David Bowie Bassist Gail Ann Dorsey: ‘He Altered the Course of My Life’

I take it there was never even talk of another tour.
No. Definitely not a tour. He said he didn’t want to tour anymore, forever. He just wanted to make records. At one point, he said to me that he didn’t want to take his daughter out of school. He said, “She has a life. She’s doing her own thing. I just can’t take her on the road. My wife and daughter have lives. I would rather be there for them than be out on the road.”

Touring is grueling, even if you do it on a high level where you have all the comforts you could possibly get. You still aren’t at home. You could be flying on a jet, staying in a castle on a mountaintop, but if you don’t have your wife and children, it just doesn’t mean anything.

Did you knew he was sick in these past couple of years?
No. Not at all. I’m still completely in a state of shock. Hearing the news was a total shock.

Do you recall the last time you heard from him?
I emailed him on his birthday [January 8th], and he didn’t answer. He usually emails me every New Year’s, but that didn’t happen this year. That didn’t really surprise me, though. I know sometimes he turns off his computer for a few weeks at a time. I invited him to my 50th birthday a few years ago and he didn’t respond. I was like, “Is he mad at me?” Then a week after the party, he emailed to say, “Oh, my God, I’m just getting your message. I’m so sorry I missed the party. I would have been there. I’m going to make it up to you.” So he sent me a really nice gift.

It’s gotta be amazing to think of just how he changed your life. You probably wouldn’t be in Lenny Kravitz’s band or …
So much of my life wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t know where I would be, but he completely, single-handedly altered the course of my life.