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Oh.

Logged in with the expectation of a tribute thread.

Ah well.

Shockin' start to the year, eh? etc.

As some of you know, for nearly 9 years I worked at a hotel that David Bowie used as his his British home, during the 90's... And part of my job was to buy the cigarettes for the bar, usually from my local supermarket. He - David Bowie - would then buy said cigarettes (Marlboro/ Marlboro Lights) from the bar, or have them delivered via room service. When I got the 'upcoming guests list' on a Monday morning, and saw that 'Mr George' (he used the nom-de-plume of Nelson George) was due to stay for another few weeks, well, I knew another visit to Sainsburys was due. I used to buy numerous multipacks of fags for him (we - the hotel - would charge roughly double per pack, but I doubt this expenditure concerned him). I used to start work at 8, and occasionally when I would walk up the road from the tube to start work at the hotel and he'd be standing there, outside the hotel, puffing away - on the very fags that 24 hours earlier I'd bought from Sainsburys in Colliers Wood!... often with Iman standing next to him... well, It was surreal. She was an imposing figure. For a no-mark like me? Iman aware of my existence?!?!? Especially when I would say 'Morning Mr George' and he'd reply 'Good Morning', both of us with a grin on our faces, exemplifying the rigamarole we were going through... Me knowing he was DAVID F***ING BOWIE!!!! and him knowing... er.... er.... Anyway...

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sometimes I write things....

Blimey, I log in for the first time in about 9 months and not only do I find Marg but also the long long lost Chimes have posted - the latter with a great anecdote. Sorry I missed you both.

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

I logged in for the first time this year to see if there was an SXP fantasy league this season and found out that David Bowie had died!

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Curmudgeonly Rock 'n' Roll time traveller from ye olden days

2nd verse same as the 1st...

I have the proms thing on record but saw somebody slagging it off in a review so not sure if I will get around to watching it.

Yes, just about everyone seems to post their random blabberings on fb these days

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

Great anecdote, Chimes! makes him sound human again, which most of the tributes have failed to do.

Speaking of tributes, I was at the Bowie's Beckenham Oddity festival on Saturday, as was Mawders. Resisted going to the facepainting tent and having a Ziggy flash (not such a good look on the bus) but enjoyed listening to some sincere but dreadful Bowie tributists. Nice bit of local history too - too bad they didn't sort out proper icecream and beer.

I was reminded while there that I currently live one street away from where Bowie lived when growing up in the 60s. The same street in fact that Berlin Bromley (one of the original Bromley contingent, along with Jordan, Siouxsie Sioux and Steve Severin) lived on. If I can find out where Billy Idol, Poly Styrene, Topper Headon, Peter Frampton and Pixie Lott grew up in Bromley, I could run a punk/rock nostalgia bus tour (I'll also throw in Enid Blyton's house for free).

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Alas, not actually Gryff Rhys Jones...

"Little Jack Horner sitting on the corner
With no shoes and clothes
This aint funny, but he took his money
And sniffed it up his nose"

Amazing how colourful Bromley must have been back then and what a bunch of boring Tory curtain twitchers live there these days. (You excepted obviously, JA)

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

didn't sort out proper icecream and beer.