Coco Schwab: who was David Bowie’s mystic personal assistant and long-time supporter?
Being David Bowie meant constantly facing the thinly veiled pretence of those who wanted his support or respect. In his world, it was difficult to tell the real ones from the leaches, anchoring every interaction in something akin to scepticism. While this could have been conducive to a lonely existence, Bowie found comfort and solace in the one person who not only helped him through some of his most difficult times but would also tell him when he was acting out of line—otherwise known as Coco Schwab.
In Bowie’s line of work, finding someone like Schwab is like discovering lightning in a bottle. Not only did his immense fame make it difficult for him to establish real connections, but it also made the possibility of long-term relationships, romantic or otherwise, infinitely harder. This is likely because, particularly later in his career, it was difficult for anyone to infiltrate his world, much less find out who the real ‘Starman’ was behind the snap of the cameras.
The way Bowie came across Schwab seems similar to how he encountered anybody in 1973: unwarranted and abruptly, no matter the circumstance. Working at Bowie’s label MainMan as a secretary, she first met him at one of his house parties, known to those who observed her as an outsider in the broader music pool. After all, she wasn’t exactly the archetypal rockstar, nor did she bother much with the pleasantries that came with meet-cutes, making her authentic from the moment Bowie came along.
Following their initial introduction, the singer invited Schwab to be his personal assistant as he toured America, but their relationship expanded beyond business parameters almost instantaneously. At this point, Bowie became drawn to her stark realness, which wasn’t always as easy to come by in his usual circles. Schwab became his rock, acting protectively and advising him when things seemed to be getting too out of hand.
Schwab seemed relentless in her plight to “save” the star, even appearing hostile towards those he was also close to, like his wife, Angie. “Coco kept the irritating people out of his life, and Angie had become one of them,” Tony Visconti said in 1986. When Bowie moved to Berlin in 1976, his substance abuse spiralled, and Schwab was there to bring him back to the surface. She seemed to come off strongly to the outsider and even to people like Angie, but it was only because she knew exactly what he needed.
“My whole lifestyle at that time made me quite bonkers, and I had a complete breakdown,” Bowie recalled, noting the chaos of his Berlin years. “Coco was the one person who told me what a fool I was becoming, and she made me snap out of it.” This was a common thread that pasted their entire relationship together in the long term—her ability to say it as it was. Had it not been for her, honest figures in Bowie’s life would have been sparse, not to mention temporary.
How long was Coco Schwab David Bowie’s assistant?
However, Schwab knew how to call him out when he needed to be, and he respected her and trusted her enough to alter his behaviour whenever he began acting out of line. As he put it: “I was living like crazy; I had a deep depression. Coco was the only one to tell me what a jerk I was and helped me out.” It didn’t matter that Schwab wasn’t the usual type of person people thought Bowie would hang out with—she wasn’t conventionally “attractive”, nor did she dress the part—just as it didn’t matter that the media tried to tie them together romantically as they usually do when a male star spends a lot of time with a woman.
Still, in spite of all of that, Schwab not only saved his life but “made it all worthwhile”, acting as his personal assistant, confidant, maternal figure, and most importantly of all, friend. For over 40 years, Schwab stayed with him, dedicating herself to him in ways that only someone with a true heart of gold could. Without her, it’s anyone’s guess what sort of path Bowie would have taken, not just with personal struggles but in his artistic expression, too. After all, Schwab taught him the meaning of life, which underscored many of his musical ventures beyond the stereotypical intergalactic terrain.
In 1987, Bowie wrote ‘Never Let Me Down’, inspired by and dedicated to who and what Schwab meant to him. In the song, the singer discusses the impact Schwab had on his life, saying: “When I needed soul revival I called your name / When I was falling to pieces I screamed in pain / Your soothing hand that turned me round / A love so real swept over me.”
