Chris Tarrant admitted he “fell in love” with a male musician while live on Radio X. Chatting to his son Toby Tarrant on a Father’s Day special of his radio programme, the former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire presenter recalled falling for Starman singer David Bowie when they met, branding him the “nicest bloke”.
Tarrant’s Encounter With Bowie
Chris explained he met Bowie twice, telling Toby: “But he came in on The Breakfast Show. Bearing in mind he was just this huge star, and he was on his way back to the States to see his new baby, and he just ambled in about sort of 10 minutes early. I went, ‘Oh my god, it's Ziggy Stardust!’ He had sort of old mac on, no PR people around, and no managers. And he was just the nicest bloke. And I've always thought, ‘What a man!’ I mean, because, you know, most of the huge bands who get on are just, you know, in many ways a pain.”
A Relaxed Conversation
He went on: “He was just, 'Hello, mate, you're alright?’ and called me Tarrant and all that. I was like, ‘Hello, I’m talking to David Bowie!’” Recalling more of that fateful meeting, Chris said: “I said, ‘Do you mind taking a few calls?’ He said, ‘No, mate. Do what you like. Just mention the album, that’s all you have to do,’ and all that. The first bloke came on, he went, ‘Hello Dave!’ I went, ‘Excuse me. Mr. Stardust.’ ‘Yeah, Dave. Anyway, I saw you once Dave on the number 12 bus coming out of Streatham.’ And I went, ‘He’s not Dave, and he wouldn't be on the…’ He said, ‘I was, actually.’ And we had about a 45-minute conversation with David Bowie – God – about buses he'd been seen in.”
Bowie’s Down-to-Earth Nature
“A woman came on, ‘Yeah, I saw you once in Croydon.’ ‘Oh yeah, I used to go to Croydon quite a lot, the number 37 out of Thornton Heath.’ It was just the most wonderful… I was just sitting there, like, ‘I'm just in love with David Bowie’ and being on the radio.” Toby then joked: “I heard the story goes that he turned up with nobody, basically knocked on the door, and he went, 'Hello, I'm here to see Chris Tarrant,’ and I think Courtney, he was on reception, he's still on reception this day, was like, 'What's your name? Oh, what's your name?’ ‘Yeah, David Bowie’. But apparently afterwards they said, 'Oh, do you want us to get you a taxi home?’ And he just went, 'No, it's fine, it's quicker on the tube.’”
