If you are in this thread, you likely know that Mick Ronson - “Ronno” - was David Bowie’s guitarist during a pivotal 18 months/2 years in Bowie’s evolution as an artist. Coming out of Hunky Dory and rocking into Ziggy Stardust, Mick Ronson was the Keith Richards to a fabulously new and different Mick Jagger.
But he has never loomed large. His work is a favorite of mine, but I can’t say I knew a lot about him. This documentary does a great job of addressing that. It is fully immersed in the Bowie situation, focusing on his career and evolution as an artist, and putting Mick into that context. It features Bowie’s music throughout and many recorded quotes and clips, so Bowie’s estate must’ve cooperated fully - even while it shows how truly core Ronno was to Bowie’s sound + vision at that time, while Bowie was paying him shite and giving him no credit.
There is a famous quote, cited here by Rick Wakeman, where Bowie first gets Ronson in the band and says “I have my Jeff Beck!” No way - they couldn’t be more opposite!! Beck is a diva; Ronson is more like John Paul Jones in Zeppelin - the music craftsman who can build out the structure of a song.
Ronson died early of liver cancer - a sad end to a somewhat sad-but-glorious story about a guy who’s career orbited around a pivotal 18 months in his life when he was a legendary rock god. But as this documentary makes clear, he was one of the good ones.
ETA: oh, and Angela Bowie is a hoot! A grizzled Better Miller/Courtney Love.
A few years ago when Trevor Bolder died (bass player for the Spiders) I watched the Ziggy Stardust concert movie again. Two things struck me, how badly the concert was filmed and how tight the band was. Ronson and crew were not flashy. Bowie had enough flash for everyone. They were one of the best bands of the era but rarely spoken of in those terms. Thanks for pointing out this doc I will check it out.
Here he is live in 1973 on Width of A Circle. Just beautifully intense. And Slaughter on 10th Avenue was just a terrific album. Personally I think the Stones should have picked him up in 1975 instead of Ronnie Wood: as it was, Bob Dylan knew a good thing when he got Ronson for his Rolling Thunder Revue.
If you’ve read my posts at all in guitar threads, you know I hold Jeff Beck above all other gods. The point is that Jeff Beck would be the first to agree with me
From Wikipedia:
Beck was fired [from the Yardbirds] in the middle of a U.S. tour for being a consistent no-show—as well as difficulties caused by his perfectionism and explosive temper
From Rolling Stone:
Asked if there are things Beck can play on guitar that he can’t, Clapton readily says, "Oh, yeah. The things he does with his right hand are beyond anything I have seen anyone do. It’s like multitasking.
And are there things Clapton can do that Beck can’t? “No,” Beck says swiftly, with perfect comic timing.
“He is telling the truth,” Clapton contends through the pair’s laughter.
I see WordMan has already offered a few bits of evidence, but I thought I’d still vouch for what he says: Jeff Beck is a legendary perfectionist who’s abilities are so far above everyone else that sometimes it can be hard for him to remember that properly. He’s also a really, really cool guy with an incredible knowledge of a wide breadth of music who loves to talk about it and listen to it as well as play it. And oh boy can he play it!
I don’t mean it disrespectfully - he’s my hero. He’s a diva guitarist the way Aretha is a diva vocalist. I recall watching a video of the guitars he uses. While he is trotting out one guitar or another, he says in passing “I haven’t bought a guitar since the 60’s. People just keep giving them to me.”
I saw Ronno with Ian in 1979. At the time I knew he played with Bowie, but that’s about it. He impressed me as an extremely solid player who was absolutely loved by the audience. Watching the documentary gave me a much greater appreciation of his talents. Thanks for the recommendation!
Re: Diva Jeff Beck…I’m sure he’s had his moments with people over the years. But when I think of “diva rock guitarist”, the first name that comes to mind is Ritchie Blackmore.
Ronson - I know, right? It turns out he’s a landscaper/Everyman who can arrange the shit out of strings and plays some of the best meat-and-potatoes pocket grooves and fills I can think of. Just amazing.
Regarding “diva” - to be clear: to me, “Diva” means “female singer whose voice is seen as a precious gift” - they are so damn good, they are viewed as…thoroughbreds?..with everyone around them acting responsible for keeping this treasured gift intact.
Two points:
Now, does “diva” also connote being high maintenance and a snitty, difficult bitch? Yeah, usually with people who are NOT legitimate divas who want to be treated like one. But a Diva does NOT have to be a bitch, just a special singer. Adele is a diva and famously not bitchy.
Within the context of my definition, of course Jeff Beck is a diva. He has a talent that his peers, let alone listeners, hold up as unique and precious. People give him the guitars he plays and likes. He is a demanding perfectionist who is prone to fits of pique that have led to his band lineups never lasting long. When he was inducted in the RRHoF with the Yardbirds, he used the speech to tell the rest of the band to fuck off (lovingly, but serious). He’s the Aretha Franklin of guitarists, and the current player sitting in the chair occupied by Eddie Lang, Django Reinhardt, and Les Paul, who called Beck the best of the modern players. Yeah, he’s a diva.
Just to geek a bit: I am continuing to groove on hearing about Ronson’s involvement in arranging and production. A guitarist in this role seems unusual. I compared him to John Paul Jones in the OP. He played bass, mandolin and organ - all put to use as “color” to fill in the Zep sound. JPJ is the perfect all-around session guy, right? I don’t think of guitarists that way, and I didn’t know to think of Ronno that way. That’s impressive as shit.
I am trying think of guitarists working in rock who do this type of stuff. The first that comes to mind is Steve Stevens with Billy Idol. Lead guitar players with their own genuine voice, yet whose most valued role is Color Guy. Ah: Lindsey Buckingham. You can say Andy Summers, but that’s a whole different thing to me.
And, at the same time, Ronson’s heyday lasted 2 years with some solid additions up to the end - thank god for Your Arsenal to get him some cash. It really sounds like his lack of comfort with money and business was his own undoing.
Thanks for posting this - I can’t wait to watch it! His performance on the Ziggy Stardust motion picture album is absolutely stellar. His wailing guitar on Moonage Daydream is the stuff of legends (even if it may not be the most complex).
