Eight plots from David Bowie's Young Americans

For David Bowie’s birthday and now monthly, adventures based on his studio albums’ song titles, working backwards.

After album titles, ★, The Next Day, Reality, Heathen, Hours, Earthling, Outside The Buddha Of Suburbia, Black Tie White Noise, Never Let Me Down, Labyrinth. Tonight, Let’s Dance, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Lodger, “Heroes”, Low, Station to Station...

Young Americans (1975) (Wikipedia)

A year before the US bicentennial, an album named after a single about a young American, recorded in the US with collaborations from the US like Luther Vandross as well as the UK like John Lennon.

Bit funky, bit synthy, best known for Fame.

Young Americans

The buildup to the American Revolution, and Benjamin Franklin is experimenting with electricity. Which is the kind of thing that has time tourists hanging around. Can the travellers redirect them?

Win

The travellers come to a 44th Century casino station (of course it’s shaped like a roulette wheel) because the Stranger has to take part in a card game with the ownership of a planet at stake.

Fascination

One of the companions falls for someone glimpsed on a distant planet. Someone who looks so familiar...

Right

There’s something just at the edge of your vision. Always on the same side.

Somebody Up There Likes Me

The travellers have to make sure an accident-prone regular guy makes it through a week that seems to be trying to kill him.

Or:

One of the travellers becomes a god for a day. How tempting is the power?

Across The Universe

In a time and place the travellers know well and where they’re well known in turn, someone they owe a favour to organises  a contest where the winner gets one trip in the TARDIS. What could go wrong?

Can You Hear Me?

One of the travellers goes missing. And you can hear their voice in the static on the radio.

Or:

The TARDIS translation system needs an update, and an otherwise straightforward adventure becomes a silent movie.

Fame

The travellers return home and are confronted by TV news crews and press asking for statements. The usual “somebody else’s problem” field has broken down and they’re suddenly as famous as time-travelling world-saving heroes should be. It’s a bit awkward.