David Bowie Almost Wrote a Musical Comprised of Fake Bob Dylan Songs
David Bowie has a stage show featuring his music called Lazarus. However, the musical was almost very different from its final form. Reportedly, it was almost a tribute to Bob Dylan as David Bowie wanted the music to consist of fake songs written by the “Blowin’ in the Wind” singer.
David Bowie wanted to make a musical with fake Bob Dylan songs
Lazarus is a jukebox musical featuring David Bowie’s music. The show is a spiritual sequel to the movie The Man Who Fell to Earth, which starred Bowie. The musical continues the story of Thomas Newton, a humanoid alien stuck on Earth. Lazarus premiered off-Broadway in 2015, a few months before Bowie’s death.
During the making of Lazarus, Bowie had a different idea than using his music. In an interview with GQ, novelist Michael Cunningham shared what Bowie originally envisioned for the show. It would take place in the future and feature a “stockpile” of unreleased Bob Dylan songs that would have been written by the “Starman” singer.
“David reluctantly told me that he imagined the musical taking place in the future,” Cunningham explained. “The plot would revolve around a stockpile of unknown, unrecorded Bob Dylan songs, which had been discovered after Dylan died. David himself would write the hitherto-unknown songs.”
Many questions surrounded the idea, such as what would a fake Dylan song supposedly written by him sound like? Plus, it’s hard to tell how the real Dylan would have felt about it.
“Who could write a convincing fake Dylan song? Well, okay, that would be David Bowie, if anyone, but who (including David Bowie) would want to?” Cunningham asked. “And how would the actual Bob Dylan feel about that?”
Bowie did write “Song for Bob Dylan” for his 1971 album Honky Dory. However, that song was for the folk/rock singer, not one that was written in his voice.
Bowie thought Dylan hated him
The original idea for Lazarus seems outlandish, but it would have been fitting for the experimental and atypical work Bowie was known for. However, it could have been hard for David Bowie to get this to fly with Bob Dylan as Bowie thought he hated him. Dylan never officially voiced any contempt toward Bowie, but the “Space Oddity” singer had his concerns.
In a 1976 interview with Playboy, Bowie said he thought Dylan hated him. They supposedly met under “very bad” circumstances, and Bowie was concerned he left the wrong impression on the “Like a Rolling Stone” singer.
We went back to somebody’s house after some gig at a club. We had all gone to see someone,” Bowie shared. “I can’t remember who, and Dylan was there. I was in a very, sort of…verbose frame of mind. And I just talked at him for hours and hours and hours, and whether I amused him or scared him or repulsed him, I really don’t know. I didn’t wait for any answers. I just went on and on about everything. And then I said goodnight. He never phoned me.”
The pair never collaborated, but Bowie had a fair amount of respect for Dylan, even if the feelings weren’t mutual.
