Mick Woodmansey

What happened was, got into the taxi.

I was after doing a gig and David Bowie's drummer, Woody Woodmansey, Michael Woody Woodmansey, very famous.

He was on the Ziggy Stardust, did the Ziggy Stardust stuff and all that.

He was a very famous guy.

He was telling me mad stories and we were outside and chatting away.

I got a picture with him and I went off.

and I was on a mad high I was like fuck that was David Bowie's trouble like you know what I mean media heroes type thing yeah like so I was in great form went up outside the Globe the Globe on Georgia Street can we just point out Ray Heffernan Ray listens to the podcast Ray the Globe I put my guitar I know Ray has his his story with the Globe my story with the Globe is that I was outside the Globe and I put my guitar and my gear my leads my bag my mic stand everything into the back of the taxi in the boot got into the taxi and was on the way home, was on a bit of a high after meeting Bowie's drummer, was chatting shite, chatting away, completely mind not on the guitar.

Got out at the house, went in, had a shower.

... to Scientology.

So he's just kinda said, "I'm tired of this." In fact, Mike Garson, um, introduced Woody Woodmansey, uh, who was, uh, in the Spiders of Mars, uh, Spiders From Mars.

He introduced him to Scientology.

Um, so when he found out that Mike Garson [laughs] was no longer a Scientologist, he called him up.

Yeah.

"I think it was Woody Woodmansey," and stuff like that.

You're still looking down at the piece of paper on the table though.

I guess you are.

Two men would be instrumental in that process, the American musician Tony Visconti, who Bowie had met three years earlier through Mark Bolan, and a more recent introduction, the quiet, polite and immensely talented guitarist Mick Ronson.

It was Ronson who also roped in a mate from his hometown of Hull to serve as drummer, Woody Woodmansey.

All four were living at Haddon Hall, the sprawling and run-down Victorian mansion in South London, where Bowie and his new wife Angie rented a large flat and hosted an artist's commune.

But Bowie's mental state was delicate.