In a career-spanning conversation on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the legendary Lulu has pulled back the curtain on her extraordinary life among music’s greatest icons. From late-night trysts with David Bowie to the "sterile" state of British music before the Fab Four, the "Shout" singer offered a candid look at the golden age of rock and roll.
The Night with David Bowie
Perhaps the most electric revelation involved her first meeting with David Bowie. Recalling a night of deep conversation and "inebriation," Lulu told Theroux: “He said to me that night, ‘I’m going to make a fing hit record with you.’”* Bowie was reportedly frustrated by how the industry viewed her. “He said… ‘The record companies don’t know what to do with you. They don’t know what to do. They don’t get you, they don’t get your voice either,’” she shared, adding that she was "absolutely blown away" by the attention from the Hunky Dory star.
The Hendrix Scandal
Lulu also addressed the infamous 1969 live TV moment when Jimi Hendrix went off-script on her show, leading to a BBC blacklisting. Rather than being angry, Lulu noted that Hendrix was a “southern gentleman” who apologized for the stunt. However, the BBC’s attempt to punish him backfired. “They wouldn’t play him on the radio then they wouldn’t put him on any television shows, but I think it made him more popular than ever,” she asserted.
Beatles and Bee Gees Regrets
Despite her own fame, Lulu admitted to being “slightly terrified” of The Beatles due to her immense admiration for their sound. “Before The Beatles, I really only liked American music. I found British music to be a bit beige. A bit flat. A bit too sterile,” she confessed.
Surprisingly, Lulu also revealed a lingering professional regret regarding her former in-laws, the Bee Gees. Despite their hit-making prowess, she never collaborated with them on an album. “I never really had the confidence to ask them to do that with me,” she admitted on The Louis Theroux Podcast, calling it a major “missed opportunity.”
