David Bowie‘s knack for uttering the mysterious and the sublime is unparalleled. In 1999, he sat down for an interview with BBC journalist Jeremy Paxman. One of the topics they spoke of was the internet, which then was a fairly new phenomenon whose potential was understood by only a few. Bowie, ever enlightened and ahead of the curve, was one of these people.
Watch this incredible BBC interview with David Bowie from 1999 where he predicts the power of the internet with chilling precision and foresight.
“I don’t think we’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg. I think the potential of what the internet is going to do to society, both good and bad, is unimaginable,” Bowie explained to a skeptical Paxman. “I think we’re actually on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying.”
Throughout the chat, Paxman remains unconvinced, but Bowie is unperturbed.
“It’s just a tool isn’t it?” says Paxman.
“No it’s not. It’s an alien life form.” Every word he says in the interview resonates with chilling foresight.
Watch the chat below and bow down people.
