Chuck Palahniuk Unveils The Role David Bowie Had In Creating ‘Fight Club’

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The already astounding legend of David Bowie continues to swell in the days following his passing. For example, did you know that the genre-shattering legend had an indirect hand in Chuck Palahniuk selling his soon-to-be classic work Fight Club? We had no clue of such a thing until today when the author penned a tribute piece about Bowie for Rolling Stone.

Palahniuk gushes in the essay about the intoxicating nature of Bowie and in particular about how the song “Young Americans” helped nudge his most famous novel (plus others) into existence. In a bid to attract the attention of editor Gerald Howard, who he had in his sights at a hotel bar, Palahniuk devised a scheme to pry the in-demand Howard away from other novelists with stars in their eyes.

I couldn’t get near Gerry Howard so I asked the bartender for $10 in quarters, and I fed them into the jukebox and selected the same song to play forty times. It was “Young Americans,” a song I could listen to forever on a desert island. Most people were ticked off. Soon everyone left, and I had Gerry to myself. Eventually I sold him Fight Club and 15 more books. To this day, he doesn’t remember that song, playing over and over and the haters hating me as they abandoned the bar.

Imagine a world where your career owes a large debt to wailing sax and Bowie leaning into R&B. That sounds not too shabby, eh? Palanhiuk adds that the success that came from that unique introduction to Howard led to some intriguing purchases that also have Bowie’s touch to them.

With the book money, what did I buy? The good life, of course, as modeled by vampire David Bowie. Antique marble statues. Classy blowing curtains. And, yes, a powder room. Thank you, Mr. Bowie. You were my role model and my hero and my savior. I will miss you very much.

(Via Rolling Stone)

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