Ongoing History Daily: The David Bowie-Lou Reed fistfight.

July 24, 2023 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

On April 10, 1979, Lou Reed played a sold-out show in London. After the gig, he went over to a restaurant called Chelsea Rendezvous in South Kensington to have a bite with David Bowie and a couple of music journalists. It seemed as if everyone was having a nice time.

Suddenly, Lou leapt on Bowie, screaming “Don’t you ever say that to me!” A fight started with Lou raining punches on Bowie. The two of them were pulled apart and things calmed down a little. Bowie, though, was still enraged, grabbed one of the journalists and started screaming at him. Then he stormed out, throwing chairs, overturning tables, and kicking over some potted plants. The fight also left behind plenty of broken dinnerware. It was…awkward.

Reed and Bowie soon made up but neither ever spoke of what started the fight in the first place.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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