Following Bowie's Thin White Duke period and the commercial success of the singles "Fame" and "Golden Years" in 1976, he was eager to escape the drug culture of Los Angeles, where he had developed a cocaine addiction. He had also become embroiled in controversy regarding comments he made seemingly in favour of fascism. He blamed his erratic behaviour on his addictions and precarious mental state, saying "I was out of my mind, totally crazed." He called the period "the darkest days of my life" and confessed to having no memory of the recording of "Station to Station" in Los Angeles in late 1975 due to his "astronomic" cocaine addiction. As his health deteriorated, Bowie attempted to reduce his cocaine intake and phase out the Thin White Duke persona, whom he had come to see as "a nasty character indeed." He said: "It was a dangerous period for me. I was at the end of my tether physically and emotionally and had serious doubts about my sanity."