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cstack3 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: David Bowie & his guitarists....
    Posted: January 12 2016 at 17:15
Bowie collaborated with many of the best guitarists in the business, including Fripp, Ronson, and even Frampton! 

This is a hilarious story recounted by Adrian Belew on his Facebook page, I'd never heard it before!  Please provide other stories/YouTube clips from Tin Machine, "Thin White Duke" era music etc.
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Adrian Belew

In 1978 I did my first tour of Europe as "stunt" guitarist and singer for Frank Zappa's band. The night we played in Cologne, Germany unbeknownst to me Brian Eno was in the audience. Brian knew David Bowie was looking for a new guitarist for his upcoming tour. He called David after seeing our show and told David he should come see the guitarist for Frank's band. 

The next night we performed in Berlin. There was a part of the show where Frank took an extended guitar solo and most of the band members, including myself, left the stage for a few minutes. As I walked to the back of the stage I looked over at the monitor mixing board and saw David Bowie and Iggy Pop standing there. 
Wow! I couldn't believe it! 

So I walked over to David Bowie, shook his hand and said, "I love what you've done, thank you for all the music". And he said, "Great, how would you like to be in my band?" I motioned back towards Frank and said, "Well, I'm kind of playing with that guy." David laughed and said, "Yes, I know, but when Frank's tour ends my tour starts two weeks later. Shall we talk about it over dinner?"

David said he would meet me back at our hotel and sure enough when I arrived back at the hotel David Bowie and his assistant Coco Schwab were sitting on a couch in the lobby. As I walked past them they whispered to me, "Get into the elevator, go up to your room, come back down in a few minutes, and meet us outside. we have a car waiting." 
It was like something out of a spy film. 

When I came back down and went outside there was a black limousine waiting. The driver opened the door and I got in the back with David and Coco. David immediately launched into all this plans for his upcoming tour, the songs we would play, the staging, and so on, and how much he loved my guitar playing! It was so exciting! He said they were taking me to one of his favorite restaurants in Berlin. 

How many restaurants are there in Berlin? 25,000?

We arrived at the restaurant, went in the front door, and who should be sitting at the very first table but Frank Zappa and the rest of the band! So the three of us sat down with Frank and the band. David, trying to be cordial, motioned to me and said, "Quite a guitar player you have here Frank."  
And Frank said, "F••• you Captain Tom." 
(note: Frank had demoted David from Major Tom to Captain Tom.) 
David persisted, "Oh come on now Frank, surely we can be gentleman about this?" 
Frank said, "F••• you Captain Tom." 
By this point I was paralyzed. David said, "So you really have nothing to say?" Frank said. "F••• you Captain Tom." 

David and Coco and I got up and went back out the front door. Getting in the limo David said in his wonderfully British way, "I thought that went rather nicely!"



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 17:19
Awesome story, FZ had a way with words, wot?  LOL  
I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 17:26
Originally posted by tszirmay tszirmay wrote:

Awesome story, FZ had a way with words, wot?  LOL  

Thanks, I agree, that was SO Zappa!!  I can just picture him giving Bowie a middle-finger salute! 

Check this video out, Belew comes out swinging about 4:00! 




Edited by cstack3 - January 12 2016 at 17:48
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 18:00
Priceless! LOL  Thanks for posting it.
 
Curious, I heard about Frampton but do not know any details on what he worked with Bowie on?  Being lazy here and not Googling, Binging, or Yahooing for it.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 18:11
^ ... Never Let Me Down. Yup, that's the one Frampton is on.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 20:33
Ha! That was awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Magma America Great Make Again
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 21:47
Originally posted by AEProgman AEProgman wrote:

Priceless! LOL  Thanks for posting it.
 
Curious, I heard about Frampton but do not know any details on what he worked with Bowie on?  Being lazy here and not Googling, Binging, or Yahooing for it.
Well, he was part of the GlassSpiders tour, saw him at the infernal Olympic Stadium in Montreal (affectionnally known as the toilet bowl) . Don't think Frampton played on studio albums but I will check that out. 
I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 21:50
Originally posted by zravkapt zravkapt wrote:

Ha! That was awesome. Thanks for sharing.

You are very welcome!  I'll keep an eye on Belew's FB page for any followup posts on FZ.

I found this online, it discusses many of his key collaborations including Fripp, Belew etc.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 21:50
Frampton played on Never Let Me Down. 
I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 22:44
Originally posted by tszirmay tszirmay wrote:

Frampton played on Never Let Me Down. 

From the article:

Peter Frampton

  

The friendship between Peter Frampton and David Bowie actually dates back to their time at Bromley Technical School in the early '60s. As Bowie rose to fame, Frampton was running in tandem, first in Humble Pie and then later as a wildly successful solo artist. A new decade saw Frampton's career stall, however. “The ’80s were a difficult period for me,” he told M Magazine. That is, “until my dear friend David Bowie got me out on the road for the ‘Glass Spider’ tour and on his Never Let Me Down record and reintroduced me as a guitar player around the world. I can never thank him enough."



Read More: David Bowie's Most Memorable Rock Collaborations | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-rock-collaborations/?trackback=fbshare_top_flat_3&trackback=tsmclip
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2016 at 23:41
Thank you guys for sharing
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 13 2016 at 02:39
You did not mention the late Steve Ray Vaughan on Lets Dance, another guitar legend he worked with
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 13 2016 at 04:37
Magnificent Adrian, Daddy Jimi lives in you.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 13 2016 at 08:27
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 13 2016 at 13:32
Slick and Alomar on the 1983 tour were great.....tight band with Ansley Dunbar on drums.  Great band, great show.

Edited by Intruder - January 13 2016 at 13:33
I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there.....
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 13 2016 at 15:01
Originally posted by Icarium Icarium wrote:

You did not mention the late Steve Ray Vaughan on Lets Dance, another guitar legend he worked with

Sorry, SRV was listed in the article.  Some have pointed out that other collaborators such as David Torn were not mentioned.

Bowie caught Stevie Ray Vaughan's performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982 and was so taken with his playing that he invited the guitarist to join him in the studio. "He completely floored me," Bowie once told Guitar World. "I probably hadn't been so gung-ho about a guitar player since seeing Jeff Beck with his band the Tridents." Stevie Ray played a key role on 1983's massively successful Let's Dance.



Read More: David Bowie's Most Memorable Rock Collaborations | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-rock-collaborations/?trackback=fbshare_top_flat_3&trackback=tsmclip
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 13 2016 at 22:11
On that list of Bowie's most memoral collaborations, I believe Rick Wakeman is missing big time. I understand Space Oddity and Life on Mars are some very important pieces for his career. And perhaps not so important, but also notable, is his appearance with David Gilmour on the Remember that Night show... I think I remember something about Bowie having been sort of out of the musical scene for a little while when Gilmour brought him back...

Edited by Dellinger - January 14 2016 at 21:22
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 13 2016 at 23:30
Originally posted by Dellinger Dellinger wrote:

On that list of Bowie's most memoral collaborations, I believe Rick Wakeman is missing big time. I undestand Space Oddity and Life on Mars are some very important pieces for his career.

Good point!  This is a remarkable tribute by Mr. Wakeman....




Edited by cstack3 - January 13 2016 at 23:30
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 14 2016 at 04:14
I saw a documentary yesterday night. Rick Wakeman at his piano spoke of his fascination for Life On Mars. 40 years later, he had forgotten some parts and exclaimed : "Gosh, what an extraordinary piece of piano ! I have to learn all this by heart !" 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 14 2016 at 17:03
I saw the '78 tour in Oakland.  Honestly, I only bought a ticket because I thought Fripp might guest on the Heroes tour just like he did with Gabriel in '77...oh well...I did get to see Belew and Roger Powell on kybds though so it was still a great night Wink
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