Booze, fistfights and poor timing: When Lou Reed punched David Bowie in the face
The friendship between Lou Reed and David Bowie was a complex and multifaceted beast, albeit one that changed the landscape of contemporary music forever. Born artists desperate for fame and success – but on their own terms – their groundbreaking contributions to the music industry would shape generations.
Their friendship, which began in the early 1970s, would start on somewhat uneven terms. David Bowie, already a rising star, expressed his admiration for Lou Reed’s work with the Velvet Underground, the influential band Reed had fronted in the 1960s. Bowie, deeply inspired by Reed’s avant-garde nature, departed New York City with a Velvet Underground demo in his back pocket after rubbing shoulders with Andy Warhol and his Factory full of misfits.
Bowie had been introduced to Reed by Tony Zanetta, a character who would go on to become the manager of Bowie’s infamous ‘Diamond Dogs Tour’. Zanetta caught Bowie’s eye when depicting Andy Warhol in the film Pork, and he introduced Bowie to Warhol and Iggy Pop during the same week.
Zanetta once said in an interview: “They, I think, got along pretty well. Lou was the really smart-alecky, sarcastic New York guy. But I think he and David were pretty cautious of each other. It was almost like the beginning of a romance. They were kind of sizing each other up. Lou was on his best behaviour with David and then after dinner, we went to Max’s Kansas City.”
Bowie and Reed famously hit it off and wanted to work together. Bowie, alongside Mick Ronson, would go on to produce the 1972 record Transformer, a creative juncture that would solidify the basis of a lifelong friendship until Reed’s passing in 2013 – though it wasn’t always smooth sailing. While the two may have been the best of friends for decades, Bowie and Reed certainly went through some seriously tricky moments in their relationship, most notably when the Velvet Underground man attempted to pummel the Thin White Duke over dinner.
The incident, initially chronicled by Bowie: The Ultimate Music Guide, saw the dynamic duo come to blows after a show at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1979. After the performance, Bowie, Reed and some band members left the stage and headed to the Chelsea Rendezvous restaurant for food and a catch-up. At one point, Reed asked Bowie if he’d be interested in producing his ninth solo studio album, The Bells, to which Bowie kindly agreed.
However, in a sobering and somewhat cutting moment, Bowie insisted that he would only work with Reed on the proviso that he agreed to get sober and clean up his act. It was an ultimatum that the New Yorker didn’t take kindly to. Reed, already half cut, is said to have lurched across the table, grabbing Bowie by the scruff of the neck and punching him in the face.
Reed was eventually dragged off Bowie and escorted out of the building, both rock stars screaming insults at one another to stunned onlookers. “As a guitarist in the Lou Reed band at that time, I was actually sitting next to both David and Lou at dinner when this exchange took pace, I can tell you exactly what transpired verbally,” Chuck Hammer once said in an interview with Uncut.
“Lou had been discussing details regarding his upcoming new album — as yet unrecorded,” Hammer added. “Lou asked David if he would be interested in producing the record and David replied yes — but only upon the condition that Lou would stop drinking and clean up his act. And upon that reply, the aforementioned chaos ensued.” It was a largely humble request from Bowie, the Starman himself had only recently shaken himself out of a cocaine binge that had lasted years. It was clear that drugs were no longer a driving force for the chameleon of rock.
Hammer added: “It should be noted that this verbal bantering also continued into the night back at the hotel — with Bowie in the hallway demanding that Reed ‘come out and fight like a man’ Eventually it all quieted down as Lou never reappeared to continue the fight, and was most likely already fast asleep.”
The pair did, of course, kiss and make up in the days and weeks that followed. Despite that, Bowie didn’t end up working with Reed The Bells. Instead, Reed returned to his long-term collaborator, Nils Lofgren, for the project.
The incident would prove to be nothing more than a brief blemish on the pair’s wonderful relationship. Their bond continues to be celebrated by fans and scholars alike, serving as a testament to the power of artistic collaboration and the enduring influence of two of rock music’s most iconic figures.
