Since David Bowie’s passing, musicians have not only been sharing stories about working with or being inspired by the iconic Starman, but also some legendary rejections, as well. Coldplay shared a story about a time Bowie flat out said no to collaborating with them because David said of the proposed duet, “It’s not a very good song, is it?” Well, Chris Martin and company aren’t the only ones who were denied by Mr. Stardust.
Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis told Steve Jones on his radio show that the group had contacted Bowie on separate occasions about producing By The Way in 2002 and then Stadium Arcadium in 2006. The singer told Jones:
“Every record we ever made, we had the band discussion. ‘Who should we get to produce this record?'” ‘I don’t know, we have to try someone new!’ ‘Let’s get David Bowie!’ ‘Okay, let’s call him.’ So in the beginning we would call him, and he would say no, respectfully. Then later we would write long e-mails explaining everything, and why it was time for us to really get our ships on, and he always respectfully declined. For two minutes I was heartbroken, and then I would hear Chad Smith play drums, and I’d be like, ‘We’re good, we could do something else.'”
Although he turned them down, the group seems to have no ill feelings towards the legend. Flea even got a tattoo to honor his hero after his death. Having Bowie turn them down wasn’t such a bad thing, Stadium Arcadium was nominated for seven Grammy Awards that year and took home five awards, including the award for Best Rock Album.
(Via Consequence of Sound)
