Coco Schwab: The Woman Who Saved David Bowie

Summary

Behind The Song: Classic Rock Chronicles Episode: Coco Schwab: The Woman Who Saved David Bowie
Host: Janda Lane
Release Date: August 13, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of "Behind The Song," hosted by Janda Lane from the Gamut Podcast Network, listeners are immersed in the profound friendship between David Bowie and Coco Schwab—a relationship Bowie himself credited with saving his life during his tumultuous years in the mid-1970s.

Coco Schwab's Background

Coco Schwab, born Corinne Schwab, entered David Bowie's orbit in 1973 when she responded to an advertisement seeking a "Girl Friday" for Bowie's management office in New York City. In her mid-20s and hailing from New York, Coco brought a unique blend of artistic and analytical skills to her role. Her father, a French photographer from Hamburg, was renowned for capturing some of the first images of liberated concentration camps post-World War II, while her mother was a French psychotherapist. This diverse background equipped Coco with the resilience and insight needed to support a rock icon like Bowie.

Meeting David Bowie

Initially intending to work at Main Man, Bowie's management firm, for only a few months, Coco's role quickly expanded. In 1974, Bowie recognized her potential and invited her to become his personal assistant. This decision marked the beginning of a 46-year-long partnership, during which Coco became Bowie’s protector and steadfast companion.

Janda (00:16): "Coco Schwab came into Bowie's life in 1973... She was born in the same year he was born, by the way."

Coco's Role in Bowie's Life

As Bowie grappled with mental health struggles and heavy cocaine use, Coco provided the stability he desperately needed. She was instrumental in safeguarding Bowie from negative influences, including his first wife, Angie Barnett. Tony Visconti, Bowie's longtime producer, remarked in the 1980s:

Tony Visconti (as cited by Janda): "Coco kept the irritating people out of [Bowie's] life."

Coco's dedication went beyond professional duties. She managed Bowie's daily needs meticulously, even performing tasks like squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush to ensure his well-being. During a critical period in Berlin, when Coco was briefly absent, Visconti took over her responsibilities, highlighting the indispensable role she played.

Bowie's Personal Songs About Coco

David Bowie's admiration and reliance on Coco Schwab transcended mere friendship, deeply influencing his music. While few songs in his catalog are explicitly personal, "Never Let Me Down," the title track of his 1987 album, stands out as a heartfelt ode to Coco.

Janda (03:38): "Never Let Me Down... starts with these 'When I believed in nothing I called her name...'"

Bowie composed and arranged the song within 24 hours, with lyrics flowing effortlessly as a testament to Coco's impact on his life. The song's chorus encapsulates his gratitude:

Lyrics: "Never let me down, she never let me down."

In a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone, Bowie acknowledged the depth of their relationship:

David Bowie: "There is a romance in it. ... There's not many people you find in life that you can do that with or feel that way with."

The Relationship and Legacy

Coco Schwab remained Bowie’s unwavering support system until his passing in 2016. Her loyalty was evident as she stayed constantly by his side, managing his affairs and protecting him from further turmoil. In Bowie's will, he bequeathed $2 million to Coco and designated her as the guardian of his daughter, Alexandria, should her mother, Iman, pass away.

Bowie also left Coco shares in a mysterious entity, Opossum, Inc.—a company shrouded in secrecy, much like the enigmatic nature of Bowie's own legacy. The opossum, known for playing dead, perhaps subtly references Bowie’s fascination with themes of resurrection and transformation, as seen in his work like the song "Lazarus."

Coco Schwab continues to reside in New York City, maintaining her private life away from the public eye. Despite the speculations and rumors surrounding her relationship with Bowie, Coco remains an elusive figure, embodying the true essence of an unsung hero in the annals of rock history.

Conclusion

"Coco Schwab: The Woman Who Saved David Bowie" offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a woman whose unwavering support helped steer one of rock's greatest icons through his darkest hours. Coco Schwab's story is a poignant reminder of the profound impact true friendship and loyalty can have, even amidst the glitz and chaos of classic rock stardom.

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Transcript

[Janda]

Welcome to the behind the Song Podcast, taking you deeper into classic rock's most timeless tunes. Here's your host, Janda.

I'm Janda. And in this bonus episode of the behind the Song podcast, I'll get into the story of the friendship that David Bowie credited with saving his life as he was totally spiraling out in the mid-70s. A person who remained by his side for over 40 years, right to the very end, his longtime assistant, Coco Schwab. Now, Coco Schwab came into Bowie's life in 1973 when she answered an ad for a Girl Friday type to work at Main man, which was Bowie's management office in New York City. She was a New Yorker herself. She was in her mid-20s at that time, the same age as Bowie, born in the same year she was born, by the way, Corinne Schwab. And then she ended up going by Coco as a nickname. Her dad was a French photographer who was born in Hamburg, Germany. He was one of the first people to take pictures of liberated concentration camps after World War II, one of which, by the way, his own mother had escaped from. He then moved to New York from Germany and became a really successful fashion and film photographer. And then her mother was a French psychotherapist. So Coco Schwab came from both an artistic and an analytical background, which then no doubt came in pretty handy when she met David Bowie, the person with whom she would spend decades of her life caring for when they met. Schwab had only intended to work for Main man for a few months, but Bowie invited her to be his personal assistant as he traveled around America in 1974, and off she went with him. And. And if you're thinking of the Alan Yentaub documentary Cracked Actor, yes, that is Coco riding around in the limousine with Bowie singing along to Carole King to Natural Woman in the Car, while a very thin and very manic David Bowie laughs over a fly that was caught in his milk. Yeah, that was Coco in the Car. One of the few times that people at large have seen Coco Schwab. It ended up being a ride that went on for the next 46 years because she became Bowie's protector and his guard dog, even toward his first wife, Angie Barnett. As. As Bowie was spiraling out mentally abusing cocaine very heavily, Schwab stepped in to keep bad people away from him. And Tony Visconti, of course, Bowie's longtime producer, arranger, and friend, said in the 80s that Coco kept the irritating people out of. And Angie had become one of them. Angie. Bowie would later point the finger at Schwab for the ending of their marriage. Their divorce became final in 1980.

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[Janda]

It was Coco Schwab who recognized that Bowie needed stability and provided it for him during the most fragile time in his life, mentally and spiritually. She found him an apartment next to a bookstore in Berlin when he wanted to move there to get away from his demons in Los Angeles and and took his care so seriously that it included squeezing the toothpaste out on his toothbrush for him. In fact, during that time Schwab went away on a short trip and then Tony Visconti, who was in Berlin to work on what would become Bowie's Berlin trilogy of albums, has said that he was so completely appalled at the state of the apartment that he moved into it to look after Bowie until Schwab returned. Bowie told the face magazine in 1983 that Schwab was the most important person to him when it came to getting himself clean and putting his life in order. He said that he was living like a madman in a deep depression and she just told him to snap out of it. He said that she was the only one who told him that he was behaving like a quote unquote moron and helped him to get out of that situation. He said that he had a positive approach to wanting to get better because of her. Schwab was the wall through which everyone had to pass to get to Bowie, and he desperately needed that to get himself sober. There are only a handful of songs in Bowie's entire catalog that are explicitly personal. One is the Wedding Song, written for his second wife and widow Iman for their 1992 wedding. It appears on the Black Tie White Noise album. Another personal song is Letter to Hermione, written about an unsent love letter to his first love, Hermione Farthingale on his self titled album in 1969. So I've been writing just for you. And another personal song for Bowie is Never Let Me down. The title track for his 17th album, released in 1987. That song is for Coco Schwab. It starts with these When I believed in nothing I called her name Trapped in a high dollar joint in some place I called her name and though my days were slipping by and nights so cruel I thought I'd die She danced her little dance till it made me cry she was shaking like honey this doing that and the chorus of the song is really simple. Never let me down she never let me down. Bowie said that the song was written and arranged within 24 hours, the lyrics coming so easily to him. For Coco, the person he credited with helping get his life back on track, he said that it was the most personal song he'd written about his feelings for anyone up to that point in his career. Of course, there were rumors that Bowie and Coco Schwab were more than friends, more than employer employee. Bowie told rolling stone in 1987 that there is a romance in it. I guess in as much as it's hard for two people to feel totally at ease in each other's company and not expect too much from each other, always prepared to be there if the other one needs someone, there's not many people you find in life that you can do that with or feel that way with. Coco Schwab remained loyal to Bowie for decades, very rarely far from his side, always behind the scenes and on hand to assist. When he passed away in 2016, he left her $2 million in his will, and she's listed as the guardian for Alexandria, Bowie's daughter with Iman in the event that her mother passes away. He also left Schwab stock in a company called Opossum, Inc. That stock is appropriately mysterious for something given by David Bowie because the company has no public disclosure, doesn't trade stock on any market, and there is zero information about it anywhere. But interestingly, the opossum is a creature known to play dead when attacked, which of course recalls Bowie's fascination with Lazarus, who rose from the dead. We may never know more about Opossum, Inc. Or more about any of the secrets in Bowie's life, and we sure aren't going to hear about it from the very private and very reclusive Coco Schwab, who still lives in New York City. She is rarely quoted, and I wouldn't bet on a memoir to ever be released, but she'll always be a part of the legacy of David Bowie, the unsung hero and the friend that he needed for a lifetime. So what other songs about counting on a friend come to mind. Something to think about. Until next time. I'm Janda and this has been behind the song, if you like it. Thank you for subscribing. And on the way, much more classic rock and roll.