Backstage Passes

Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie

By: Angela Bowie, Patrick Carr

Narrated by: Angela Bowie

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

There are countless books about the great rock/pop icon of the 20th century David Bowie. But there's only one written by the woman who met him aged just 19, married him, had a child with him, and helped shape his image and the early stages of his career.

In one of the great rock 'n' roll exposés, Angela Mary Hartnett Bowie gives a riveting account of her years with Bowie and his progress from aspiring young singer to international rock stardom. She emerges as a witty, powerful personality in her own right, and as his partner of 10 years, she has insights into his background and personality that are exclusively hers. 

American, educated in Cyprus, Switzerland, the US, and then London, Angie brought her confidence and sophistication to the young David’s life and is credited with conceptualizing the costumes for the Ziggy Stardust stage show, which was his breakthrough to success. 

This is a fascinating glimpse into the music and club scene of early-'70s London, and later the rock lifestyle in New York and Los Angeles. Angie knew everyone and gives a colorful, wry account of the ambience and her brushes with other giants of the decade - Jagger, Elton John, Lou Reed, the Jacksons, and members of Led Zeppelin, to name just a few. Her story gives a unique take on life with the inscrutable Bowie, and she recounts the dissolution of their marriage and his descent into cocaine addiction, with courage and charm.

©2020 Lume Books (P)2021 Lume Books

awesome

its like having angie bowie in your living room telling u everything you want to know about those long ago days of myth and magic

Fantastic!

Witty! Intelligent! Educational! She’s one of a kind and I can’t wait to hear more of her work. I love the way she writes and even more, the way she performs. I have always liked DB’s acting and some of his music. Angela made me see how important he was to musical culture as well as go and check out his earlier music. I was so entertained by her perspective on and experience of that time. Highly recommend!

Bad diggity

I always knew there was more to this story. I loved her gravely voice and her honest approach to story telling. Definitely worth the read for perspective and understanding in then early Bowie years. A classic example of what every young person may go through during their trials of young (star seeking) couple. The mental processing this young gal had to rationally compute in a world unknown. So much respect and love for this woman and story,

Great Story Teller

For the first ten minutes I thought I would stop listening and return the book. But then it ironed out with the shifting voice tone and the rustle of papers. Now I see the humor in it. She is a great story teller, a performer. Possibly the best narration I have ever heard in an audiobook. She's also very witty and satirical. Again, very witty. The stories and her take on the people and situations is hysterical. I really laughed through the story telling. I guess the book was written in 1993 and only now getting to audio format. I think she could narrate any book and make it enjoyable to listen to. I bought the book because I like to read memiors. This is a good memior and, a mini biography of the singer David Bowie.

Listen to this book and Then see the Movie

It's hard not to be jealous that I did not have an Angela Bowie type in my corner when I was pursuing my musical career.
And I agree with several other reviewers, that I would love to hear Angela Bowie read other books. Her voice and enthusiasm Is....... addictive.

The Real Wonder Woman!

I read this book back in the early 90's when it was released, absolutely loved it! I purchased the audio book (on cassette tape) not long after and loved it even more. I was so excited to find the re-release here on Audible. Angela is a character, her performance is so enjoyable. This one is definitely worth a listen.

Bowdlerized Bowie — Abridged!

Angela Bowie explains in the audiobook’s preface that she was unhappy with her coauthor. She claims she felt he dwelt in sensationalism and that she couldn’t read his stilted writing out loud. Then she continues as if she’s reading the original book.

When I tried reading along with her, I noticed she skipped full paragraphs and occasionally even pages. Many of her omissions were indeed salacious (as well as dishy and sometimes, ahem, rash) but maybe she also skipped them because they didn’t age well or now seem embarrassing. I’m sure she regrets a lot of what she wrote and when revisiting it in 2021 thought better of it.

Still, her narration is fantastic and makes you feel like you’re on the inside of her life at the time. Also, much of what she did keep is dishy enough and it’s all very entertaining. Just know you’re not getting the full story.

recommend this book

Very interesting story especially if you are Bowie fan or interested in the music and art scene of the late 60's-early 70's. Angela was a great narrator, and really made the book come to life. I would recommend.

You Go Girl!

I hope that someday Angela Bowie gets the credit she deserves as being an artist herself and her many contributions to rock and roll. I loved this book!

Disappointed

Story was more about her than David bowie. Felt like a learned very little about him.