Through rock and roll history, there have been few stars bigger and more important than David Bowie and Paul McCartney. Imagine being a young exec at an upstart cable TV channel called MTV and finding yourself in nothing but a towel, chilling in a sauna in Gstaad, Switzerland, with both of them at the same time! That’s exactly what happened to MTV co-founder Tom Freston. The story is as wild as it sounds.
In The Beginning, MTV Wasn’t A Sure-Fire Hit
In his new memoir, Unplugged: Adventures From MTV to Timbuktu, which Vanity Fair has published an excerpt from, Freston recalled a crazy adventure in the early days of the fledgling cable network. It had been decided that MTV needed an ad campaign with the biggest stars in the business. They set their sights on the then-seemingly impossible task of landing maybe two of the biggest: Mick Jagger and David Bowie. A former Beatle, Paul McCartney, also plays a role in the incredible story.
According to Freston, that’s when the “I Want My MTV” campaign was born. His colleague Les Garland was charged with snagging Jagger, who once lobbied for the role of Frank in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for a commercial. Freston went out to get Bowie. Bold moves for a couple of guys in their early 20s from a cable station that was still a ways off from becoming the cultural icon it would one day be. Garland quickly got Jagger to do the ad, paying him one dollar. Freston explains:
‘Mick, we don’t have any money. But, if this is about money, I’ll give you a dollar.’ Garland laid a dollar on the table. It could have gone either way, but Jagger laughed. Then he said, ‘I like you, Garland. I’ll do it.’
Boom, one megastar was in. For Freston, things were a little trickier and a lot more exotic.
Freston Went Where The Stars Were
With Jagger on board, wanting his MTV, Freston contacted one of Bowie’s inner circle, writing in his book:
Bowie had a very pleasant, somewhat mysterious associate named Coco Schwab. Managers came and went, record labels came and went, but Schwab was constant. I called her. ‘Would David be willing to do an ‘I Want My MTV’ commercial?’
Soon, Freston and another colleague, Dale Pon, made their way to the Alps with their small camera crew and heavy equipment. When they arrived, Bowie, who was no stranger to film shoots, and his associates took over, as Freston describes:
Schwab had us carry everything out into the snow and set up at the bottom of a remote hill. Bowie skied down in great spirits. He was in his slick ‘Let’s Dance’ phase. On the slopes, he looked like a surfer with blond hair, dressed in a slim parka and shades. He directed himself for the spot.
Then they got what they wanted:
[Bowie] wanted to ski down, swoosh at the bottom, rip off his sunglasses, and, with a broad grin, say, ‘I want my MTV.’ He thought it would be fun to put our logo on his skis, too, in post-production. We got the spot in a few takes. Mission accomplished.
The story doesn’t end with the now-famous commercial, though.
Bowie Invited Freston To His Hotel For A Sauna Session
After the shoot, Bowie asked Freston if he’d be interested in meeting up at the star’s hotel for a sauna. Here’s where the FOMO comes into play, for me, and everyone else reading, I’m sure. Freston describes the scene:
Bowie was waiting in the spa. We walked together into the sauna. There was only one other person there. He was sitting on a high bench up in the back, deep in the fog. I squinted. It was Paul McCartney! Jesus Christ. Somehow, I’d made it into the Sauna of the Stars.
That’s right, not only did Freston find himself having a schvitz with David Bowie, but they were joined by Paul McCartney (who will soon be the subject of a Beatles biopic) of all people! Freston couldn’t believe it, either, as he notes:
Bowie and McCartney, and Tommy Freston from Connecticut, sat around naked, wrapped in towels, taking turns throwing water on the hot rocks. We shot the shit for half an hour. They were easy to talk to and eager to hear about MTV. I was full of gratitude.
Gratitude is one way to put it! I don’t get starstruck very easily, but it would be impossible not to in this situation! Chilling with two of the biggest and best rock and rollers of all time in any situation would be mindblowing. Naked in a sauna, talking about a brand new MTV, which would soon take over the world? It’s just too much!
Soon after, “I Want My MTV” became one of the catchiest and most effective advertising slogans of all time, with dozens of stars doing spots for the campaign. It’s incredible to read how it basically started on a ski slope in the Alps, followed by some sauna time with Bowie and a Beatle.