The night Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner met David Bowie: “We were just overwhelmed”
Such is David Bowie‘s deep impression on a legion of future prominent artists that many of the biggest stars in music profess having masked their inner-giddy fan when crossing paths with the late Starman.
There’s Kate Bush’s affectionate anecdote of having to leave the room to catch her breath when running into him at Abbey Road studios, Suede’s Brett Anderson meeting his hero for a 1993 NME feature documenting his clear awe and fascination, and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor telling Rolling Stone that even during his successful Broken era he was obsessively pouring over Bowie’s work, finding great influence which eventually culminated in collaborating together in the ’90s.
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when Arctic Monkeys weren’t dressed in snappy suits and selling out stadiums around the world but were initially just another band riding the indie wave, setting themselves apart and grabbing critical attention with singer Alex Turner’s sharp, lyrical tongue and confident grasp of songcraft way ahead of his years. Generally considered the first band to utilise the internet as a promotional tool, their 2006 Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not was the fastest-selling debut album in UK history, swiftly launching them beyond the ‘indie’ tag to major, mainstream success.
While their domestic success was a whirlwind of Glastonbury headliners and Brit Awards, their international break didn’t quite take off until 2013’s AM. Nonetheless, Arctic Monkeys played the seminal American Sketch show Saturday Night Live at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. A comedic institution on US TV and launching the careers of Bill Murray, Mike Myers, and Kate McKinnon, SNL is just as known for its acclaimed musical performances, Bowie himself playing in 1979 during his Lodger era along with pierrot countertenor Klaus Nomi.
“We didn’t know what to say to him, you know. We were just overwhelmed. It was like a fucking runaway train in those days,” Turner revealed in a Rolling Stone interview. It must’ve been a surreal experience, uploading ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ to MySpace a mere few months before encountering the paragon of forward-thinking, ’70s rock backstage at one of America’s most staple TV shows.
2006 was a curious time for Bowie, the beginning of his ten-year absence and triumphant two-album return before his death in 2016. Having suffered an acutely blocked coronary artery while on stage in Germany, Bowie announced a hiatus from the music world, keeping public appearances low-key and without any sign of a tour or album in the works. Always the one to ‘surprise’ with a visit, Bowie joined David Gilmour on stage at a Royal Albert Hall concert and played with Alicia Keys as part of the Keep a Child Alive benefit gig at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, the last time he’d ever perform live.
Arctic Monkeys and Bowie would cross paths again without realising it. Speaking to Jo Whiley on Radio 2, Turner revealed their touring manager had actually booted Bowie off a VIP table at one of their concerts: “They had tables up the top for guests and VIP guests, and I think Bowie was sat there with whoever he came with.”
He added: “Our tour manager didn’t even realise, and he moved him so my brother and his wife could sit there and watch it and have a better view. He didn’t say anything like, ‘I’m David Bowie’ – he just moved politely and then came to say hello afterwards.” What a gent.
