An interview with Woody Woodmansey, drummer on David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Posted on: 06 Apr 2017Holy Holy are no tribute band, they are the real deal. The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars take to the road for a small prestigious UK tour featuring Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey along with a super-group of well established musicians. The last night of the tour takes place at The Colston Hall Bristol on Saturday 15th April.
I was lucky enough to catch up with the legendary drummer Woody Woodmansey who was there at the start to ask him some questions about the past, present and the world of David Bowie.
Get your hands on tickets to the show at Colston Hall on Saturday 15th April here
It is a well known fact that back in 1969, Woody received a phone call from David Bowie asking him to join his newly formed band. I asked him what his memories were at that time. Woody had seen a flyer for an open air festival featuring a curly haired folk guitarist called David Bowie and went along to watch.
Woody's guitarist Mick Ronson decided to join David and move to London to build a band . Mick had recommended Woody , hence the famous phone call. As Woody was turning professional as a musician, he had a check list in place that he would use as a measure before committing to anyone.
On arriving at Bowie's flat in London, David answered the door wearing a rainbow t shirt, red cords, red slip on shoes with blue stars painted on them and long hair; this ticked the first box on the check list. Once inside, Woody was still not sure as he was not really into the early folk almost theatrical songs that Bowie was writing. Feeling uncertain, Woody asked Bowie to play him something there and then and David picked up his twelve string and sang "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud". With tingles running up his spine, all the boxes on Woody's check list were now ticked and he joined the band.
I asked if he ever imagined that six decades later the music of David Bowie would still be popular. Before he answered I thought in hindsight no one would know, however, Woody stated that when David came up with "Life on Mars" he knew this man had an extraordinary talent. Even Rick Wakeman, who played piano on the masterpiece, was amazed by the talent.
I continued to ask what era was best and why in Woody's eyes. From "Hunky Dory" up to "Aladdin Sane" was the answer. This was at the time when the band were most rebellious and it all fitted with their personalities. In conjunction with this I was keen to know what track was Woody's favourite. Not surprisingly it is "Life on Mars". He added that on the last tour of America the ages were from 16 to 70 and they all sang that iconic track word for word.
Being a musician myself for 30 years I asked Woody how playing now compares to playing in the 60's and 70's. Like any master of their trade he feels that as a musician he has become better with age and experience as he never stops learning. Another big difference is what Woody called "Sing along a Bowie", referring to the audiences today that know every word to every song whereas back in the early days this was not the case.
I asked Woody what he enjoyed most about playing live and what kept him still doing it. With honesty he answered that it was seeing the people's faces and knowing that in many cases this is the soundtrack to their lives, watching the crowd enjoying and singing and making the memories.
I felt like I could have talked for hours with Woody as we only touched the surface of his world with Bowie, let alone all the other musicians and bands he has been involved in, but I had to draw our chat to an end. I asked if he could sum up his career in three words what would they be....An Amazing Adventure was the answer that truly fits the question and lastly for all the drummers out there who want to know, Woody's favourite kit that he plays is a Pacific PDP.
Woody is a genuinely humble man who loves to talk about his life through the years of playing with some of the most iconic musicians on the planet and is still playing today. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest show at The Colston Hall on Saturday 15th April. My recommendation is to get yourself along and see a piece of rock and roll history. For those who don't make it, I will share a review of what should be a night to remember.
Get your hands on tickets here
Article by:
Born and bred in Weston-super-Mare, Mike has played in bands over the last 30 years and has an avid interest in a wide range of music genres. With a passion for live music he spends endless nights watching all types of bands, both famous and not so famous. With a love of Bristol’s infamous venues and the thriving music scene he also follows the local football club in red with a passion. His mission statement is...Keep it real, keep it live and Keep on Rocking!!
