| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:RIP David Bowie | |
| Posted by: | Joy Griffiths | |
| Date/Time: | 11/01/16 21:12:00 |
| I went to see him at the Bristol Colston Hall in 1973 with a huge group of some very camp Bowie fans. We had taken over the two front rows and were having a brilliant party with Mick Ronson joining us in the space between our seats and the stage and some of our more elaborately dressed group (just 'the boys') going onto the stage to strut their stuff amongst Ziggie and The Spiders. It was amazing. Then we were invited to go on their bus to the after party at the then Unicorn Hotel. I was so young and naïve I sat in a corner just watching what was going on - it was lively to say the least. I was completely tongue tied when he came over and plonked himself next to me and asked why I was sitting on my own ..... I had to explain that the two guys (my two beautiful and extremely camp Saturday job colleagues)I had gone to the show with had disappeared. He said they'd not be long (I never did find out exactly where they'd cleared off to) and moments later they reappeared with Mick Ronson and Jo, his then PA ... (She grew up to be Sienna Millers mother). So we all sat there, them drinking God knows what and me drinking coke, chatting away and me sewing on a button which had popped off the bib front of his dungarees, weird but as he was trying to tie the bib in place with the strap it was the least I could do (always carry a sewing kit). He told me off for staying out late when my parents had told me to be home by 11pm, that I should phone them and tell them I was safe, even telling me/Jo to use the hotel phone on his account - which of course I didn't. It was all a bit surreal, all the madness going on around us and this cosy corner of calm. He was just so normal, talking about his mismatched eyes that he'd had an accident which had caused it. At the time I was just so impressed with Jo who spent what seemed like an age telling me all about how she became his PA, about the green and pink streaks in her hair and to keep going with my (boring) Secretarial/PA course and what fabulous jobs I'd be able to do.... My parents of course read me the riot act, one of many and grounded me! It was worth it. The autographs I'd been given (asked for by one of my two friends)were binned by my father and I was banned from talking about him to my younger sisters and brother. It was the only time I saw him in concert but what a memory! |