Twenty years have passed since Bowyer's on-pitch brawl with teammate Kieron Dyer in Newcastle's Premier League match against Aston Villa, which saw the midfield duo both sent off during a 3-0 defeat at St. James' Park, but he insists their relationship is now a pragmatic one.
"We still speak and it's all positive!" the 48-year-old told newcastleunited.com. "When he was a coach at Ipswich, we were speaking about a former player of mine who he wanted so I was trying to help him out with that so it's been good."
Despite the infamous tussle, which saw Bowyer receive a seven-game ban for his conduct, it does not overshadow the 'three good years' he spent at St. James' Park after joining the club as a free agent in the summer of 2003, initially under Sir Bobby Robson's management.
"I really enjoyed my time here," he added. "We had a decent squad and it was great atmospheres to play in alongside great players.
"When I left Leeds, I went to West Ham United for six months, going there to try and help stay up but I was injured at the time so that didn't plan out well. However, there was always an agreement that when I became a free agent in the summer, I was going to Newcastle.
"I then met Sir Bobby in the summer before signing and that was all done and dusted."
After a seven-year spell at Leeds as well as a short stint at his boyhood club, West Ham, Bowyer was handed his first Premier League start for Newcastle at Elland Road in a 2-2 draw against his former side, which he labelled as "a bit strange" albeit receiving a "decent reception from the Leeds fans".
Experiencing the prime years of his career whilst at Tyneside, Bowyer revealed a surprising name who allowed the London-born midfielder to settle into his new surroundings in the North east.
"You had some younger ones such as (Craig) Bellamy, who was good when I first arrived," he recalled. "He would take me into the town and show me around a bit. I also lived next door to him which was a good experience!
"I just tried to keep myself to myself but Gary Speed was there at the time, who was the ultimate pro. Al (Alan Shearer) was obviously a big part as well as Shay Given and Steve Harper.
"In football, 99 per cent of the players are good and all of the staff were excellent so it was a good place to be."
Bowyer, who made 98 competitive appearances for United, admitted he embraced his debut season with the Magpies under Sir Bobby's managerial reign and recalled a humorous story with his former head coach during the club's pre-season tour to the Far East in 2003.
"It was a privilege working under Sir Bobby," he said. "He'd achieved so much in the game and his footballing knowledge was second to none. He was also a true gentleman so it was great to play for him.
"I loved the enthusiasm he had everyday on the pitch, especially as he was in his seventies when I joined. I remember when we travelled to Malaysia for pre-season and, during a training session, there was a weather warning for an incoming hurricane.
"We had to be back at the hotel for 1 o'clock and we were still on the training pitch at quarter to one! The assistant coach, John Carver, was saying to him that we had to go, and you could feel the wind picking up, but he was saying 'don't worry, we're alright'. A few of us were wanting to get out of there!
"We were also doing box-to-box runs in pre-season and he would be doing them at his own pace as well as being in the gym doing press-ups. I was thinking 'wow, he's a machine'."
With Newcastle learning their UEFA Champions League opponents for the 2025/26 season on Thursday evening, pitting themselves against current holders Paris Saint-Germain as well as hosting FC Barcelona, Bowyer believes the club fully warrant their spot in Europe's elite club competition.
The former Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City manager was full of praise for the Magpies supporters as well as Eddie Howe and his backroom staff in securing the club's place in the prestigious tournament for a second time in the last three campaigns.
"It's great to see them back because I think the fans deserve it," he added. "From when I left the club, there was a lot of lows with relegations and other things but seeing them where they belong, especially in the Champions League, is great as that's the place to be.
"Teams like that deserve to be in Europe and I think Eddie (Howe), Jason (Tindall) and the staff have done an amazing job. It frustrates me from the sidelines because if they had the (financial) freedom that all the other clubs have had in the past, Newcastle could kick on even further but they're getting restricted which I don't think is fair.
"They've had to get rid of players to bring others in and I've been in that situation before, although not to that extent, but being under embargoes and needing to sell which is so frustrating. Working under those circumstances, I think they've done a great job."
Bowyer is no stranger to the Champions League himself after his best season, arguably, of his 18-year professional playing career came during Leeds' impressive run to the semi-finals in 2001 before exiting the competition at the hands of La Liga side Valencia.
After scoring five goals in the Whites' run to the last-four stage, all netted on home soil against the likes of AC Milan and Barcelona, Bowyer relished his experiences in the competition and explained a potential reason for his goal-laden successes at Elland Road against foreign opposition.
"It's great because you get to play the best clubs across Europe," he said. "I also felt that you had to take advantage when playing at home because, for whatever reason, they did not travel very well and were almost a completely different team.
"We played against Beşiktaş at Elland Road and won 6-0 but then drew nil-nil away from home and then we beat Deportivo la Coruña 3-0 at home in the quarter-finals, thinking they weren't that good!
"It was like roles reversed when we then played them at their place, not being able to get out of our own half. Maybe it's different now but I didn't think they travelled well and, as a midfielder, I thought they were a little lazier as they wouldn't track back and I think that may be why I scored a few goals in the competition.
"The atmosphere for European games, with a bit of rain under the lights, was really special."
Following his playing retirement in 2012, Bowyer took up his first managerial role six years later after initially joining Charlton as the club's caretaker manager and after his role was made permanent the following season, he guided the Addicks to the Championship after defeating Sunderland in the 2019 League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
After spending three seasons at Birmingham as a player, winning the League Cup in 2011, Bowyer carried out a 15-month spell as the Blues' head coach, following his appointment in March 2021, before carrying out a short spell with the Montserrat national football team and is hopeful of making a return to management.
"I've had a nice little break and I'll be looking to get back in somewhere in the near future," he explained. "I love coaching and passing on my knowledge that I was lucky enough to learn whilst under the likes of Sir Bobby and Graeme Souness.
"I'd prefer a management role to a coaching one as it's all on me and my ideas. When I was at Charlton, I went from being a coach to an assistant coach and once I became the manager, I really liked it.
"I would like to come back to St. James' Park and watch a game. It's been a while but I would be open to coming back and seeing the place bouncing again because of how well they're doing."
