Credited by some with launching glam rock just up the road in Chalk Farm, David Bowie has been memorialised on Camden’s Music Walk of Fame.
The artist's stone was unveiled on Thursday (September 22) – the fifth after The Who, Soul II Soul, Madness and Amy Winehouse.
The ceremony coincided with the release of Brett Morgen’s documentary Moonage Daydream, which is in cinemas now and features never-seen-before footage and narration from Bowie himself.
The event was led by Mojo contributing editor Phil Alexander who told guests and a crowd gathered on the other side of Camden High Street: "’Genius’ is an overused term, as we know, but not in this case."
In 1970, a landmark concert at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm featured Bowie's band Hype, which included Mick Ronson and Tony Visconti. The performance sowed the seed of the genre whose pinnacle came with Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.
Spiders drummer Michael "Woody" Woodmansey unveiled Bowie’s stone and told the Ham&High of an early meeting with Bowie, when he really discovered what a talent he had come across.
"He picked his 12 string up and then just five feet away from me played Moonage Daydream," he said. "And at the end of it I just went: 'Holy...this guy can write!'"
Woody played on the album Hunky Dory and remembers listening to co-producer Ken Scott's mix of Life On Mars in the studio.
"It was just amazing hearing it the first time, mixed. I looked along at David, Mick [Ronson, guitarist] and Trevor [Bolder, bassist] and their mouths were kind of open," he said.
One of Woody's great contributions to pop is the intro fading into Five Years, the apocalyptic opener to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
After playing the song a few times, Bowie told Woody the drums should open it.
Woody's first thought was to do some "flashy" drumrolls, but added: "And then I thought: 'Hang on a minute. The song is about the end of the world – I'm not going to feel like that.
"In the end I just started playing, getting into the the mood of it, and he just went: 'Do that.’”
He added: “I even thought 'I'm going to hit a cymball' but then I thought: 'It's the end of the world, I can't be bothered.'"
It became an iconic opening to a classic album.
The Music Walk of Fame is the brainchild of Lee Bennett – from the Highgate and Muswell Hill area but now based in Ibiza – who picked out Fame, Ashes to Ashes, and Golden Years as his favourite Bowie tracks.
The unveiling was delayed by the pandemic and by the death of the Queen, and Lee was delighted to have things moving again.
“It had to be Bowie,” he said. “We got the call, came off the subs bench, as they say – let's get back in action now. The film’s coming out – they called us to help with the film – the world aligned and it unlocked the rest of our journey."
As part of the opening, Haverstock School choir – Danny, Elerlissa, Abass, Ruby, Samaha and Kais – performed Starman.
Elena Peters, head of music, said: "Our students are real David Bowie fans and they feel honoured to be here."
She said they chose Starman as it is their favourite of his songs.
"I think David Bowie has had a massive influence on music in the UK and we're proud that he's British and from London," she said. "So, yes, he's a big deal."
Tributes to Bowie from Goldie and Tina Turner were read out and, in true prog fashion, it was reported that Rick Wakeman sent a “very long message”.
Guitarist Kevin Armstrong, who played with Bowie at Live Aid and on recordings including Absolute Beginners and Dancing In the Street, performed an acoustic version of Heroes.
Pianist Clifford Slapper set the mood ahead of the speeches, while other guests included actor Nick Moran and Chris Duffy of the Duffy Archive, which records the work of his late father, the photographer Brian Duffy, who shot images for three Bowie albums, including the iconic Aladdin Sane portrait.
TfL's Ian Redpath and Jeremy Chopra, authors of All On The Board – daily messages for people travelling around London – were at the unveiling and have written a new poem for Bowie, which can be seen at Camden Town station.
In a video message Queen's Roger Taylor described Bowie, who died in 2016, as one of the most “dangerously-minded” musicians he ever worked with.
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