Spider from Mars
My Life with Bowie
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- €5.99
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- €5.99
Publisher Description
For many fans, David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust era remains the most extraordinarily creative period in his career. As a member of Bowie's legendary band at the time - The Spiders From Mars - Woody Woodmansey played drums on four seminal albums: The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and Aladdin Sane.
Woody's memoir, which he started work on in 2014, focuses on this key period and brings it to glorious life. With the confidence of youth, Woody always thought he'd be in a famous band but the nineteen-year-old rocker from Hull never expected to be thrust into London's burgeoning glam rock scene, and also into a bottle-green velvet suit and girl's shoes. Playing with Bowie took him on an eye-opening and transformative journey. In Spider From Mars he writes candidly about the characters who surrounded Bowie, recalling the album sessions as well as behind-the-scenes moments with one of the world's most iconic singers. The result is an insightful, funny, poignant memoir that lovingly evokes a seminal moment in music history and pays tribute to one of the most outstanding and innovative talents of our time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Woodmansey, the last surviving member of the Spiders from Mars, David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s, gives readers an insider's look at Bowie. In 1970, Woodmansey left a quiet life in rural England for London to pursue his then-unheard-of dream of being a professional drummer in a rock 'n' roll band. Although the primary focus of Woodmansey's narrative is his time with Bowie, recording the Ziggy Stardust album as well as Hunky Dory and The Man Who Sold the World, he spends substantial time on his work with other musicians (including Art Garfunkel) and bands (such as U-Boat). Of course, most readers will come for the juicy Bowie details, and won't be disappointed: Woodmansey has plenty of stories to tell about the band's home in London, a Victorian house called Haddon Hall; the Triton recording studios; and Bowie's infamous breakup with the band. Casual fans may find the telling a bit dry, but those interested in rock history won't want to miss this slice of music history.
