DAVID BOWIE

INTERVIEW
HEROES
Photographer
Masayoshi Sukita
remembers his
collaborations
with Bowie
BY THOMAS BEECHER
© Photo by Mark Higashino
How did you first come to work with David
Bowie?
It was 1972 and I had traveled to London because
I really wanted to photograph T.REX.
At that time, I wasn’t even aware David Bowie
existed. After finishing the shoot with T.REX, I
saw a poster of Bowie in the street and instantly
became intrigued. It was black-and-white and
showed him performing an impressive high
kick (the photo was used on the sleeve of The
Man Who Sold the World). I didn’t realize it was
a poster of a rock star. I just remember thinking
“What is this?” Later I did some research
and discovered it was promoting a concert for
Bowie and Lou Reed. Having been inspired
by this poster, I decided that I really wanted
to photograph Bowie and raced to the Royal
Albert Hall. Clutching my portfolio, I was just
about to ask if I could work with him when he
noticed my photos and thankfully agreed to
do a photo session with me. That was my first
achievement in London.
You photographed Bowie for his iconic Heroes
LP cover. Where did you get the idea for
this concept?
Actually, we never intended for the photo on
the cover of Heroes to be used on the front
of the album. In 1977, David came to Japan to
promote Iggy Pop’s new album that he had produced.
He didn’t come to Japan to tour, so he
actually had some free time. I asked if he would
mind doing a session with me, and he agreed
to come to my Tokyo studio. I photographed
Bowie for one hour and Iggy for one more. I
chose 10-20 photos that I liked from that day
and sent them to Berlin, where Bowie was living
at the time. It was several months later when
I got the call to ask for permission to use the
photo on the cover for Heroes. He had chosen
my favorite photograph from that day, so of
course I agreed immediately.
Bowie made many changes over the years as
an artist, both musically and visually. How did
your art change with him?
I think he definitely influenced my portrait work.
In the ’60s, before I photographed Bowie, I
worked as a photographer for men’s fashion.
After taking Bowie’s picture in ’72, I had many
opportunities to photograph him; but his performances,
his fashion … David Bowie had an
amazing aura in front of the camera. Since that
first session in ’72, I continued to capture him
on several other occasions. But to be honest,
I don’t think I really understood Bowie that first
time. In ’77, when I shot the photo for Heroes,
I was desperate to capture his unique aura and
his quick movements. My real memory of that
day is watching him change his pose continuously
and feeling like I had to keep taking as
many photos as I could so as not to lose the
moment. After that day, I took a lot of other
people’s portraits; but I never asked them to
do this pose or that pose. I always try to capture
the artist’s own movements and gestures by
keenly observing their worldview. So I believe
he changed the way I take photos of people.
Is there anything uniquely Japanese in your
work with Bowie?
There is an instrumental piece called “Moss
Garden” on the Heroes LP, and it is said that the
song is about Saihō-ji temple in Kyoto. David
loved Kyoto and had visited there many times,
so I think he was inspired by his trips when he
was writing that song. Saihō (‘moss’), just like
grass, takes a very long time to grow. When
you go to London, you see beautiful lawns;
and just like the saihō in Kyoto, you feel this
“passing of a long time.” I think David wanted
to express, in his own way, the “passing of a
long time’’ that he had felt from Saihō-ji, Kyoto,
and from Eastern culture in general. The song
ends with the distant sound of a jet. And when
I hear that, I get this feeling that he wanted to
convey his journey back to the present, after a
long journey back from time itself.
What do you think is Bowie’s greatest legacy
in Japan?
Since David passed away, people have truly
realized his greatness. But I don’t think that it is
just in Japan that people felt like this. I believe
that the whole world will be influenced by the
legacy Bowie leaves behind. I think he has influenced
me as well, but I’m not sure I can answer
how his death will affect me yet. I’m still trying
to come to terms with it and find the answer.
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