Music

Never Forget That David Bowie’s Favourite Show Was Australian Classic ‘A Country Practice’

We stan a tasteful king.

by Joseph Earp  23 July 2020
David Bowie and A Country Practice

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

David Bowie was a man of exquisite tastes.

First, he recognised Lorde as the Queen that she was, calling her the sound of the future. Next, his list of favourite books is a collection of excellent titles, from Arthur C. Danto’s inspiring treatise on art, Beyond The Brillo Box, to dark comedy The Day Of The Locust by Nathanael West.

Oh, and that’s not even to mention his taste in television. According to an article first published by Mojo magazine, David Bowie was absolutely obsessed with Australian soap opera A Country Practice. For those not in the know, A Country Practice was a classic Australian sitcom that ran for over a thousand episodes, and followed the exploits of a rural medical practice. It also featured a wombat named Fatso, and this iconic opening crawl:

According to the Mojo interview, Bowie was so committed to A Country Practice that he used to watch it with his mate Iggy “Countdown” Pop. In fact, years later, Bowie invited the show’s lead actor, Shane Porteous, to hang out with him during his acclaimed Glass Spider tour. (That’s Bowie’s Glass Spider tour, not Porteous’).

You can read the full piece on Bowie’s excellent TV taste here:

Truly, what a champion.