Even the most optimistic David Bowie fan had given up on their hero releasing any music ever again. The singer had largely vanished from public life following serious heart problems in 2004, prompting rumours that he had retired or was seriously ill.
Consequently, the announcement on Radio 4’s Today programme on the morning of January 8, 2013 was a bombshell: Bowie would be releasing a brand new single, Where Are We Now?, that day, and it would be followed by his first album in a decade, The Next Day. What made the news even more surprising was that both had been recorded in total secrecy, in the heart of Manhattan, with everyone from his record label to the general public kept in the dark.
We all know he had a health scare. I hate to hear it described as a major heart attack – it was not a major heart attack – but he had surgery in 2004 and he’s been healthy ever since. Because he hasn’t come out and said anything, people suspect the worst. And it was frustrating. I would have lunch with him and I’d tell people
