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Throughout his illustrious career, David Bowie collaborated with a myriad of guitarists, including legends like Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, and Reeves Gabrels. Though, one guitarist stood out, consistently returning to Bowie’s side from the 1970s until the end of his life: Earl Slick.
The Unique Connection Between Bowie and Slick
What was it about the Brooklyn-born Slick that made him irreplaceable in Bowie’s musical journey?
“I have my theories,” Slick shares with Guitar Player during a Zoom call from his new York City kitchen, casually enjoying a morning cigarette and a bottle of Gatorade. “When it came to needing that quintessential rock guitarist, it was either me or Mick. And Mick left us a long time ago.” (Ronson passed away in 1993.)
“All those other guys are fantastic,” Slick continues, “but they aren’t rock players. So, when Bowie needed that sound, he called me.”
A Mainstay in Bowie’s Musical Universe
While Earl Slick wasn’t a constant presence in Bowie’s life, he was undeniably a notable figure.Born Frank Medeloni nearly 73 years ago, Slick first joined Bowie in 1974, stepping in after the spiders From mars disbanded and Ronson departed. He played a pivotal role in Bowie’s Diamond dogs tour and contributed to the Young Americans and Station to Station albums shortly thereafter. In 1983, he returned for the Serious Moonlight Tour, filling in for Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had famously contributed to bowie’s hit album Let’s Dance.
Nearly two decades later, Slick rejoined Bowie for the 2002 tour supporting the album Heathen.This collaboration led to work on its successor, Reality, and the subsequent A Reality Tour, which became the largest and longest tour of Bowie’s career.
During this tour, Slick witnessed Bowie’s heart attack on June 23, 2004, while performing in Prague, marking a significant turning point in Bowie’s life and career.
“It was astonishing how quickly he went from looking vibrant to appearing quite ill-almost overnight,” Slick recalls. “We were just a month shy of a year into the tour.”
The End of an Era
Even though bowie recovered, he canceled the remaining shows and never toured again. Slick returned for Bowie’s penultimate album, The Next Day, making him the only guitarist to have collaborated with Bowie across such a broad span of his career.
The music from Slick’s later collaborations with Bowie is extensively featured in the upcoming box set David Bowie 6.I Can’t Give everything Away (2002-2016), set for release on September 12. This collection includes Bowie’s final albums, such as Reality and The Next Day, along with the live album from A Reality Tour and an unreleased recording from the 2002 Montreux Jazz Festival.
Additionally, the set features “Isn’t It Evening (The Revolutionary),” a track from Slick’s 2003 solo album, Zig Zag, co-written with Bowie, which recently made waves on the U.K. charts after its re-release.
The Lasting impact of Earl Slick
This highlights the crucial role Slick played in Bowie’s final years, making it a fitting moment for him to reflect on his influential time with the rock icon.
Rock Guitarist vs. Other Roles
“Was there a significant difference in being Bowie’s ‘rock’ guitarist compared to your other projects?”
“With David, I had to manage a pedalboard that covered 40 years of recordings,” Slick explains. “I’m not a fan of pedals, especially overdrive ones, but they were necessary.As an example, I needed two delay pedals just to recreate the sound for ‘Heroes.’”
“Though, David gave me a lot of creative freedom. I could change things up during a show, and he appreciated that. If you watch concert footage, you’ll notice some unusual arrangements of songs. I often mixed things up to keep it fresh, and he liked that I did.”
A Surprising Reunion
After being away from Bowie’s orbit for about 15 years, Slick was contacted in 2002. “It was quite a surprise,” he recalls. “Reeves had left,and Bowie was searching for a guitarist. His team found me through a website dedicated to my old demos.”
“The webmaster called and said, ‘I just received an email from a New York number. They seem eager to reach you.’ I immediately recognized it was Bowie’s team.”
“We received a call saying, ‘Hold tight for a few days. David needs to rest. We’re taking a short break.’”
– Earl Slick
The A Reality Tour Experience
The A Reality Tour is often regarded as Bowie’s final and arguably best tour. “It was a blast to perform live, especially the rock tracks,” Slick shares. “It was the most enjoyable band I ever played with david. The chemistry was fantastic, and I’ve never seen him so relaxed and happy on tour.”
“Though, it was also the tour that ended due to his health issues. I remember that Prague show vividly. At first, I couldn’t grasp what was happening. It was sweltering, and I noticed he was struggling with some notes. I thought he was just fatigued.”
“During ‘The Jean Genie,’ he told me to keep jamming while he was having a heart attack. Then he started clutching his chest, and the tour managers rushed in to assist him.”
“He returned briefly but only lasted a measure or two before leaving again. Initially, they diagnosed him with a blocked nerve, which turned out to be incorrect.”
“A few days later, we performed at the Hurricane Festival in Germany.I approached him, and he looked terrible.We completed the show,but then we received a call saying,’Guys,we’re done. You need to go home.’ No clarification was given, but we all suspected he was undergoing surgery.”
“When we performed ‘Heroes’ at the Hurricane Festival, it was one of the best vocal performances I’d ever heard from him. Just hours later, he was in the hospital.”
Future Performances and Collaborations
“Was there ever a discussion about him performing live again?”
“Yes, we were working on The Next Day.After I finished my part on ‘Set the World on Fire,’ he remarked, ‘This would be incredible live.’ I was about to respond, but he quickly added, ‘Don’t even think about it.’”
“That was the extent of our conversation about touring again. I could see he was serious; he wasn’t going anywhere.”
“It was disheartening because I genuinely believed we had at least one more great tour left in us. This was in the summer of 2013, so it’s possible he was already ill with cancer. We’ll never know, but it’s a possibility.”
Reconnecting Through Music
“The Next Day” was an unusual reconnection, wasn’t it?”
“Absolutely. Bowie began working on that album around 2011, and everyone involved had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. I was in touch with some of the musicians, but no one revealed anything.”
“Meanwhile, a friend of mine, a surgeon, had built a Cobra car. I was performing at a blues gig near his home in montclair, New Jersey, and he suggested we take a ride in the Cobra before the show.”
“I swear, if we hadn’t blown up the car, I might not have been on that record.”
– Earl Slick
“We drove for a bit, but the car started sputtering and stalling. Moments later, flames erupted from the engine. We called 911, and soon the fire department and police arrived, along with reporters who figured out I was in the car.”
“The next day, I received a text from Bowie: ‘Oh God, I saw the accident. Are you okay?’ I replied, ‘Yeah, I’m fine. How are you?’ He responded, ‘Good.’ Over the next couple of days, he kept checking in on me, which was unusual for him.”
“I asked, ‘Are you trying to get to a point? What’s going on?’ He said, ‘Well, we’re making this record, and I need you to come in for a week or so to work on it.’”
“I truly believe that if that car hadn’t caught fire, I might not have been part of that record. That’s just how Bowie was-sometimes he’d forget about you until something reminded him.”
Collaborative Creativity
“Was there a standard approach when you worked together?”
“We would brainstorm, especially during the overdubs. Both of us loved to incorporate melodic licks into the songs, and we’d bounce ideas off each other.”
“For instance, the signature lick in ‘Valentine’s Day’ emerged after about 10 or 15 minutes of jamming. Much of our best work happened spontaneously; as soon as we found something that clicked,we went with it.”
Reflecting on Bowie’s Evolution
“How do you perceive late-period Bowie compared to your earlier years with him?”
“in the early days, there were a lot of drugs involved, especially cocaine. Between that and management issues, he was frequently enough in a different world.”
“As time passed,he evolved,as we all do. By the 2000s, he had developed a sense of humor that was absent in his earlier years. He became much more approachable and relaxed, revealing a more genuine side of himself.”
Guitar Choices and Collaborations
“How did you approach your guitar selections for your work with Bowie?”
“I’ve always been a Telecaster player, but for the Heathen tour, he insisted on having a humbucker sound, so I used Les Pauls. By the time of the A Reality Tour, I primarily played my Les Pauls throughout the show.”
“It charted, and we had a hit single. It’s funny how timing works. I’m thrilled it’s included in the box set, as it turned out to be his last hit.”
– Earl Slick
“Having ‘Isn’t It Evening (The Revolutionary)’ in the box set is a fitting conclusion, especially after its recent success in the U.K.”
“Back in 2002, while living in portland, I started experimenting with my guitar and recorded various ideas.I reached out to Mark Plati, suggesting we create an instrumental record. Unbeknownst to me, he was in the studio with Bowie at the time.”
“Bowie overheard and expressed interest in contributing, so I sent him several ideas. He chose one that eventually became ‘Isn’t It Evening.’ We recorded it and released it during the A Reality tour, but it got overshadowed.”
“I held onto that track for years, thinking I’d release it as a single someday. When Penguin Books approached me about my memoir, I thought it was the perfect time to do it! We rearranged it, and it came out shortly after the book. It charted, and we had a hit single. It’s funny how timing works, and I’m glad it’s included in the box set as it turned out to be his last hit.”
