Tom Miller damn right! and it's such a shame.

[@helenbryant404]

If only that were possible. Unless it's all been a giant publicity stunt... Have you heard Iggy Pop's song 'Gardenia'?

[@helenbryant404]

I think you might be surprised...

[@helenbryant404]

You're welcome! Yes, I prefer Bowie too, but I was just surprised at how like him he sounded, in places.

[@helenbryant404]

You're welcome! You too! ☺️

[@nilsdejongh107]

That's my grandfather! (Cliff Michelmore) Still alive and well!

[@TheShinkickersBand]

+Nils De Jongh Deadly!

[@publicimagelive6420]

+Nils De Jongh Must be late 90s right?

[@kabali1788]

+Nils De Jongh Good to read.

[@nilsdejongh107]

+Public Image Live 96!

[@eoinkearney5064]

I am so sorry for your loss.

[@Cynisca]

I'm from Bromley originally and this is how I first heard of the man who became David Bowie. I grew up with him always being there, playing music everywhere you went. Was one of the Ziggy fans, my boyfriend at the time, a photographic assistant who emulated him was often mistaken for him. What a time to have lived through. :(

[@TheShinkickersBand]

+Cristina K we sure grew up through the best times alright!

[@ladyblackstardust390]

+Cristina K - We are of the generation, in our 60s and 70s, to mourn and grieve the death of the pioneer rockers of the '60s and '70s who exploded electric rock on the world and who happily reached retirement age. So many didn't. Thank you for sharing the memory. It is a close connection for you. Well, Chuck Berry is 89 and still performing.

[@robotrob6855]

+Cristina K i am also from Bromley and was always a fan i remember this time very well and as you said his music was everywhere, my family also lived in Cannon road for while four doors away from where David lived & I attended the same school in Oakley road ,what a time indeed.

[@fabmd8]

+robot rob Thanks for your story. The internet is stunning; it is amazing to hear from his childhood neighbors! Hallo!

[@divisiondayproductions3710]

Nice to hear from other Bromley people. I'm in my early 20s and when I was younger I lived in the house right next door to Bowie's childhood homes on Cannon Road. Still live nearby, but its fascinating as well since so much of David's history is related to the area, I know a few older people that either went to Burnt Ash school with him or saw some of his early gigs. I still feel like the borough hasn't given him his proper dues, especially considering he's been our most famous resident, HG Wells aside.

[@apples2go1]

even at 17 he was going against the current! loved him then and now. rest well my starman!

[@fairuzathelolita]

A real gentleman. R.I.P. David. There needs to be way more men like you.

[@moragmacgregor6792]

Is this adorable or WHAT?? I feel like I'm looking at his baby pictures.

[@Chibihalo2]

Part of the reason he changed his last name from Jones to Bowie was because of Davey Jones of the Monkees. He didn't want to be confused for his fellow countryman. And the thing of the matter is while the world knew him as David Bowie Iman didn't. She never saw him as the rock legend, The Starman, The Thin White Duke, Pierrot, The Man Who Fell to Earth, or even Just a Singer with Tinman. She met him when he was going through his Tinman phase of trying to reinvent himself and married him in 92. What came about because of her was an album that helped revive his career and celebrated their love for each other. She saw him through his outside phase and gave him a second child that David said literally saved him from himself and his destructive life when Lexi was born during the Elder Statesman years of his career. Iman has said it time and time again to her the man we all knew as David Bowie was simply another character to play like Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Slane. The man she knew and loved was simply David Robert Jones from Brixton, London, England who lived out his final days in Manhattan, New York City, New York with his wife and daughter.

[@Pulsonar]

Stellar summary of the re-birth of a star.

[@hamstergirl4444]

+Chibihalo2 Lovely post :) I remember when Bowie and Iman married, my roommate referred to it as "the union of the two most gorgeous people on the planet", lol - I concurred, heh heh :)

[@wellesradio]

Tin Machine.

[@bionicbigfoot2790]

Tinman..???? I think you mean Rin-Tin-Tin

[@PAULLONDEN]

Bloody Njew York, the Ideal place to live out your last cancerous days.....or get shot in the back....... Manhattan Chase.... romantic place....

[@villaparis2]

David Bowie standing up for long haired men in the 60s

[@milkkorea]

He's 17; his looks can prove it

[@ziggyfreecloud3346]

Jesus went through the same thing. "Ay, Darlin', can I carry that cross for you?"

[@TheEdwardNigma]

I laughed a little to hard

[@imjustlucy_29]

You have no idea how much I ugly laughed at this.

[@thrashmetalfan85]

One of the most distinctive and most notable clues that foreshadow forms of rebellion as early as 1964!!! I love this so much!! The 1960's will forever be favorite decade.

[@jannerick2]

I get the impression that the amazing dry ironic humour of these British kids is lost on some.

[@deedebdoo]

Yes, Bowie was funny. And this was a publicity stunt. They were having a laugh for sure.

[@ladyblackstardust390]

My hair was shorter than his as a seven year old in 1964. I remember because it was like the Beatle's hair. Rock the Cosmos, Bowie. A beautiful life, thank you.

[@repelghosts]

superb...I've met David twice in my many years, seen him in concert over 40 times since the early 70s and this is a gem,to be sure! Thanx

[@Pulsonar]

Bowies vision, drive and ambition even with this long haired caper was something eerily beyond extraordinary.

[@vixenmusique]

Too true! David Bowie's voice and pronunciation of certain words is so distinctive, it can be no other man. In addition, he was the master of reinvention, before Madonna was out of Kindergarten. Year after year, he had a new album and a totally different look each time.

[@nvrndingsmmr]

I was bullied endlessly for my long hair, and have been keeping it from reaching my shoulders for the last few years because everyone bothers me if I don't. Bowie's the best, standing up for us! =]

[@nancypiglosi6398]

He was such a beautiful man with a beautiful soul. RIP

[@cameronellis9235]

Oh how I miss this wonderful presence. Showing everyone is different but that doesn't mean they are to be treated differently.

[@altairsp]

"And these children that you spit on As they try to change their worlds Are immune to your consultations They're quite aware of what they're going throug" I can see this fits well on that interview.

[@scoobydisney]

hahahahah! This is like something from Monty Python! :D I can see David's tongue firmly planted in his cheek. What a gem!

[@angelalita77]

Interesting...his eye with the larger pupil really stands out even in this fuzzy footage. That eye is pretty damn awesome!

[@evonne_]

RIP to both David and Cliff. Both fine men in their lifetimes.

[@TheEdwardNigma]

To be honest this could also be the start of a Monty Python Sketch

[@ladybug8495]

very wise words David Bowie and I can't believe I love your music and I'm almost 22

[@CapAnson12345]

It's ironic that he cut his hair rather short and spiky in the 80s when all those hair bands were popular..

[@RayasNegroOvejas]

+CapAnson12345 That sounds more like the look he had going in 1997. And why go to the 80's? He already had pretty short hair around 1976 with Station to Station. In the 80's on the other hand, there was Labyrinth... ;)

[@CapAnson12345]

img15.nnm.me/3/d/2/f/b/e8ce65929fa465ef7a15a2a2791.jpg Ok maybe it wasn't THAT short and spiky.

[@saramonster133]

Thanks so much for posting! I love old tidbits like this. :)

[@tom_olofsson]

He was a tremendous talent.

[@sbarr10]

It is amazing that you found this gem! Thanks for uploading it.

[@getitherething.2653]

Lol tv was so daggy back then, in that breath... god I wish I was alive back then!!!! Can hardly see the face, but as soon as he talks there’s no question who’s talking.

[@toddHolmes-w5e]

1964! England rocked!

[@Kidonia]

I love that Bowie actually started this organization and there is a good point behind it...all these videos of him with long hair are just awesome. I wish I could meet him.

[@Veganvipassi]

Wow, thanks for posting this, my hero (one of 'em,) when he was a kid! Huge Bowie fan, never saw this.

[@sue7621]

The best is yet to come! Love you David ♥️🙏🌍

[@23sugarcane]

David Bowie at 17... so SWEET awwww, and a real GENTLEMAN even at that young age... you've got to love him

[@MrSmokeydog]

David Jones (bowie) was a rebel from the start. Long hair became fashionable and most teenagers wore it from the 70's through the 80's and the reason for long hair was to rebel against the older generation . Well move forward and the children of the long hair generation parents rebel and shave there heads so bald is in ? I have been noticing some younger kids wearing there hair long because they don't like their parents short hair? every generation try's to be different.

[@wellesradio]

Keep in mind that this was just a publicity stunt. There was no Society of long hairs. He was already an aspiring actor, model and musician with an agent and he would have done anything to get on TV.

[@MrSmokeydog]

+welles Sorry I am not the foremost authority on publicity stunts perpetrated by musicians from the past. Like the Beatles claiming Paul is Dead and the rumor that Alice Cooper was Wally actor Tony Dow from Leave it To Beaver fame and numerous others.

[@starbar1958]

Baldermaston brilliant! ( this was at the time of the aldermaston marhes)

[@cata-lu]

I miss him so much and I adore this video. It's so cute

[@kanumbra]

AHH this is so amazing. This is how old I am now. Gosh I wish life was like this nowadays. So well-spoken!

[@Tabbykitten7]

Hehe. Thanks for posting. It's so cool to see him this young. :)

[@angel1nl2002]

This talk demonstrates the difference of the generations then. Long hair was a symbol against establisment and we became rebels. Music was our tool, expression of our visions - our favourite musicians had to say something, our music united us worldwide - to change the world, upto the top in the 80th. Well, some of our best singers passed away too soon, we got older ---- but the young ones pick it up now - they really like our ageless songs and share the ageless dreams- that's good!

[@murielsartre]

Bowie did have some beautiful hair, didn't he? And after all the dye jobs, bleaching, and perms it withstood, for it to not fall out (and for how well it grew back after his chemo even if it was white), or to not look like straw at any point ever is amazing. And he was obviously good at improv, or he would've been if it were a thing in the UK back then. I'm sure his bit wasn't scripted. "Yes, and"-ing all over the place. Maybe that was his secret, that he said, "Yes, and..." to whatever came his way in life.

[@Fatima502]

Ahead of his time even then

[@grudgerun]

Thanks to the pioneering work of this organization I can postpone my next haircut for a few weeks with no fear of social shaming. Well done, lads.

[@annasummers5348]

My heart is torn apart that you are gone..

[@SoftTangerineDreams]

Such an indigo child. Admirable how he was rebellious even in his younger years

[@DavidDatura]

Well this is a little gem I knew nothing about up until now.

[@svagrod]

HAHAHAHA... How things have changed, Glad I found this vid...TKS for Posting!!!

[@sallysmith1484]

The interviewer, Cliff Michelmore, is still alive, aged 95. What changes - probably mostly bad - he must have see in his life.

[@helenbryant404]

I wish David still was. 😪

[@nilsdejongh107]

+Sally Smith Alive and Well - His Grandson here

[@kaymuldoon3575]

Helen Bryant so do I. :( RIP Starman.

[@crumplezone1]

+Nils De Jongh Wish him all the best from us buddy !

[@alfiesgirluk]

I can hardly believe how it used to be back then, but it was and I miss it

[@NaughtyNecro]

What a treasure, thank you!

[@diablecita]

thanks for posting it

[@rubygreta1]

Incredibly hip, intelligent, polite, knowledgeable and unpretentious at the ripe old age of 17.

[@wellesradio]

I remember reading about this, but I had never actually seen it. It was just a publicity stunt on the part of a young aspiring actor. There was no real society of long haired men. A shameless little ploy to get on TV. He was a go-getter from a very early age.

[@TractorCountdown]

"Baldermaston.." brilliant.

[@thisisfrenchtouch]

+Tractor Countdown Could you enlighten me and get me in on the joke ? Aldermaston is a village in England, is that the link ?

[@TractorCountdown]

+thisisfrenchtouch That's right. It was a research facility for atomic weapons and was the focus for protest marches by CND (the campaign for nuclear disarmament). The CND marches are mentioned earlier in the interview.

[@thisisfrenchtouch]

Oh right, so he's referring to a march for the long-haired men there I guess ! That's clever. Thanks !

[@TractorCountdown]

+thisisfrenchtouch Yup :)

[@sbarr10]

Wow at that young age David Bowie had that incredible voice!

[@benclasper2883]

I bet those people who were persecuting them feel sorry for that now if they knew what a star David bowie turned into.

[@copacetic9018]

You can see his massive pupil really clearly.

[@MrBooYa-yd5er]

If you were given a second chance, how fearless would you be? I would be full of fear but facing it with a smile I am this way constantly I feel like being blue is the only way to wait forever

[@Vinyljesus95]

who knew that this guy would be a famous musician and write fantastic songs

[@20thCB]

This is so brilliant.

[@jlmagoya]

there he was, right in the centre of the frame, sorrounded by the rest of them...8 years on he'd be stunning everyone in his Ziggy Stardust persona...

[@sophierose3017]

His Voice 🥰😍🥺

[@ronatopaz1]

It's not the hair that garnered negative attention, but rather what it represented. What a pity the interview didn't delve further. RIP David Bowie.

[@lieh8er]

+Rona Topaz 'what it represented', what was that? Is it the same today, do you think? What should I tell a 17 year old 'A grade' student currently persecuted for feeling that the long Celtic red hair he enjoys need not be cut?

[@ronatopaz1]

+lieh8er -I was thinking it represented individual expression, as well as a hint of androgyny, and of course I don't think someone being persecuted for having long hair should be pressured into cutting it for any reason if they don't want to!

[@deedebdoo]

It was a publicity stunt cooked up by his manager. They wanted people to think that the BBC was going to make them cut their hair. They were having a laugh because they knew people would take this so seriously. It's still working.

[@verbenco]

sometimes this seems a hundred years ago, but sometimes it seems only yesterday.

[@Pulsonar]

Wow, a young Cliff Michelmore, from the consumer program -Holiday '73. That tough old goat is 96 years old now! He sounds totally bemused with baby Bowie and his 'long haired' mob here ;)

[@zachzacha]

I wish the audio was synched, but this is an awesome find.

[@riccardocondorelli2220]

Wow I didn't know David Bowie and Brian Jones are the same person

[@cawder]

a piece of history fantastic contribution

[@thewalrus5198]

david bowie looks like brian jones in this video

[@Eggs4Eva]

im in love his accent! nobody in England speaks like that anymore :(

[@kssykssygg]

Bowie's been smokin hot for 64 years! I frigging love that man.

[@GildaSpicyTuna]

Jareth the Goblin King, you're in my heart

[@garyjohnstone]

This MUST be a joke like a Monty Python skit or something !!!! It's the funniest shit I've heard in ages!

[@ladidah9]

"March in protest." AWESOME. I love this clip.

[@EdwardCullenJunkie]

David Bowie!!! Me love!!! Love his voice!!! Long live the King of Glam Rock!!!

[@jeanmichellelaurent]

Dang He was so young

[@meaganrutherford463]

Stoppp I’m 17 now and seeing him at 17 it’s like AHHHHHHHHH

[@april1969simnel]

I'm reminded of the story Bowie told about Jagger on Parkinson: "Get your hair cut!" "Wha', an' luh li'e you?"

[@imjustlucy_29]

I love how he got a good hand full of members in his club. Lol my book club can’t even pass 2😅

[@omecronrodneydheel349]

R.I.P.

[@liveandmore]

This is awesome!

[@dannybotz99]

I think Bowie would just laugh and shake his head if he watched this now! What a trip!!!

[@StartabandDuran]

Not all German but ... "The list of those who referred in their works or letters to Indian progressive thinkers reads like a Who’s Who of the European intellectual world, ranging from Voltaire, Herder, Humboldt, Schlegel and Novalis through to Schopenhauer and Goethe who, among other things, incorporated special theatre techniques from Sanskrit in his Faust." I don't know how big country is, but I did read about Country Roads and other songs being very popular. Sentiment shared by Swedes also

[@Fyllbulten]

Wow! Thanx I didn´t believy my eyes. COOOOOL!

[@insomnia3201]

bless you Dave!

[@KingFahtah]

Michelmore outlived Bowie by two months!

[@tamarakluver]

Wow. He is cooler than me at 17. He did that while I'm here doing nothing with my life smh.

[@fumetti]

@TheNEWfilmfanatic99 yes, he was with David Jones and the King Bees and had released his debut single, Liza Jane, around that time.

[@mikeylikesit100]

At just 17, David Bowie was more eloquent, composed and thoughtful than most middle-aged "adults" I know. R.I.P.

[@MissMollyMoo997]

aww, bless David! ily DB!!!!!!! xxxxxx bless u

[@wulord]

Not only was the music itself better than what's in my generation, but the message behind it seems to be, too.

[@derekloves607080]

blows my chances with AngelGhostchild. short grey here. lol. Love the Bowie footage. Calssic and really may be worth a fortune

[@lennonmccartney10440]

Did he say David Jones? There were 2 David Jones in the music world!

[@martynaes2443]

I Love David's sense of humor xD

[@Kikomechan]

even another reason to love travis clark! ^.^

[@perdedoronline]

Wow, that was mr. bowie back in the day! :)

[@weibernipple]

Right, yeah and the birds really dig it!