A Dublin doctor has recalled his late night phone conversation with David Bowie, who passed away recently after an 18 month battle with cancer.
The legendary rock star contacted Ballinteer GP Douglas Bowie when he was doing research on their shared surname (although the singer’s is a stage name).
“Our phone rang late at night one night, it was 11, 11.30, ” he told The Ryan Tubridy Show on RTE Radio One.
Call: Douglas Bowie received a call from David late at night
“I was a GP and I was off duty so my wife answered the phone to try and intercept it.”
However, when the GP realised who he decided to take the call himself.
“They said this was David Bowie’s PA (and) would it be possible to talk to Douglas Bowie,” he explained.
“So I got on to her initially, and then she put me through to him. He was really phoning to try and find out the origin of the name Bowie.”
Turned down: The doctor turned down David’s offer of concert tickets
The doctor informed David that the name originated from the Scottish highlands.
“He was doing some research on it so I was able to fill him in a little bit on that,” he said.
“At the end he said: ‘As you probably know I’m coming over to do a concert in Dublin in a couple of weeks would you like some tickets?'”
Passed up: Douglas admitted he gave up tickets to see David Bowie
“Without thinking, I said ‘No thanks it’s ok, I don’t really like your type of music’,” the doctor recalled.
“The kids were in the room at the time . . . and the shouts of disgust and anger around me.
“We had a few more sentences together and said goodbye, but I’ve never really lived that down with the family. I’ve got to like him a little bit better now over the last few years.”
