David Bowie's Spiders From Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey gears up for 'emotional' documentary release

Virgin Radio

7 Sep 2022, 13:06

Woody Woodmansey

Credit: Getty

David Bowie’s friends, family and fans alike are preparing for a special walk down memory lane in upcoming documentary, Moonage Daydream. 

The cinematic feature, which drops on 16th September, will use previously unreleased footage from the musician’s personal archives, including live concert footage.

Someone excited for the release is Bowie’s Spiders From Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey, who attended the star-studded London premiere of the documentary on Monday (5th September).

Speaking to virginradio.co.uk about Moonage, Woody admitted it’ll bring back so many memories to not only see Bowie, but hear him too, as the iconic singer also narrates the film. 

Woody explained: “I've been kind of playing some of his music over the last seven years with the band. And some of those tracks definitely put me back to when we did it with David, you know, emotionally. 

“You get the same emotions even though there's a different singer, so it's going to be even more of that for me I think. Just to see and hear him speak. It's going to be quite emotional.”

On why audiences are still captivated by the Space Oddity legend, Woody admitted what set Bowie apart was his ability to work successfully in more than just one genre, and to do it without compromising on his artistic integrity. 

“From when I first met him, he hadn’t made it, but you just felt this individual that made the decision that he was going to do it, and he was going to kick the industry up the backside, and he did that,” Woody continued. 

He added: “He stuck his neck out, he went with what was true for him. I don't think he ever did anything to sell records. I thought he always had the ability to write a hit single, whenever he wanted to. It's just that he didn't always want to. The concept of the album was worth more than just doing a single to promote it. So he stayed true to that all the way through.”

The Spiders From Mars backed Bowie from the early 70s, and Woody was a part of some of the artist's most prolific albums, including Man Who Sold The World and Hunky Dory. 

Elsewhere, Moonage Daydream director Brett Morgen promised fans he’s left ‘no stone unturned’ in his documentary, which is the first and only authorised doc with the support of Bowie’s family.

When asked about the pressure he felt to accurately portray the musician onscreen, Morgen exclusively told virginradio.co.uk that he felt like he had done enough research.

He said: “I spent seven years working on this film, it was only supposed to take two years, and ran out of money in year three. And so I just had the luxury of just saying, ‘I'm gonna work on this until I feel it's done.’

“So at the end of the day, I've left no stone unturned in my book. So I feel pretty great. But you can't do a film about a legend like David Bowie and be too intimidated. But certainly, a drive to get it right and not f it up.”

Moonage Daydream hits UK cinemas on 16th September.

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