David Bowie’s Secret Final Project Revealed

David Bowie was working on bringing something to theater before his 2016 passing. When he died, what was believed to have been his final project was released: a final album titled Blackstar, which was inspired by his cancer diagnosis and an acceptance of his mortality.

BBC reports that in his final months, he was working on another project, which was unearthed in notes found in his study listed as “18th Century musical,” which was titled The Spectator. The project was unknown to even his closest collaborators.

The notes have now been donated to the V&A Museum, with the rest of Bowie’s archive. It exposes Bowie’s fascination with the development of art and satire in 18th Century London, which includes stories of criminal gangs and the notorious thief “Honest” Jack Sheppard. 

The musical was reportedly one of Bowie’s long-term dreams. He’d spoken about his love for the artform previously. 

“Right at the very beginning, I really wanted to write for theatre,” Bowies told BBC Radio 4’s John Wilson in 2002. “And I guess I could have just written for theatre in my living room – but I think the intent was [always] to have a pretty big audience.”

Bowie’s notes for The Spectator were found as he had left them, pinned to the walls and stored in his office in New York. The room was always locked. Only Bowie and his personal assistant had a key.

Fans will get an inside peek to view when the David Bowie Centre opens at the V&A East Storehouse in Hackney Wick on September 13. “We even have the desk [where he worked] at the Storehouse, as well,” says Madeleine Haddon, the collection’s lead curator.

An entire notebook is devoted to The Spectator, which is described as a daily periodical that ran for 555 issues between 1711 and 1712 detailing the manners and fads of London society. It’s written in black pen ink. 

There’s one mortality tale that features two sisters: one beautiful but “vain and severe”, who lost a suitor to her plain, but more agreeable, sibling. He considered it to be a “good subplot.”

The notes also showcase Bowie’s obsession with crime and punishment. He considered making Jack Sheppard, a petty thief who had won the public’s affection, one of the main characters. 

Overall, Bowie’s archives include about 90,000 objects. About 200 items will be on display at the centre, but visitors can book an appointment to view anything from the collection in person – which includes everything from stage costumes to handwritten lyrics – by filling out an online form.