An inside Bowie story, from a friend. Bowie contained multitudes.

[Mark Kohut]

Many years later, 1986, I was hired to do the video for Space Oddity.
Again, forward thinking, or with the times, Bowie realized that old
stuff could be just as good a video as new songs (MTV era), and might
re-invigorate back-catalog.

Cheapest SOB on the planet I worked with up to that time. Even
struggling artists without record deals spent more on videos. Anyway,
my partner at the time and I made the deal with his manager--another
David, a nice guy from NYC who had his hands full with dealing with
Bowie's intransigence at every turn.

We made the video--all from gorgeous NASA footage, which had just been
released that month. A win-win for Nasa (promote themselves and the
program) and Bowie (no shoot, no time on his end, no costs except
stock duplication).

We got 10k. We started at 50. They started at zero, not even Nasa $,
which was about $900 in tape. My partner quit the deal, and actually
left for Hollywood to write screenplays, he got so pissed off by this.
They sent us $5K. We cut the thing. Cost about $2,400 in editing.

Sent them the approval tape. On 3/4" (typical client would get 1/2"
VHS but Bowie had all the toys, he was living in LA at the time and
had broadcast level gear they used to show things on his tour shows,
etc...)

Bowie loved it. Or so we heard. Later we heard he played it over and
over and had people come--I heard second hand from someone who saw it
at his house.

I held the master awaiting the other 5K.
Never got it. Bowie wanted us to transfer the copyright to him--which
didn't bother me, but Bob (partner) would not do it. David, the
manager, said everything Bowie did, even if others wrote the songs,
all creative credit had to be his. Said he has had numerous
collaborators, all signed to keep-mum-deals, and all rights
transferred to him.

Six months later, they wanted use the video on tour and wanted the
master. We had a whole 'nother round of negotiations, and settled at
$2,000 and I shipped it.  So they were still 3K short. We never got
credit. I still believe Bob was wrong, because they would have put it
on MTV and everywhere, but couldn't because we held the copyright.

In 2003, this guy David, the manager, emails Bob, my old partner, out
of the blue, to say he loved his book....Bob tells him he's still
pissed off we never got paid.

David says, I joined the club. Quit dealing with him ten years ago, he
was 18 months behind. You, me, and Mick Ronson, and a lot of others.
Good club.
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Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l