A poignant memoir by the last surviving member of David Bowie’s The Spiders from Mars, drummer Woody Woodmansey.
A phone call from David Bowie changed Woody Woodmansey’s life. Turning down a well-paid factory job, the twenty-year-old drummer from Driffield took a huge leap of faith and joined Bowie’s band, embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.
In this candid memoir, Woody describes the Spiders’ early years when money was so tight that the band – Woody, Mick Ronson, Tony Visconti and, later, Trevor Bolder – all lived in Bowie’s flat. He takes us through the period of intense creativity as they recorded The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Aladdin Sane, and reveals how Bowie transformed them from down-to-earth Yorkshiremen to velour-clad rock gods while bringing the legendary red-haired Ziggy Stardust to life. They went from playing to forty people in a pub to performing in front of thousands of screaming fans in Britain, the US and Japan. Yet achieving their dream came at a price.
Insightful and poignant, Spider from Mars lovingly evokes a seminal moment in music history and pays tribute to one of the most outstanding and innovative talents of our time.
My favourite drummer can also write!
“A VERY moving, lovely book that I simply couldn’t put down. Some great stuff on Bowie’s greatest times, albums and gigs. Woody is clearly one of music’s good guys, and very intelligent and articulate.”
– Craig Campbell
This is a great book.
“It took me just two days to finish it as I couldn’t put it down. I’ve been a Bowie fan for years and found this book a good insight into the early days of Bowie and the Spiders from the perspective of a Spider himself.”
– G. M. Seed
How a lad from East Yorkshire became a Spider From Mars
“A really interesting book, very moving in places, very easy to read, very hard to put down if you’re a Bowie & Spiders fan”
– Cornishpasty
Recommended Reading for any Bowie or Spiders from Mars fan
“I enjoyed reading this book. It is well written and gives an honest, down to earth account of some wild & crazy times when a group of 4 men shaped the direction of music for many years to come. Highly recommended.”
– David Whitson
Survivor From Mars – A great rock and roll read from the last of Ziggy’s Spiders
“Its a rare rock biography that can maintain my attention all the way through, but Spider from Mars achieved that without my even noticing.”
– Hilary Mortz
Spiders from Mars not just a backing band
“this is a fascinating story about Mick and his history and time in the band and beyond. A great read and so grateful he decided to tell us his story”
– Steven Eyre
