Watched it last night - very enjoyable and informative. Ronson came off as a pretty humble, simple guy who loved music and was curious and super talented. I had no idea he worked on Transformer with Lou Reed or with Morrissey.
Bowie does not come off well here, though I am tempted to blame Defries more than Bowie for the credit/pay situation. I’m a little surprised his estate co-operated, but then it seems Bowie and Ronno reconciled before Mick’s death, so maybe it’s not such a surprise.
I watched it today, and agree that Bowie doesn’t come off so well. Firing the rest of the band because they found out a hired gun for the tour was getting paid several times what they were was pretty poor form.
Oh well, we’re all human. Ronson got over it, so I can.
That is kind of how I am processing it, too. And for all Ronson was for Bowie in that period, ultimately they are more like Braque and Picasso: Yes, they teamed up to innovate on Cubism, but Picasso left Braque and went on to evolve and grow countless other times.
I have heard that Bowie was not a well-paying boss - I want to say I have read that in stories about he Spiders, Stevie Ray and Earl Slick. I need to read a Bowie bio that speaks to this in a more objective way.
Oh, hey, check it out. Woody Woodmansey, the Spiders drummer, has just published a memoir focused on his time with Bowie: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DSWKB46/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 the intro is by Bowie’s long-time collaborator, Tony Visconti, so there must be some support from the Bowie camp. Buying!
So on a similar but different note:
Last night I went to the Celebrating David Bowie show here in L.A., and it was AMAZING. Headed by piano genius Mike Garson and featuring Earl Slick plus a bunch of other performers who worked as Bowie’s sidemen and backup performers through the years, plus special guest stars Perry Farrell and Evan Rachel Wood (guest stars rotate in different locations), it was a fucking incredible show. The singers didn’t try to imitate Bowie, but you could tell that they loved the man and his music and put on an excellent show. I was really impressed with Earl Slick (I’m not usually a guitar person, and I had heard he was good but he’s really good) and Farrell did a great turn on The Man who Sold the World.
It looks like the show is hitting Mexico City next, then SF, Santa Rosa, San Diego, Mesa and Tucson in AZ, then Seattle, Portland, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Clearwater, Atlanta, and New Orleans. If you’re a Bowie fan and anywhere near those locations, GO.
I am up to the recording of Hunky Dory and Ziggy and the book is really good. Woody and his ghost writer do a great job of describing the situation, but also his approach to drumming, Bowie’s evolution as an artist and songwriter and there’s regular references to Ronno’s emerging desire to produce and arrange. Woody’s description of how Life on Mars came together is really great. So far really good.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’m seeing the *David Bowie Is *exhibit next week, so this will be timely “research.”
Watched this recently and really enjoyed it.
Fripp? Bowie certainly used him for ‘colour’ on Heroes as well as the dissonance of his solo playing on Boys Keep Swinging and Fashion.
As a madly keen XTC fan, I thought of Dave Gregory during the Ronno doc as he is a stunning player and excellent arranger.
Here’s him discussing some of his vintage guitars - sadly not illustrating them with XTC parts.
Fripp sure was about color, but I don’t think of him as a creative partner the way Ronson was, or Steve Stevens has been with Billy Idol.
I finished the Woodmansey book - worth it for a short read. About 2/3 through he mentions he became a Scientologist in the 70’s but given the hubbub around it, doesn’t discuss it other to say it worked for him. Overall he sounds like a good guy who got caught up in a whirlwind. Nice thoughts on all the key players, and the fact that he and Tony Visconti are touring playing Bowie songs is cool.
I realize this is a bit off topic, but I just got back from NYC to check out the final stop for the “David Bowie Is” exhibition and I cannot recommend it more highly. I saw it in its original incarnation in London and was completely blown away. It’s even better now - the audio system is working incredibly smoothly and they had lots of stuff that I did not see the first time - tons of primary source materials in video and writing. You can really get a deep look into his creative process(es). One thing you definitely come away is which is somewhat related to this thread is just how much control he took of all aspects of his albums and stage shows, from fashion design to stage design and choreography to album art, etc. He had a vision for everything and executed it. If you are at all interested in Bowie, do whatever you have to (short of murder, I guess ;)) to get to this exhibit. You will not be disappointed. It’s without doubt the best exhibit I’ve ever seen, and my wife works in a museum so I’ve seen a LOT all over the place.
(It’s at the Brooklyn Museum for another few months).
“Boys Keep Swinging” was Belew not Fripp.
I’ve read the raves from London and now NYC. I will check it out!
Enjoyed the documentary, WordMan! Although I was more of a keyboard aficionado, I was drawn to Mick Ronson’s searing Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar riffs during the Ziggy Stardust period. I do believe he was responsible for transforming the Bowie sound into harder rock (which was a good thing at the time).
Bowie had a knack for employing cutting-edge guitarists—Mick Ronson, Earl Slick (Station to Station kicked ass), Robert Frick, Carlos Alomar, et al. I was a sound stagehand for Bowie’s Diamond Dogs Tower Theater ‘74 engagements and I was in hog heaven.