Over a year ago, I noticed that the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) had acquired the David Bowie archive and was planning to create a dedicated venue for it, so I waited for tickets to be released. Now I don't want to spoil this post, but there is a clue in the word Archive, some of the academics amongst you will have immediately understood the difference between the word archive and exhibition. Having been educated under a 70s socialist education system, I missed the distinction. 🤪
According to Google Maps, I live approximately 149 miles from the V&A Storehouse, and it would take me just under three hours to get there. Now, some of you know, nothing goes smoothly for me, and this was to be no different. Watching the news the night before, the presenter merrily announced that the M6 would be closed at Jnc 4 at 3 am onwards, Saturday the 27th September 2025, so they could drag the new HS2 bridge over it. GREAT! My trip was M6, M1, M25. I was planning to leave around 6 am, but I told my wife I would go at 5:30 am to give myself some more time. Given that I was like an excited small child, I woke at 4 am and, after some coffee and the morning ritual, I set off at 5 am.
Sure enough, the M6 was closed at Jnc 4, and Google Maps wanted to redirect me to the M6 Toll. "Stuff that for a game of soldiers!" The M6 Toll isn't cheap, and given I grew up in the days of Road Atlases, I knew I just needed to get to the A5 and join the M1 further down. Of course, that added extra miles and time to my journey, but hey, that's why I left early. So there I am, happily driving down the M1 and making reasonable time. I start to approach Milton Keynes, and the motorway sign flashes: ACCIDENT AHEAD M1 CLOSED "You're taking the p..." I exclaimed. All traffic is being diverted off the M1 and essentially left to its own devices. Thank the Pond Gods for SAT-NAV, is all I can say. True, I did live in Milton Keynes for about three years, but that was nearly forty years ago! Now I am starting to panic as time is literally pouring away like water down a plughole. After travelling down roads with familiar names, we eventually rejoined the M1. The less said about the M25, the better. Christ, it's a boring motorway, it's only surpassed by the M180 to Scunthorpe for turning one's brain to mush in its blandness. I arrived at around 8:40 and parked in the rather shabby and rundown multi-storey car park, a short walk from the V&A.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a very strange place, in my opinion. While there's a University, there are many buildings that resemble educational or workshop facilities. I only saw one sign saying "Bowie at the V&A" on a billboard on my way towards Parkes Street. When I arrived at the venue, there was nothing. No posters, pictures or signs? I looked in one of the glass doors, and there was a girl setting up the coffee bar, ready for opening, when one of the faculty guys came out.
Me: "Is this the David Bowie exhibition?" Guy: "Yes mate, but we don't open till 10." Me: "Is this the entrance?" Guy: "No mate, down there where the silver doors are."
I mean, how are you supposed to know where to go? I didn't mind waiting for an hour; "It'll be worth it!" I reasoned. By 9:30, something wasn't right? Where is everyone? I was expecting crowds, given it was the first day of opening. 9.45 Na, there's something wrong? Where is everyone? Ten to and a few people started showing up, and by a few I mean eighteen people! What the hell? I naively began to convince myself that this would be an intimate, possibly hands-on experience. That would be awesome!
At 10 am, they let us in. A young, keen lad welcomed us and informed those wearing coats or clutching bags that they had to place them in the lockers provided. I can only think the reason is that they think you might try to pinch something and hide it in a coat pocket. I'd love to see someone try to secrete a wardrobe under their coat. 🤷♂️
The V&A Storehouse is precisely what it says on the tin. When you go up the stairs, you're presented with what I can only describe as a warehouse packed from floor to ceiling with 'things', everything from statues to tables and chairs, musical instruments, weapons and clothes. "Second level", said the passionate, bright young thing as I shot up the stairs. Nothing is signposted. Okay, the items may well have reference numbers, but if you look at the picture, you'll see that everything is dumped; it's almost as if someone has said, "Here's a spare shelf, that'll do." I started to climb another set of stairs, unsure what level two was, when I spied in the corner the word Bowie. I took a few steps back off the stairs I was about to ascend and walked around to the entrance. "Hello, and welcome to the David Bowie archive", said a young woman who then leapt into a brief explanation of guidebooks and "The display on the left is various items you may touch, pick up and examine." These were in a corridor leading to what I presumed were the displays.
I thought it was a bit naff. I would hope the eighteen people who were in the 10 am group, along with myself, were already ardent Bowie fans and would own or have seen the items on display. Indeed, the three guys, clearly from another country, wearing Bowie-themed T-shirts, must have? On my right was a glass cabinet with three single shoes. Did Bowie have a habit of losing left shoes then?
At the end of the corridor, I could see a large screen showing Bowie singing various songs (he didn't come out in the picture very well, I'm afraid).
I took a picture of myself with the famous Ziggy lightning strike jacket that Angie Bowie sewed on. (I believe that woman still bears a grudge. 😆)
The room with the displays was relatively small. "Is this it?" I thought. I literally saw three suits, two jackets, and, of course, the famous Ziggy period outfit with one leg and one arm missing. I never liked that outfit, so I didn't take a picture of it, although you can see a picture of it in the image below, top right. 🤣
I did see the Union Jack coat worn on the cover of the album Earthling. If you cast your mind back to earlier, when I was waiting to get in and I deluded myself that I might be allowed to get my hands on something, I fantasised wearing that coat and getting someone to film me on my phone while I sang ♫ ♪ "I'm afraid of Americans!" ♬ ♩
Most of the things on display were written lyrics, notes and ideas. I was hoping to see far more costumes, to be honest. I have lots of books with copies of his handwritten stuff already, although you could argue: "Ah, but you're seeing these in the flesh, so to speak, Pete."
I took this photo because of the mention of OASIS.
There was one (paper) item I was glad was on display, as I really wanted to see it. Bowie was working on a secret final project, a musical set in the 18th Century. The press release stated that when they unlocked his study, they found a storyboard that he had been building with Post-it Notes. I did study that for some time. You can see what he was doing. Each note has a time slot, so he was building each scene around those times.
There's not a lot on display IMO
Hanging from the ceiling like a scene out of some American dry cleaners were bags that had outfits in them. The bags gave a tantalising glimpse of some of the clothes that I would have found more interesting, such as the red suit from Diamond Dogs, one of my favourite albums. They were pretty high up, if truth be told.
We're beginning to see what should have given me a clue what this was all about; however, I hold up my hand and admit it wasn't until this morning (Sunday), when I was thinking about it and planning this post, that it hit me.
ARCHIVE
It's an archive. It's not an exhibition. I wondered why there were all those boxes labelled with David Bowie and a reference number. I spent just under forty minutes in the venue. All that time spent organising the trip down, the money, registering with Transport for London and the aggravation, and I only spent forty minutes there. I tried to eek it out, I really did, but there's only so long you can look at a stylophone.
Should have read the small print
Actually, this could have been headlined "It's easy to be wise after the fact." Apparently, the procedure is to submit a written request to view something. I doubt very much that just anyone can ask to see the original Ziggy outfit by Kansai Yamamoto. I would imagine that you have to be an academic with thesis credentials or a celebrity to do that.
- Would I go again? No.
- Was it worth it? Not really.
- Did you enjoy it? What I saw, yes.
- Should I go? That's up to you, but I wouldn't bother.
The final verdict?
By the book, David Bowie is inside. It has all the pictures of all nine hundred items in the archive, with full explanations and Amazon currently has the paperback on offer for £24.29 which is a hell of a lot cheaper than the amount I laid out.
My actual name is Pete. This is why I have the username dickturpin
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