Spider from Mars

November 14, 2016
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.

November 1, 2016
One of David Bowie's former drummers recalls his brief and occasionally baffling tenure with Ziggy Stardust.Woodmansey kept the beat for Bowie during his meteoric rise to stardom in the early 1970s, playing on classic albums like "The Man Who Sold the World," "Hunky Dory," "Ziggy Stardust," and "Aladdin Sane." But he was initially skeptical when he got Bowie's call to move to London from Yorkshire in northern England, where he'd apprenticed under Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson: Woodmansey had just been offered a stable job as an eyeglass-factory manager, and Bowie was a quirky one-hit wonder ("Space Oddity") without a clear trajectory. By throwing in his lot with Bowie, Woodmansey hit the glam-rock jackpot, touring the world and honing his craft. However, as his workmanlike memoir shows, it didn't gain him much insight into the bandleader himself: he recalls being oblivious to Bowie's growing cocaine use and remembers him as a hands-off frontman who never wanted more than a handful of takes and trusted his sidemen to handle arrangements (only on "Panic in Detroit" did he deliver explicit directions about the drum sound). Woodmansey has some tart complaints about his low wages and sudden firing (on his wedding day, no less) from the Spiders from Mars in 1973. But his memoir is generally absent of bile, as the author prefers to riff on tour pranks, drum technique, and--especially--clothing and makeup, which played a significant role in the group's rising fame. (The first thing Woodmansey noticed upon meeting Bowie was his clothing.) Hard-core fans might thrill to the minutiae about Bowie's classic period, but even they might be tempted to tune out the writer's praise for Scientology and his dry accounting of post-Bowie stints leading the cult band U-Boat, backing Art Garfunkel, and playing in a tribute band to his late meal ticket. A genial if surface-level glimpse into a brief but critical period of Bowie's career.

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December 15, 2016
When a young drummer from the north of England with the unlikely name Woody Woodmansey was offered the chance to join a band in London, he knew it was a risky move to give up a good job and a reliable future for an uncertain life as a working musician. The leader of the band was a polite, sophisticated, and remarkably self-assured young man by the name of David Bowie. Despite his doubts, Woodmansey said yes, and with that, his life changed. Woodmansey played on numerous iconic Bowie albums, including The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. He recalls the early touring days when Bowie (briefly) appeared very anxious, but renown and adulation quickly surged, and Woodmansey struggled to stay grounded. The more popular Bowie and the Spiders became, the more the preoccupied singer disengaged from his band mates. An engaging if sometimes downbeat behind-the-scenes look at an early phase in the life of one of rock's most triumphant figures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

April 15, 2016

The drummer for David Bowie's The Spiders from Mars from 1969 to 1973 and the band's last surviving member, Woodmansey was there as Bowie powerhoused himself to international stardom. New stories and photos.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.