A Convenient Marriage
Barnett described her marriage to Bowie as one of convenience. She stated that they married so that she could get a work permit. She also admitted that she didn’t think it would last. According to Barnett, Bowie told her before they got married “I’m not really in love with you.” And she then said that she thought it was “probably a good thing.”
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About living with Barnett, Bowie said it was “like living with a blow torch.” In 1971, the two had a son together named Duncan, who was known as Zowie. When Bowie and Barnett divorced in 1980, he received custody of Duncan. After an order that was part of their divorce agreement timed out, Barnett wrote a memoir called Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie, in which she described their turbulent marriage.