Peter Frampton sat with newsman Dan Rather for a career-spanning interview that aired Tuesday night (Nov. 21) on AXS TV. During the chat, Frampton explained how David Bowie helped revive his career in the mid ‘80s, reintroducing the guitarist to fans as the extraordinary musician he is, and helping put to rest the poster-boy image that had dogged Frampton since the release of Frampton Comes Alive!

“David and I went to school together,” said Frampton. “His art teacher was my father … he was always a person I looked up to – a kind of brother figure.”

After hearing Frampton’s 1986 album, Premonition, Bowie phoned Frampton and asked him to record with him in Switzerland. “He said, ‘I’ve just heard your latest record, and man, I’ve got to have some of that guitar on my next record,’” explained Frampton. “So I went to Switzerland, and we made the record – Never Let Me Down. While I was there he said to me, ‘What would you think about coming on the road?’”

Frampton jumped at the offer, and later became a key player in Bowie’s backing band on the Glass Spider Tour. “He could have chosen anybody, but he chose me,” said Frampton. “I think what he did there, knowing me so well, and seeing and knowing what I had been through … he gave me the greatest gift, taking me around the world, in stadiums and arenas, and reintroducing me as the musician, the guitar player. For that, I will never stop thanking him.”