When Michael Oberman Met David Bowie

At the time, Oberman was working as a music journalist for the now-defunct Washington Star—a position he took over for his older brother, Ron, who went to Chicago to work for Mercury Records, Bowie's American label. It was fortuitous timing for the Oberman family: Ron's plans to bring Bowie over for his first American publicity tour coincided with a trip home to visit the family. Thus, Ron could visit with his family and get Bowie his first bit of American interviews for The Man Who Sold The World—with Michael, who had been following and writing about Bowie's career already for the past three years. "I drove my parents to the airport and I explained to them who David Bowie was," Oberman says.

Since Bowie's passing, Oberman—who's now 68—has been reflecting on the Thin White Duke's life and art. "For me, his loss is more meaningful than a lot of rock 'n' roll artists that have died," he says. "The fact that David lived his life with cancer for 18 months—released his album and did all the things he did... he did more in the 18 months of having cancer than many people do in ten years. I feel honored, I feel lucky that someone who became a bright star spent some time with an American family... my family."

Attribution: Matt Cohen - washingtoncitypaper.com

Full story: When David Bowie Came to Silver Spring