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| Bowie posing with a bio of Buster Keaton, c.1975 |
I only mention the passing of David Bowie here because, well, I was a fan, but also because he had a Chaplin connection. Son Eugene worked as a sound engineer on two of Bowie's albums: Heroes (1977) and Lodger (1979), and then there was his relationship with Charlie's widow, Oona, who was 22 years older. Bowie and Lady Chaplin were introduced at the Manoir around 1980 when Eugene brought the musician and some of his friends over to visit. They hit it off and became very close, very fast, although Oona told a newspaper at the time that their relationship was platonic: "I'm crazy about David. But it's a purely platonic thing. This very charming, very intelligent, very sensitive fellow, who came from the same part of London as Charlie, walked in and wanted to talk. It was as simple as that. I really am very fond of him." (Sunday People, May 11, 1981)