Finding an artist’s personal record collection feels like discovering their creative DNA. That intimacy just got real with David Bowie’s handwritten “favourite records” note, unearthed while preparing the V&A’s massive new archive. Like stumbling across someone’s perfectly curated Spotify playlist—except this one explains how a rock god actually got made.
The Discovery That Decodes Genius
The note surfaced during cataloguing for the David Bowie Centre, opening September 13, 2025, at V&A East Storehouse in Hackney Wick. Among costumes, lyrics, and stage props spanning Bowie’s career, archivists found this titled memo: “Memo for radio show — list of favourite records.” Sometimes the most revealing artifacts are the most personal ones.
From Vaughan Williams to Sonic Youth
The handwritten list reads like a masterclass in musical omnivory. Classical pieces by Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” and Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs” sit alongside Little Richard’s “True Fine Mama” and Miles Davis’ “Some Day My Prince Will Come.” Jeff Beck’s “Beck’s Bolero” shares space with the wonderfully bizarre Legendary Stardust Cowboy’s “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship.”
Most tellingly, Sonic Youth’s “Tom Violence” appears—proving Bowie’s ears stayed open to whatever came next. The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” and Roxy Music’s “Mother of Pearl” round out a selection that spans decades of innovation.
The Algorithm of Genius
This isn’t random eclecticism—it’s strategic absorption. Bowie’s picks trace a through-line from orchestral grandeur to punk experimentation, mirroring his own career arc from folk beginnings to avant-garde endings. While Spotify’s algorithm thinks it knows you, Bowie’s list shows how real artists curate influence: not by genre loyalty, but by emotional resonance and sonic possibility.
More Secrets Waiting
The archive also revealed plans for an “18th century musical” called The Spectator—unknown even to collaborators before his death. With 90,000 items still being catalogued, supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group, expect more revelations about how creativity actually works. The best discoveries happen when you’re not looking for them.
