The Cabaret artist share her memories about this icon
I have a friend in London, and when there are departures of someone known, or happy events of some stars, or you know something we can discuss of, from gossip to some serious topic, baby he is in the industry, I drop an e-mail for asking for something more, in terms of details and stories.
The departure of David Bowie put me down again. No: I didn't follow Bowie but I loved his style. His make-up. He had two wonderful beautiful eyes. He was a sexy beast. He was an icon.
I contacted my source in London, and I obtained this short little tale.
"A story from a friend of mine. A bit long and a bit crazy, but worth reading".
It was night I thanked and promised to read it the day after.
I found it stunning.
I asked if for case I could publish it, because it was too beauty for keeping it just for myself.
I mean, it was a honor, I could have done it. I do it most times but...Could I..?
My friend replied me: "Sure. Go for it".
Mrs Cabaret wrote it.
Eve Ferret.
I found stunningly and fascinated pictures of this brilliant and smiling actress. Her life a dream of meeting, smiles, laughs, happy shows.
She has had the great luck of meeting along her life-road David Bowie as well. Here her contribution.
The shocking news of Bowie's departure
"Like everybody else I was completely lost for words when I was woken by a text telling me that David Bowie had died and when the lovely Devon Buchanon plonked. This picture of me with him on my time line last night, I still couldn't think of anything that hadn't already been said by all of us. We all have our personnel thoughts and vivid memories of what he meant to us. These are mine. Sorry when I found my voice just now I couldn't stop".
Mrs Ferret starts her tale from the mythical 70s.
"Most of us remember the Top of the Pops moment in '72. I do for different reasons.
David looked really really cute and I loved the song, never thought of it being odd of him putting his arm around Mick.
It was normal wasn't it?"
A personal consideration:
"Apparently not, but I was totally thrown by the upstaging bass players Grey sideburns thinking then... I kid you not... Who, WHO would sleep with him."
Ferret was singing at the Blitz Club...
"It was as part of Biddie and Eve filled with everybody from St Martins and Central dressed however we wanted.
We played Bowie, Biddie loved him so much. We all dressed very differently from each other that is important to me as we were not lookalikes.
Steve Strange and Rusty opened Billy's and they play loads of Bowie, in 1978 every body swirled from club to club and I think Billy's lasted about 3 months before they started a night at Blitz and you all know the rest Ashes to Ashes history etc."
1980s
"30th of July 1981- Blitz had closed the night before forever, Charles and Diana's wedding coming soon - I walked into "The Embassy" and down stairs was sitting together Superman - Christopher Reeves - Popeye - Robin Williams - and our own Superman - David Bowie -"
When you see some super-stars all together can be a dream ALSO when you are in that business. So, what happened to a bubbling lady like Mrs Ferret, surely not so shy?
"I loved the camp of it all, as you could imagine, (I imagine, I imagine, n.d.r....) I never spoke to any of them... Loads did. I just felt awkward and shy to prance up to them, and still there was Lemmy on the slot machine".
But something else happened...
"Angie Bowie was in my flat suggesting we should do a cabaret act together but THAT is another story..."
--------------
"1984 who'd have thought I'd be asked to appear in 'Jazzin for Blue Jean' a 20min music and story by David Bowie and Directed by Julien Temple. I played the woman who wouldn't let him into the Venue.
In real life it was at the back of the Savoy and it was 4 am.
I was already being lit for the shot and the low hum of Bowie's coming...
Bowie's coming..
Made me go a bit, hot top lip to say the least.
I was alright up to that point as I knew a snog was out of the question (Ha)".
The arrival of Bowie...
"David walked in and I said
"Hello my name is Eve Ferret" like a dork and he said:
'And I'm David Bowie'
like I blinkin' didn't know".
Then David close to Eve Ferret...
"When I was a foot from his face, out of nowhere my trap opened and sprouted
'You haven't got a brown eye at all it's a big pupil'
and he replied
'It is'
and we both laughed, with him asking what made me think of having a name like Ferret and he loved that I was born with that name and there was a bunch of Ferrets and we ended up singing together on set with everyone around a really old cockney music hall song I got from my nan and he new every word as well, called: " Make yourself at home."
We finished our scene and he said:
'Are you gonna be on Absolute Beginners'
and I said:
'Yes'
and he said
'See you there'
and I thought:
'Well how lovely was he and I'll never see him again'
But....Something else happened
"Six to nine months of so later I'm on set for Absolute Begginers.
I was standing in my leopard skin suit and had a 50's face painted on my 1890's Toulouse -Lautrec real face and a well meaning extra had just said to me
'Wow you look just like Divine.'
Funny now but at the time I was so crestfallen. I bent my head to face the ground so that I could do vertical tears straight to the floor instead of makeup streaks down my cheeks ....
Surprise surprise....
"The low hum started again ..."
Which one? But this one of course
"Bowie's coming. Bowie's coming.
There were 100's on set we were going to do a big street scene.
I thought well he will never remember me...
Why should he?
- he meets 1000's of people -
and then he just walked across the set and said
'Hello Ferret how's it going?'
with everyone saying
'You didn't tell us you knew him'.
I didn't, but then maybe I did for in those precious moments.
I could see his genuine kindness and he was there when I needed him, just like he was there for all of us when we needed him, alone in our rooms where ever we were."
Was he so exceptional?
"Yes the man was special, very special and made a big old bird in leopard skin feel ok to walk down the street."
Anna Maria Polidori
Thanks Mrs Ferret for sharing with me your thoughts and meetings with David Bowie.