David Bowie’s dark phase in the mid-1970s was marked by his new persona as ‘The Thin White Duke’ and his addiction to cocaine. He was also fascinated by the occult and sympathized with Hitler. Despite the challenges, he produced some of the most bizarre music of his career during this time.
Bowie collaborated with Brian Eno during his time in Berlin between recording Station to Station and Low. Together they explored synthetic music and krautrock, which would later become a significant influence on the post-rock movement. Amidst the many songs about the future of humanity, Bowie also delved into satanic practices, heavily influenced by Aleister Crowley’s works.
Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin had been collecting Crowley’s works for years and was rumored to have used his power to create some of the band’s biggest hits. As the ’70s wore on, depending on which of his friends was asked, Page seemed to have a grudge against Bowie.
Biographer Paul Trynka recounts a tale of David Bowie and Jimmy Page getting too involved in the occult, resulting in a confrontation where they tried to use their satanic practices against each other. This event made Bowie paranoid about Page’s intentions, even going as far as hiding his urine to prevent Page from using it for an antichrist ritual.
However, both men eventually left their satanic tendencies behind, with Bowie focusing on reinventing himself musically instead. Bowie explored a new wave on Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) and had a successful career working with Nile Rodgers on Let’s Dance. The satanic rituals were left in the past, and Bowie could urinate in peace until his dying day.