Why David Bowie Should Have Been Mancunian- The City’s Kooks Pay Tribute

 

As with J.F.K., Martin Luther King and Elvis, January 10th, 2016 will go down as one of those days that everyone will remember where they were and what they were doing. The day that David Bowie died. He’s been described as a Starman, a being sent to transform much more than music, an icon and a beacon. Those who felt alienated could identify with this alien.

As the Smith’s Mike Joyce told VIVA, Bowie “empowered a lot of people. He made weird acceptable.” Which is why he would have been right at home here in Manchester and why he influenced so many Mancunians – musicians obviously but also those in the arts, fashion and business.

That’s why this edition of VIVA magazine has been dedicated to him with our never-before-seen shots of Bowie playing The Academy in 1997, courtesy of VIVA photographer, Karin Albinsson. It’s also why Mancunians have added their voices to tell VIVA how the boy from Brixton brought changes and inspired them. “I loved Mick Ronson, what a frontman. I modelled my bass playing on him. I thought that me and Barney were like him and Bowie,”  Hooky told us.

And iconic DJ, Greg Wilson, says simply that Bowie was his musical hero, his first great obsession. So much so, he used to tag his name with lightning bolts. Others remember encounters that stayed with them for their lifetimes. From Rowetta, who notes a beautifully surreal moment after performing ‘Hallelujah,’ when the Thin White Duke commented “That was really eclectic” to actor and award-winning playwright, Ian Puleston-Davis, earning a wry smile after inadvertently interrupting him. Black Dog’s Ross Mckenzie remembers a down-to-earth Bowie who happily chatted backstage at Glastonbury and was looking forward to his daughter’s birth.

You can read their tributes to Bowie and others below. Also, if you enjoy the latest edition of VIVA Magazine, we’d ask that you make a small donation to Cancer Research through the VIVA just-giving page at justgiving.com/viva-magazine. Of course, we’ll be donating too. We asked all our contributors whether they thought there could be another Bowie and we’ll leave the last words on that to Living Venture’s Tim Bacon. “Every generation or so has its Bowie. Not necessarily in music but special people that step beyond great and become iconic.”  

Mike Joyce- The Smiths

Favourite Bowie album or song?

Always going to be difficult this! Favourite Album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Featuring ‘Woody’ Woodmansey, a fine drummer who doesn’t get the recognition he rightfully deserves. Favourite Song, Life on Mars. Again, featuring The Spiders from Mars. Has there ever been a more startling string arrangement committed to vinyl? Mick Ronson’s finest hour.

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

Although I’d heard a lot of Bowie during my school days, it wasn’t until I was seventeen that his music really hit me. I was living in a flat in Hulme, Manchester at the time and a friend of mine brought around the live Bowie L.P. Stage. I wasn’t familiar with the album and when he put the track Station to Station on the record player, it had a pretty dramatic effect on me. I’d never heard anything like it before and was completely blown away by the song, the sound, the arrangement and the musicianship. At the time I was mainly into punk rock and it’s sub-three minutes of fast tempo noise, so to hear, and enjoy a nine minute composition of such depth of musicality had a real lasting effect on me.

Did you ever meet Bowie? If so where and when?

Unfortunately not! 

Did you ever see him play live. If so where and when?

I saw Bowie play at the Move festival at Old Trafford cricket ground in July 2002.My wife Tina has always been a huge Bowie fan and she’d heard that it was a hit-heavy set and we weren’t disappointed! 

Apart from featuring tracks from the Heathen album, the set included such classics as, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Starman, Changes, Fame, Heroes, Let’s Dance and Ziggy Stardust. The band featured long time collaborators, Mike Garson on piano and Earl Slick on guitar.

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so how?

Well, I never had a red lightning flash painted on my face! I think Bowie’s influence on myself and my peers was subliminal but quite radical too. He empowered a lot of people who would otherwise have been quite insular. He made weird acceptable thus enabling people, who were considered outsiders, to feel comfortable with themselves and giving them the confidence to project their own personalities.

When and how did you hear that he died?

The morning of the 10th of January at approximately seven am. I received a phone call from an Unknown Caller. I wasn’t going to answer at first but I thought it might be important and answered the call. The woman’s voice on the other end said,”Is that Mike Joyce?” I didn’t like the sound of this already. “Yes,” I answered cautiously, fearing the worst. By the tone of her voice I knew it was bad news. She then said, ”Hi Mike, I’m calling from the BBC. I don’t know whether you’ve been watching the news this morning but David Bowie has passed away and we were wondering if you’d like to come into the studio and be interviewed on BBC breakfast.” I politely refused as I was in a state of shock.

Describe how his death has affected you…

Bowie is the most important musician to have passed away in my lifetime. Bigger than Elvis? Maybe not in terms of record sales but certainly in terms of influencing musicians of my generation and age. In 2013 my wife and I went to the David Bowie Is exhibition at the V and A museum in London and it was incredible to see that outfit and those boots along with other iconic memorabilia. The sadness is realising that there won’t be any more additions to the legacy. That’s it. It’s that finality that’s hit home in his passing. Looking on the positive side, just take a look at body of work he’s left behind! 

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next Bowie or have the same cultural impact?

Bowie could change not only his music and style with outstanding results but his whole persona. I think it will be pretty difficult for any artist to ever match his versatility and musical output, especially when you take into account that he did this over a career that spanned five decades!

Ian Puleston-Davies – Actor 

Favourite Bowie album/song?

Ziggy Stardust/Space Oddity

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

My mate brought Ziggy Stardust into school. I was fourteen and getting bored with what was out there. I just fell in love with the melodies, the instrumentation and that unique sound and, of course, his extraordinary voice. 

Did you ever meet Bowie, if so where and when?

I interrupted him once – to say goodbye to a pal of mine he was talking to – at a theatre in London. He smiled… at me!

Did you ever see him play live, if so where and when?

Twice. On the Serious Moonlight Tour in Milton Keynes in 1983 and his Sound and Vision Tour at Docklands Arena in 1990.

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so how?

He broadened my imagination. His music made me want to write stories. 

When and how did you hear that he died?

On the radio in a cab crossing London. 

Describe how his death has affected you?

Much more than I thought. I hadn’t felt like that since John Lennon died. 

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next ‘Bowie’ or have the same cultural impact?

I would love there to be someone like Bowie for my young children. 

Peter Hook- New Order and Joy Division

Favourite Bowie album and song?

KOOKS

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

A girlfriend of mine wanted me to take her to see him at the Free Trade Hall when he was doing a matinee in 1972, I think. I refused and she dumped me. I then went to the old record stall on Shudehill and someone had sold all their Bowie LPs. I bought the lot for two pounds fifty each, Aladdin Sane, Ziggy Stardust, Diamond Dogs, Man Who Sold The World. That was it, I was a fan. I loved Mick Ronson, what a frontman. I modelled my bass playing on him. I thought that me and Barney were liked him Bowie.

Did you ever meet Bowie? If so, where and when?

No.

Did you ever see him play live? If so where and when?

Hardrock, Manchester;  Glass Spider, Los Angeles; cricket club Manchester.

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so, how?

I have answered that in how he affected me.

When and how did you hear that he died?

Good Morning Britain

Describe how his death has affected you.

I was sad, I’m a fan. I really enjoyed his talent.

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next Bowie or have the same cultural impact?

Never, Emma, never. He was a unique talent and the longevity was amazing. If only someone could.

Rowetta- Happy Mondays

Did you ever meet Bowie? If so, where and when?

Yes, at Glastonbury in 2000. I was playing the Pyramid Stage with Happy Mondays and Bowie was headlining. My best friend, Ross, is a massive Bowie fan so I invited him and our friend Maria to come on the tour bus with us. We couldn’t believe it when we arrived and my Portacabin dressing room was directly next to his. He came over and said hi and was so down-to-earth and friendly, I froze. I’ve never been so starstruck. I took a couple of photos of him with my friends which I treasure. He then came to the side of the stage and watched us perform. I came off after ‘Hallelujah’ and he said, “That was really eclectic.” A beautifully surreal moment.

Did you ever see him play live? If so, where and when?

I first saw him perform at Maine Road in 1987 – The Glass Spider Tour – and again in 1990 on his Sound & Vision Tour. Always captivating on stage and I loved how much he loved performing and would really connect with the audience and so many great songs displaying his unique talent and creativity. In 2002 I was lucky enough to have passes for Move Festival at Old Trafford Cricket Ground and this felt more intimate. He looked and sounded incredible and had the most amazing band of musicians. Finally Glastonbury in 2000. I think he looked and performed better than ever and many have said – including Glastonbury founder, Michael Eavis – that it was his best Glastonbury moment of all time.  He closed with an encore of ‘Heroes’ which is one of the greatest songs ever written.

I feel so lucky to have met him and performed on the same stage with him. Genius and legend are overused but he really was, is and always will be.

Karin Albinsson- Photographer

Favourite Bowie album/song?

The Bowie album closest to my heart is ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the spiders from Mars.’ I still have the original tape that I play on an old tape-recorder at home in Sweden, those songs brings back old memories. When hitchhiking through Europe, in my youth, I was stopped in my tracks by the sound of Starman. A young, English guy was playing my favourite tune on his guitar on a beach in Cannes. Instantly I knew that we had something in common, this stranger and I. The young English Musician and I spent a day together. A month later he turned up at my parents’ house in Sweden. He taught me to play Starman on my guitar. At the same time Ashes to Ashes was released and we kept popping into record shops putting the headphones on and listening to Bowie’s latest album, Scary Monsters (and super creeps). The meeting with the English busker who played Starman on his guitar resulted in two daughters! 

When did you first hear Bowie’s music?

I do not remember the first time I listened to Bowie, his music just crept into my life and grew on me. Long after his early albums were released, I started to listen to Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold the World and I totally loved Hunky Dory. The next album that made a massive impact was Heroes – also replete with memories as I and ‘the English busker’ listened to the album while traveling through India, the year after we met in France. The lyrics on Heroes get me every time, they capture and hold me for the entire six minutes!

Did you ever meet David Bowie?

I did not meet David Bowie but I did see him while he was on his Earthling Tour in 1997. A friend of mine, Chris Sievey aka Frank Sidebottom, asked if I wanted to go along to see Bowie at the Academy in Manchester. While Chris stayed at the back, in the bar, I went right up to the stage and stayed there, a few metres away from Bowie, for the full set. I had brought my old Canon film Camera with a fifty millimetre lens and shot the images you can see in this issue. The reviews after that concert were mixed but for me this was the most memorable gig ever!

When and how did you hear that he died and how did it make you feel?

I found out that Bowie had died on Monday morning the tenth of January. When I saw photos of Bowie posted on Facebook, I knew. I had had a solemn feeling from a few days previously when I had seen part of the video from Black Star. It felt like he had said farewell and then I knew he was gone. I felt numb, Bowie’s death will take some time to sink in but what an amazing legacy he leaves behind. In my opinion, Bowie was and is the solo artist with the greatest cultural impact. His music will live on.

Ziggy Lavelle- M.D at Lavelle Division

Favourite Bowie album/song?

“Wild is the wind!!”  

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

I was thirteen years old, had just been through a few operations  due to my childhood polio (contracted at eleven months old and the last outbreak in the UK). At the time my parents were told, ‘She won’t last the night or she will be in a wheelchair or have to wear callipers.’ Lucky me none of this came to pass. By twelve or thirteen years old I didn’t fit in anywhere, didn’t go to school much. I was alone and very sad. Then I heard Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust, I witnessed this wild and wonderful person who spoke to me! I was in my bedroom listening to someone telling me, “Yes, you are strange. yes, you are different and, one day, everyone will want to be like  you!” I believed him, I had  the swagger, some people didn’t like it but I didn’t give a f**k! I knew who I was and I really liked me and that mattered! He saved my youth and made me smile wide and I had no fear! I could be or do anything! He taught me to pass that message on to people I meet. I believe “If you don’t show people the moon, they will never reach the stars!” 

Did you ever meet Bowie? If so, where and when?

Yes. All the time, when I go to sleep. 

Did you ever see him play live? If so, where and when?

Yes, I went every night he played Manchester City’s ground (the only time i ever went to the blue side) on his Glass Spider tour. Not the best tour but still wonderful and I went every night. The support was Terrence Trent D’Arby and he was incredible too! Introducing the hardline is still one of my very favourite albums to date. 

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so, how?

Totally, he taught me how to think. Not to care. Never be afraid. What cool really means. To pluck your eyebrows off. (and they never came back, ha ha!) To dye my hair pink with cochineal. (my aunt thought a murder had been committed in her bathroom!) To look people right in the eye so they know who you are. To be a good kind socialist, just like him. Not  to be afraid to say, “No thank you, what for?”  Like he did twice when he was offered a New Year’s Honour from Queenie Liz. 

When and how did you hear that he died?

Seven am Monday 10th January 2016. Tony told me! Then onto disbelief and the TV news. I don’t normally skip work but I didn’t go to work that day. I sat alone and listened to Bowie all day and all night. I don’t cry! It makes your eyes red and puffy and the salt dries the skin out on your face and you never feel better after, it just drains your though process but I cried that day. Then I realised, I wasn’t crying for David Bowie or David Robert Jones. It was, in fact, selfishly for my own teenage youth.”

Describe how his death has affected you…

Now, I look  back and see how brave and even more special he appears to have been. Now he has taught us all to die with dignity! “He staged his own death,” they say! “It’s all I would expect,”  I say!

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next Bowie or have the same cultural impact?

Maybe someone from the new  ninth planet just discovered? Maybe he will chose someone for us as yet another gift? Someone so smart, so humanitarian, off the richter talented, so hardworking, so charming, so humorous, so just like us, so… yes, That’s the word I’m looking for. My very favourite word, ‘brave!’ Thanks! Keep the faith and gotta hang onto yourself! 

Ross McKenzie- MD of the Black Dog group of bars

Favourite Bowie album and song?

The album can vary and is currently Hunky Dory. The song is always Heroes.

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

First properly noticed him aged eleven with Scary Monsters. First album bought was Let’s Dance aged thirteen. Then worked my way backwards through all the albums.

Did you ever meet Bowie? If so where and when?

Backstage at Glastonbury 2000, I went with Happy Mondays, who were on before him on the Pyramid stage. I remember looking up and seeing him, so bowled over and introduced myself! We chatted for five minutes. He was lovely, talking about how his wife was about to give birth and how he hadn’t played Glastonbury since 1969.

Did you ever see him play live? If so where and when?

First saw him at Wembley on the Glass Spider tour – it was dreadful nonsense, I was hugely disappointed. I then went to a Tin Machine gig at the International and then I saw every tour he did – needless to say he totally redeemed himself in my eyes!

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so how?

Wow, he was just the coolest man on the planet, wasn’t he? He just led the way then lost his way a bit then led the way again.

When and how did you hear that he died?

Woke up to a text from Rowetta and watched the news in a daze for an hour or two.

Describe how his death has affected you.

I am listening to all his music on repeat and am immensely touched by his last album. 

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next Bowie or have the same cultural impact?

For me? Absolutely not. He was the man.

Tim Bacon- M.D of Living Ventures

Favourite Bowie album and song?

Let’s Dance for two reasons. One, it’s filmed in Australia and two, I can’t.

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

My memory is not that good as to when I first became aware of David Bowie but it would be true to say he was an ever-present as I grew up.

Did you ever meet Bowie? If so where and when?

No.

Did you ever see him play live? If so where and when?

I saw him play live twice. Once at Old Trafford and the second time in London for the Spider tour, both incredible.

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so how?

I remember using the album cover for Ziggy Stardust for the launch of The Living Room W1 on Heddon Street.  

When and how did you hear that he died?

Like most people I imagine, I was having my morning coffee, switched on the TV and remained watching and reminiscing.

Describe how his death has affected you.

When someone like Bowie dies it becomes a sound track of memories lost that come flooding back. 

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next Bowie or have the same cultural impact?

Every generation or so has its Bowie, not necessarily in music, special people that step beyond great and become iconic.

Armand Beasley- Make Up Artist & Actor

Favourite Bowie album and song?

My favourite song is Modern Love. It’s impossible to stay still when that song is playing! It’s ridiculously infectious. 

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

My first memory of Bowie was Top Of The Pops and the Ashes To Ashes video, way back in 1980. The surreal image of Bowie dressed like a Pierrot flanked by four androgynous figures walking along a beach with a bulldozer behind them! I was transfixed at the TV! I had never seen anything like that. It was so visual and surreal. 

Did you ever meet Bowie? If so, where and when?

Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to meet him.

Did you ever see him play live? If so where and when?

Alas, I never saw him live but I loved his duet with another icon, Annie Lennox, at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert in 1992. They sang Under Pressure and it was incredible.

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so, how?

Bowie was the master of transformation and self expression. He used his image, videos and music to transport people to another world. His creativity and diversity really affected me and his imagery still inspires me today as a make-up artist. Throughout my life, I’ve always experimented with my image and my personal creativity has been heavily influenced by Bowie, Pete Burns, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Grace Jones and Sarah Brightman. 

When and how did you hear that he died?

I was making breakfast at home when it was announced on the radio. It was such a shock, as his illness wasn’t publicised – plus, he had just released Blackstar!

Describe how his death has affected you.

I believe that death is another phase of life. Well, life of the soul. Your soul or energy moves on. For me, the whole point to life is to be happy and make other people happy too. David Bowie achieved that and more. I’m sure that his music and creativity will inspire many more people to create. He will be missed but, as in his Ashes to Ashes lyrics, ” I’m happy, hope you’re happy too.” Yes we are, David. Thank you

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next Bowie or have the same cultural impact?

Bowie’s creativity spanned so many decades from the sixties onwards. There were a lot of key global influences from space travel to the Vietnam war. From the Cold War and punk to the miners’ strikes. So many major events in that latter part of the twentieth century must have had their influence on his art. Is there anyone that could be similar to him? Lady Gaga has similarities; the visual creativity, the acting ( she won a Golden Globe for American Horror story: Hotel) and her elusiveness. However, she doesn’t really inspire me but she speaks to a generation and she does have talent.

DJ Greg Wilson 

 Favourite Bowie album and song?

It’s a toss up between Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory. Couldn’t possibly pick a favourite track on either album, so I’ll go between the horns of this dilemma and select something he wrote and produced but gave to Mott The Hoople, providing them with a massive 1972 hit, ‘All The Young Dudes.’

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

I first heard Bowie in 1969 when Space Oddity was released but it wasn’t until the seminal Starman Top Of The Pops moment in July ’72 that I really began to engage. I was twelve at the time – it sparked an obsession with Bowie that would engulf me for the next few years.

Did you ever meet Bowie? If so where and when?

No

Did you ever see him play live? If so where and when?

No. I kind of spat my dummy here. I was just a bit too young to go to Liverpool when he played the 1973 leg of his Ziggy tour at the Empire. I consoled myself with the promise I’d catch him next time but he went and killed off Ziggy just a couple of months later, at Hammersmith Odeon in London. I never wanted to see him backed by anyone other than Ronson, Bolder and Woodmansey – the Spiders From Mars.

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so how?

He was my musical hero at a key formative stage in my life, my early teens. The depth of his words and music really resonated into my being and, as I’m about to outline in a sprawling blog post I’ve written, he was my first great obsession – I even used to tag my name with Aladdin Sane style lightning bolts instead of Gs. Between 1972 and 1975 he was very much a part of my identity.

When and how did you hear that he died?

I awoke to the news – my wife told me. I wasn’t totally surprised as I knew he’d had health problems but it was still huge shock. 

Describe how his death has affected you.

It’s caused me to reflect on a lot of things, both on a personal level and with regards to Bowie himself. That he orchestrated his death as his final work of art is greatly impressive. Having not cared for his musical output during recent decades, I’ve finally re-connected through Blackstar which has deeply touched me.

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next Bowie or have the same cultural impact ?

Artists like Bowie are one-offs who arrive at a specific point in history and, through their work, change people’s perceptions and consciousness via the shock of their originality – or enough people to make a difference. Others have done this and will continue to do this, at different places in time and through various mediums but it’s always dependant on the right person arriving at exactly the right moment and location. So I’d answer yes on the one hand but no on the other.

Mark Andrews- M.D of MAD Ltd

Favourite Bowie album and song?

My favourite Bowie album is the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars!

When did you first hear Bowie, how old were you, what were you doing and how did it affect you?

I remember the first track I ever heard of David Bowie, I was on a caravan holiday in Cornwall one summer mid seventies-ish and it was LIFE ON MARS. I was very young and I remember even then thinking how brilliant it was and I wished I could write something that could stir so many emotions within oneself. The piano is amazing in that song! I wanted to learn the piano but settled for the guitar in the end which I still play! Bowie was a genius at taking a simple melody and turning it into a massive piece of music!

Did you ever see him play live? If so where and when?

I saw him live once in Stratford-upon-Avon when I was based in the UK in the army. Tina Turner played there too in 1985 and it was one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen!

Did Bowie influence you in any way? If so how?

Bowie was unique in that he went through decades changing his style constantly and always being a world-class top artist.

Describe how his death has affected you.

We lost a music legend the day he died and when I heard the news I actually left the office because I was filling up!

Do you think there is anyone else who could be the next Bowie or have the same cultural impact ?

He’ll always be with us!

Check out video from our David Bowie inspired fashion shoot. Made by Mr. Deansgate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS68IQEq_lg&feature=youtu.be