The murder of John Lennon in December 1980 affected Bowie deeply; he cancelled an upcoming tour to promote "Scary Monsters" and withdrew to his home in Switzerland where he became a recluse. Nevertheless, he continued working. In July 1981, he collaborated with Giorgio Moroder for "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", the title song of the Paul Schrader film "Cat People" (1982), and in the same session, recorded "Under Pressure" with the rock band Queen. After the session, he began rehearsals to perform the title role in a BBC adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's play "Baal", directed by Alan Clarke. The play was recorded in August 1981 and transmitted in March 1982. Bowie also recorded a soundtrack EP for the play, which was released by RCA in February 1982 to coincide with the transmission. During 1982, Bowie also filmed appearances in "The Hunger" and "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence", both released in 1983. During filming for the latter, Bowie grew fond of artists from the 1950s and 1960s, including James Brown, Buddy Guy, Elmore James and Albert King. The musical ideals from these artists would greatly influence the new album.