David Bowie’s legendary time in West Berlin as he searches for inspiration and records his 1977 album Low
LOW traces the aftermath of David Bowie’s groundbreaking tour of America and the iconic “Berlin years” that followed.
Hot on the platform heels of Starman: Bowie’s Stardust Years (SelfMadeHero, 2023), Reinhard Kleist masterfully concludes his two-part biography of David Bowie.
In 1976, Bowie escaped the frantic madness and substance abuse of his life in Los Angeles for the Wall of the divided city of Berlin. With his friend Iggy Pop in tow, Bowie quit drugs and created LOW, the first album of his “Berlin Trilogy.” But even here, in some of the happiest days of his life, Ziggy Stardust would not let him go . . .
LOW follows Bowie’s forays through West Berlin’s revolutionary music scene and wild club life, and takes us deep into his recording sessions at Hansa Studios. The friendship between Bowie and Iggy drives both artists to new creative heights, while Bowie’s relationship with the cabaret artist and drag icon Romy Haag illuminates his fascination with Berlin as a city on the brink.
Kleist’s LOW is both a retelling of Bowie’s Berlin years and a vibrant portrait of the city itself.
[This publication has not been prepared, approved, authorized, or licensed by the David Bowie estate or any related entity.]
Praise
“This always fascinating, sometimes challenging, book captures both the detail and spirit of Bowie's Berlin Years making Low, an absolute high.”
—The Slings & Arrows
"Gleefully potent, loose-limbed, energetically fantasmagoric yet understated art... LOW: Bowie's Berlin Years is as much a potent tribute to the city and its people at a key point in history as only a Cologne-born Berliner-by-choice could tell it. It’s also a powerful reminder of those precarious times and how fashion, art and music helped us through the grimness of it all…"
—Now Read This!
"Bowie’s Berlin Years is an affectionate, thorough addition to the almost-mystical power of its dual subjects."
—Buzz Magazine
“This book is a real labour of love and a testament to a high point in Bowie’s career... a must read.”
—The Indiependant
“A Reinhard Kleist graphic novel is always a good time and this is no exception.”
—Bookmunch
"Kleist's ability to jump in time between panels allows him to spin a web of connection and allusion that brings together all the various incarnations of Bowie's life and career."
—The Herald
