Bob Dylan significantly influenced David Bowie; the English artist even created 'Song To Bob Dylan' on his landmark album 'Hunky Dory' to highlight this connection. However, it is less known that Bowie once envisioned a musical project that revolved around fictional Bob Dylan songs.
Initiated in 2005, the project was planned in collaboration with novelist Michael Cunningham, who met with Bowie in New York to discuss it. While the full storyline was never revealed, it appeared to be a futuristic alien love story that would feature Bob Dylan ‘songs’—crafted by David Bowie himself.
In a reflection for GQ, Cunningham shared, “David reluctantly informed me that he envisioned the musical set in the future. The storyline would center on a collection of previously unknown, unrecorded Bob Dylan songs discovered posthumously. David would create these unheard songs himself.”
He continued, “Who could convincingly write a fake Dylan song? Well, David Bowie would be the one, if anyone could, but who (including Bowie) would want to? And what would the real Bob Dylan think about it?”
The two began outlining ideas, with Bowie later reaching out to Cunningham to add another element. “A few days after our initial discussion, David called to say he had overlooked something. He would be happy if mariachi music could be included, noting that it was under-appreciated outside of Mexico."
Bowie reportedly composed “brief passages of music” for the project, which he played for Cunningham. “The songs were undeniably beautiful, yet they had what I can only describe as a dark undertone. They were urgent, gorgeous, and somehow slightly menacing.”
Unfortunately, David Bowie's health issues caused the project to stall. After suffering a heart attack in 2004 and needing surgery when it recurred, work on the musical ceased.
Michael Cunningham recalled, “We were nearly halfway through our first draft when David's heart issues returned. He needed immediate surgery… Our musical was put on hold, and we never resumed it.”
Bowie later released remarkable work, culminating in his final jazz-influenced album, ‘Blackstar,’ in 2016. He kept in touch with Cunningham, though they chose not to mention the project again. “Neither of us ever brought up the musical. We shared a silent understanding, along with a mutual reluctance to reference what was no longer in our future.”
One can’t help but speculate what a ‘fake Bob Dylan song’ composed by David Bowie might have sounded like—perhaps one day, those vaults will be opened.
Bob Dylan significantly influenced David Bowie, prompting the English artist to compose 'Song To Bob Dylan' on his iconic 'Hunky Dory' album to express this.
