That Time David Bowie Got a Lollipop Stuck in His Eye
This summer, there have been many stories about people throwing things at artists during concerts. Pop star Bebe Rexha was hit in the face with a cell phone, giving her quite the shiner. P!nk had a fan throw a bag of their mother’s ashes on stage. All of this has only reminded us of an incident from a 2004 David Bowie concert.
Bowie was playing at the Norwegian Wood Festival in Oslo. During the show, a lollipop was thrown towards the stage. It somehow poked Bowie in his left eye and got lodged in the socket. (Someone was able to capture a photo of the lollipop stick stuck in Bowie’s eye. If you care to see it, click here.)
Understandably, Bowie was none too pleased. He tried to track down the fan that threw the lollipop, but couldn’t find them. In an audio recording of the incident, Bowie said, once he cooled down a bit, that the lollipop hit his bad eye. He did, however, advised fans to, “Please keep your affection to yourself.”
Once again, let this be a reminder to refrain from throwing objects at performers on stage. Not only is it rude, you may, quite literally, end up poking someone’s eye out.
Would Bowie Be Ignored By Record Labels Today?
David Bowie is an undeniable legend and was a one-of-a-kind artist. However, producer Nile Rodgers says Bowie would have a hard time in today’s music industry.
Rodgers, who produced Bowie’s 1983 hit album Let’s Dance, spoke before the U.K.’s House of Commons select committee about music streaming and the lack of profits for artists. Per Ultimate Classic Rock, Rodgers explained how Bowie’s label gave him time in the late ’70s and early ’80s to craft a hit song that would break outside of the U.K. Eventually, he and Rodgers wrote the hit song “Let’s Dance.” That track went on to top the charts in 16 countries. Among them were the United States, the U.K., Canada and Sweden.
“They took on this financial responsibility, and they would carry the artists they believed in that at some point in time would finally break,” said Rodgers. “Those days are truly over.”
