Spider from Mars: My Life With Bowie

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The book begins with an introduction from Tony Visconti, a long time Bowie collaborator, who discusses the recording of The Ma Who Sold the World. This and the Ziggy era has been described as the most creative time of Bowie’s career. He saw his chance and he went for it full throttle. The prologue discusses the legendary rediscovered Top of the Pops performance of the Jean Genie form the 4 Jan 1973 which was re broadcast at Christmas 2011. I remember it vividly as it was Bowie and the Spiders at their very best. Absolutely mesmerising.

And then comes the choice – travel to London to be in Bowie’s band or stay in Driffield and have a normal life. We all know the answer to that one. A kid says to his mother, ‘When I grow up I want to be a drummer,’ and she says ‘You can’t do both , son.’ David Bowie tribute band remove unvaccinated drummer Woody Woodmansey". NME. 31 January 2022 . Retrieved 3 May 2022.

So here we are, blood, toil, tears and sweat - and not a lot of cash... but then great things are seldom accomplished without casualties. The despair of a future in a small town with no opportunities, the discovery of music as a means to escape it, the serendipitous introduction to people who set the wheels in motion... Spiders details the union with Bowie and early days at the now legendary Haddon Hall. Yet, there's nothing in Woodmansey's voice that comes off as salacious. If you're looking for stories of Bowie banging people of various genders on coffee tables or sidewalks, while rolling in a veneer of coke, this isn't the book. Granted, Bowie isn't drawn as a saint here, but Woodmansey's narrative of whatever conflicts he endured with the singer is diplomatic. It might be difficult to imagine now, but in early 1970 Bowie seemed like a one-hit wonder. His single ‘Space Oddity’, which got to Number 5 in the charts, had come and gone, and the follow-up, ‘The Prettiest Star’, had flopped. In May 1978, he became the drummer of the band Screen Idols, who had success with two albums in the UK. A sad codicil is that, as Woody is writing Chapter 9, he gets the news that Bowie has died from cancer.

The book is a real record of the Ziggy era which I remember as being really exciting. Woody mentions the infamous Russell Harty TV interview in which he asks Bowie the most inane questions such as ‘Do you believe in God?’. Bowie is at his most outre and glamorous as he parries Harty and then performs ‘Drive in Saturday’. What would have happened if the Spiders and Bowie had stayed together – where would he have gone next? I’d been listening to bands such as Led Zeppelin and Cream over the previous couple of years; Bowie’s influences were obviously completely different. My friends wouldn’t even know who Bowie was if I asked them about him. Those who claim that the 1970’s were the decade that style forgot weren’t actually there. It was a time of experimentation and a contrast to the hippie dream of the late ‘60’s. How can you shop at Primark after having shopped at Biba? With my life enriched by Bowie, and his death making a major impact as well, I was seriously looking forward to reading this book. Here would be a book that had not been touted as a tell-all, or a mud-slinging gossip piece. This book was written by someone who truly knew Bowie, lived with, created and played music, & toured with him. What can go wrong?... Woodmansey converted to Scientology after being introduced to it by Mike Garson [11] and had his wedding service at a Scientology church in Sussex. [12]A poignant memoir by the last surviving member of David Bowie’s The Spiders from Mars, drummer Woody Woodmansey.

The anecdotes that are related in the book are mainly not ones that a person would expect to be told by a man in his early twenties (at the time) regarding the massive impact that this group of musicians had on the world in general who toured the entire planet. But that time period is now 40 or fifty years gone. The book is well written, and reads like a documentary concerning the arc of the bands existence and a complete index to the songs performed and concert locations the book revolves for the most part on Mr. Woodmansey's life as a musician, and the history of events from youth through his musical legacy. I enjoyed this book. As a big fan of the Spiders-era Bowie music it was nice to read some of the stories about Ronno and Trevor Bolder and how things went down in those early days. Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updateded.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.Woody comes across as a lovely man. He was treated shabbily by Bowie and his manager, being unceremoniously booted out of the band, but the two were reconciled in later life and Woody is simply too nice to bear a grudge. Woody Woodmansey is the last living member of the legendary Spiders from Mars who accompanied Ziggy Stardust in his adventures on the planet Earth. This book is recommended to all Ziggy Stardust fans and it is a good reminder that behind every great man (and David Bowie was one of the greatest), there are many others who have contributed to his success. It is nice to get to know them as well. If anything, in this day and age, Woodmansey’s life story is a good reminder that it’s worth pursuing our dreams for no other reason that we won’t regret later that we haven't tried.