Strange memory of Bowie-China Girl on TOTP, did this happen?

[Dan S]

Hopefully the experts here can shed some light on this, whether I was watching TOTP or some other music show.

My memory is of David Bowie performing China Girl on what I think was TOTP but could just as easily have been some other music show.
Bowie performed his (then current) single "China Girl". On the stage was a motorbike parked up on its stand, and Mr Bowie and a Chinese girl were both reclined on the motorbike in a very suggestive way. The performance seemed very risque for the timeslot, he basically bumped and grinded with her for the whole song!

Does anyone know what I was watching? I've looked on youtube and nothing comes close to resembling what I remember.

[Dave Woods]

I have a memory of a pop show - and I think it was totp - drawing complaints about a man and a woman "dancing" suggestively on a motorbike in the early eighties. In my memory they were just dancers and not the actual act, and I've no idea who the act would have been but I doubt it was Bowie. Sorry, not much help - I've forgotten the performance but not my mum's reaction to it.

[tonyrees]

The man and woman on a bike might have been The Tubes. I know Fee Waybill and Re Styles had a raunchy routine on the back of a motorbike. They will appear on the 17th May 1979 edition of TOTP performing Prime Time.

[peterfitzpatrick]

Also sounds like the Queen video for "Crazy Little Thing..."

I have no memory of Bowie doing live TV for the Let's Dance singles and it would have been an event to have him appear on TOTP at that time.

[Mark Leech]

Bowie did not appear live in the TOTP studio at all in the 80s. His hits were either featured via promos or dance routines. His only recorded performance was for "Time Will Crawl" in 1987 which was not used in the end.

Regards


Mark

[jerryg]

hi dave ,I can remember one of the rock and pop awards show where some of the dancers I think sat on a motorbike moving suggestively on a motorbike whilst kim wilde sang view from a bridge ,I can remember comlplaints about that at the time ,I wonder I that's the show you remember,im pretty sure it as the irvng davies dancers on that performance.