Bowie dismisses Kylie and Robbie

Bowie, who directed the recent Meltdown music and arts festival in London, said the British obsession with celebrity meant he could never live permanently in his native country.

The 55-year-old said he and his family would have a minimal private life if he returned to live in London.

"The pure inconvenience of having a camera lens stuck in either my face or my wife and child's face every morning, I think would certainly be a deterrent to me wanting to come back to live here on a permanent basis," he told the BBC.

"Even being here a couple of days, I mean, this is a really different place.

"It's astounding how media-driven London is."

The singer has been promoting his new album Heathen and finished the recent Meltdown festival with a Royal Festival Hall performance of the entirety of his 1970s experimental album Low.

Pop Idol

Of his current musical tastes, Bowie said: "I listen to really odd stuff and a lot of it is out on the edge.

"I know about Kylie and Robbie and Pop Idol and stuff like that.

"You can't get away from that when you hit the shore, so I know all about the cruise ship entertainment aspect of British pop."

Bowie travelled to the UK by cruise ship, taking a five day crossing on the QEII.