Sat 1/16 @ 7PM
Listen to the exclusive CoolCleveland interview with Woody Woodmansey here:
David Bowie’s auspicious American performing debut at Cleveland’s Music Hall on 09.22.72 featured a flamboyant singer with the flaming red mullet prancing about in costume and makeup. Ziggy Stardust had arrived.
But what caught the ear of Cleveland music fans was his kick-ass backing band, the Spiders From Mars, featuring ace drummer Mick (Woody) Woodmansey. He was introduced to Bowie by guitarist Mick Ronson, whom he had played with in Hull, England, in a band called the Rats a few years earlier.
Together, they recorded some of the most influential and seminal records of the early 1970’s: The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, and Aladdin Sane. Ziggy took off like crazy, but the band, which included Bowie’s producer Tony Visconti on bass, never had a chance to tour The Man Who Sold The World.
All that changed in 2013 when Woodmansey was invited to give a talk at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. An all-star lineup was invited to perform Bowie songs of the era at the prestigious Latitude Festival that year. Woody became involved in the project, soon to be called Holy Holy, and invited Tony Visconti to join in on bass to perform The Man Who Sold The World in its entirety, along with other selections of the era. Tony suggested vocalist Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17), and brought on keyboardist Berenice Scott (Heaven 17), Terry Edwards on sax, and on vocals Jessica Morgan, the daughter of Mary Hopkins and Tony Visconti. Since then the project has toured the UK, Ireland and Japan.
CoolCleveland had an exclusive opportunity to speak with Woodmansey about Holy Holy’s upcoming visit to Cleveland on Sat 1/16 at 6PM at the Odeon.
Listen to the exclusive interview here:
UPDATE: CoolCleveland attended the Holy Holy show on Sat 1/16 and came away with some great photos and video clips: https://coolcleveland.com/blog/Am33R
CoolCleveland’s Thomas Mulready is hosting Brunch With Bowie on Sun 1/24. The 11:30AM show is SOLD OUT, however, a second show at 2PM has been added with limited ticket availability here. If you have trouble securing tickets, please send a note to Info@CoolCleveland.com.More info: https://coolcleveland.com/blog/L3Hep
https://coolcleveland.com/blog/wkW4l
https://www.facebook.com/events/1678963995677465/
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One Response to “EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: David Bowie Drummer Woody Woodmansey Talks To CoolCleveland”
DrBOP
EXCELLENT interview, pics and vids!
Having been at that first Ziggy show, it isn’t hard to imagine Ronson on that stage with Woody and Tony.
I’ll always remember that it took to the end of Suffragette City for the crowd to REALLY warm-up…….and there was a nano-second of doubt on both Bowie’s and Mick’s faces because we, the audience, were momentarily STUNNED…..TRULY blown back in our seats from the power on stage…….and then we ERUPTED into a couple of minute standind/SHOUTing O enough so that the band couldn’t start the next song as quickly as they had planned. Tables turned…..we stunned THEM!
One of the seminal moments in making Cleveland Cool…….thanks again.
Keep on chooglin’!