Angela Bowie - Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie [COMPLETE AUDIOBOOK]

I’ve posted excerpts here before, but this is the complete 2-cassette reading of the audiobook. Please note that while this is the entire audiobook, it is an abridged reading by the author.

[@pagetto]

Two people will always have a different experience of the same situation. I believe every word she says here and I tip my hat to her for telling her story, and for the skill with which she does it.

[@gardensofthegods]

Yes I also believe absolutely every word she has said here and I don't believe David Bowie ever acted like he owed her anything ... ? He just wanted to totally deny the past and those who really helped his career . As much as I really loved David Bowie I think what he did to her was terrible .

[@johannesbols57]

Her description of the difference between the American middle class and the British middle class in the 1950s is a sociological goldmine.

[@Miawallce80]

Yes!!! I'm from the uk and now live in Australia.... It was the same dinamic here

[@cassandraunheeded]

It’s also completely accurate.

[@brianbracken1904]

Background info we never knew. Great listen and great delivery. Cheers

[@bluesky7288]

Very good writer and Iove her reading voice. So dramatic!

[@LoyalOpposition]

The fake British accent appeals to you?

[@JeaneGenie]

All that glitters is not gold. Amazing story Angie has, and so glad she has told some of it. Hope her life has paned out and she has found peace and happiness.

[@joeblow1748]

Ye right

[@danielkerwin2337]

@@joeblow1748 Truly never will. She spins a good tale but then she’s had sooooo much practice listening to the sound of her own voice🤪

[@cassandraunheeded]

@@danielkerwin2337No. it’s just the truth. I’m sure she’s fine.

[@birdofparadisemusic]

So interesting. Honestly makes you wish that the estate had agreed to let Angie be a part of “Moonage Daydream.” She was clearly a crucial part of the glitter scene.

[@LioraLand1]

Yeah I am surprised there were only a few photos of her in the diamond dogs era, just another girl with him in a photo...., like the Jean genie video, China girl, etc

[@stacyyoust]

The estate knows David Bowie decidedly cancelled Angela Bowie many years ago.

[@bluesky7288]

They also cut out all his drug use and bisexual conquests.

[@SuperLisalis]

I never took to her, she tells a good story thou !!!

[@LoyalOpposition]

The fake British accent appeals to you?

[@onlyonce1707]

Beautifully written/spoken story and a great insight into the real David Bowie.

[@nurknanker6105]

Loved her and especially her book. As for David, God knows he's good.

[@LioraLand1]

On one hand, She’s despicable. Some parts of this book are so distorted by anger. And yet at times what she says is an epiphany, it is so true. I have read it before, but It’s wonderful hearing her read it out!

[@stacyyoust]

Not at all despicable. Honesty and a temper. She knows her own worth. If you really care about Angela, watch the old interviews with the Spiders and others around them. They all mention Angie with fondness and respect for her, and all mention her helping David, promoting and inspiring him.

[@annwhite2346]

Tony Visconti speaks very well of Angie as well.

[@cassandraunheeded]

She is in no way despicable.

[@Wishful-Thinking]

Two people who were critical to David Bowie’s fame Angie Barnett and Tony Defries. Without them though Bowie WAS destined to stay as plain Davey Jones when it came to success. Hate them or love them, both were vital and I for one am glad they were both involved.

[@gardensofthegods]

Yes I definitely believe this even though some others don't want to . She nursed and nurtured his career ... he did some of his best works when he was still with her . She had a lot to do with getting the world to notice him even if he doesn't want to admit it .

[@ellsworthrainville6696]

What about Ronson?

[@Wishful-Thinking]

@@ellsworthrainville6696 Ronson was critical to Bowie’s Ziggy / Aladdin era sound and arrangements but Angie and Defries were critical to Bowie’s early recognition and subsequent fame. Without those two even Ronson’s magnificent contributions wouldn’t really have got the media air time Bowie needed that Bowie craved at the time.

[@JanB1758-mo9et]

@@ellsworthrainville6696 Mick Ronson's contribution as a musician and producer was of course invaluable. From the The Man Who Sold The World and onwards, his print on Bowie's music will forever be a craftsmanship that made Bowie into fame. Tony Visconti's contributions along with Rick Wakeman was also invaluable.

[@cindy68780]

Best description and analysis of Bowie to date.

[@glennstuartcampbell8564]

Great story of the life of David Bowie and Angela Barnet from their meeting a woman who was pivotal in the rise of David career and played great part in creating a future superstar so angie help him reach his success without her who knows what would have become of David Robert Jones 😊so glad she came along at the right moment in time Lucky David.

[@LoyalOpposition]

The fake British accent appeals to you?

[@jussiniemi9560]

She is a great storyteller. And Bowie himself has often said that he has barely any recollections of the 70's. So thank god for Angie on that.

[@undergroundgroweruk446]

It's funny listening to this as a Brit because you can tell she expected the majority readership to be American. I.e explaining that the British middle class isn't like the American middle class.

[@cassandraunheeded]

I don’t this she worried about it at all.

[@attilio7]

always interesting to hear Angela.

[@annjustin2785]

It would have been interesting to hear David’s side of the story too🤔

[@flashflame4952]

I gather David's side of it was he got custody of their son and put a gag order on her the moment they divorced...She was angry about the divorce.

[@annjustin2785]

@@flashflame4952 well Angie literally said that she practically had Joe for David because she wanted him to be happy and she didn’t feel sad that she CHOSE not to see him them when she wants sympathy she makes out that David stole Joe from her! Also David has said very little about angie but in one interview someone asks about the divorce and David says “we’re not talking about that, why would I want to talk about one of the worst periods of my life” also David really hates Angie. Unfortunately we won’t get to hear his side of this fascinating story 😢

[@MillyMasher]

It's not good 😅😅😅

[@MillyMasher]

​@annjustin2785 worth listening to, but ruined mY hero bias 😢

[@cassandraunheeded]

None of it refutes her.

[@cassandraunheeded]

This is gorgeous and really fun. ⏳

[@Ksvtjhyb7]

How stingy of him. 750000 and all the work she did for his career. Dont blame her writing a book, keeping the Bowie name and getting paid for interviews.

[@LoyalOpposition]

What work? Faking a British accent?

[@cassandraunheeded]

@@LoyalOppositionShe sounds exactly like an American from Connecticut.

[@NinaGuth-hg5eh]

Angie is absolutely awesome.I love the bluntness of her,no holds barred verbage!!Well done Angie,tell it like it was and is girl!

[@berliner0]

Been emailing her since 2003 off and on

[@sweetbermudaonions60]

It's little wonder why David stuck a GAG ORDER on Angie for 10 years after their divorce. Also keep in mind that David got full custody of his son...

[@sasskvetch8617]

@Sweet Heart, David was many wonderful things, but accounts of his vanity, insecurities and drug problems were rife. Angie's is not the only tell-all. Hell, they were young and rich and it was the 70s so whatever. And it's not uncommon for the wealthier partner to get full custody of children in a contentious divorce, even today. But I'm sure you're not one of those pearl-clutching biddies who "let boys be boys" but purse their lips at women behaving identically. Because that's not very rock-n-roll 😉

[@big-baby-buddha]

Hey, hey, that kitten got claws!(Smart as a whip, too)

[@LoyalOpposition]

The fake British accent appeals to you?

[@gertredelinghuis9157]

She really miss her cauling, she should be a writer!

[@LoyalOpposition]

The fake British accent appeals to you?

[@cassandraunheeded]

@@LoyalOppositionWhat fake accent? She sounds completely American to me. From Connecticut.

[@cassandraunheeded]

She is a writer.

[@mu8554]

Hats off 2 ANGIE...................................................................................

[@msell8107]

WOW! 🟠🟡🟢

[@alicemcduff3416]

Great book!

[@LoyalOpposition]

The fake British accent appeals to you?

[@cassandraunheeded]

@@LoyalOppositionwhat fake accent? She sounds totally American to me.

[@MillyMasher]

Brilliant ❤❤❤

[@LoyalOpposition]

The fake British accent appeals to you?

[@MillyMasher]

I never noticed it 😅. Yet I'm English lmfao

[@MillyMasher]

@LoyalOpposition I am a big fan of bowie the musician from a 9 Yr old now 43 realise two sides to a story

[@LoyalOpposition]

@@MillyMasher I'm a big fan as well, but when I see his documentaries, one minute she sounds English, then completely American. For example, you must see her on the Maury Povich show. Not a hint of English.

[@MillyMasher]

@LoyalOpposition I never liked angie but by the sounds of it she went to alot of lengths for David and he never treated her right, what's your thoughts? Haha she sounds American instead of Greek which is odd too. Xxx

[@LioraLand1]

I am horrified she would leave her newborn Son Duncan, too.

[@stacyyoust]

You must also be horrified by the CPS (Child Protective Services) practice of forcibly removing newborn babies (and older children) from their mother's upon concerns of possible future harm ...

[@leeannasloan2292]

Well...she left her son with the father so I don't see anything wrong with that. She said in an interview that she knew Duncan would keep Bowie from going into a dark place.

[@minidiva46]

He wasn’t a newborn. He was 9 years old.

[@kimberlyjohnson1371]

I wonder if he were to want to write a book out of pure spite what it would be like... especially with his narrative voice kinda like Angie has here but I truly wonder if his 💗 would be heavy with regrets or spite for her etc... IDT so... but I just can't help but to wonder..RIP DB~

[@cassandraunheeded]

I don’t think it’s spiteful. It’s simply true. And beautifully written and told.

[@dalemcmillen5065]

Let's not forget that it was David that put them on the map, not the other way around

[@RobinofSactown]

Starting Bowie tribute band in CA if I can… any bassist s, drummers interested? Paid auditions begin in November in Santa Cruz. I’d like to come and meet u but I think I’ll blow yr mind…😊reply here at Annie’s book why not? I’ll check back…RoneeMorris Monterey Ca

[@MillyMasher]

Awful on the son sent awayy and ignored his mother 😢

[@paceoneil4065]

David Bowie (and Andy Warhol) brought the gay underground nightclub scene to the straight masses. What seemed original was common to us. Ziggy Stardust is it's many iterations could be seen at any gay club with a stage in the 70's. Publicly announcing the he was "gay" was his way of cleverly coopting the subculture that we created. Nothing truly rock original, except the Sex Pistols, has come out of England. The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, etc., are all superbly marketed white-boy copies of the Delta Blues originals that were too black for the audience who could afford to purchase the records.

[@ejtattersall156]

This argument has SO many holes in it. But at least you credited the Sex Pistols. The Rolling Stones consciously ripped off blues, but calling the Beatles Delta Blues is laughable. Abbey Road is not Delta Blues. And saying "He got it all from gay clubs" is so simplistic.

[@paceoneil4065]

@@ejtattersall156 All rock and roll, blues and jazz originate in the American South, which migrated to Chicago and New York. I would consider the Beatles a rock band. Their first albums emulated Chubby Checker and Jerry Lee Lewis. They expanded into some experimental asian influence later in their history but their bread and butter remained rock and roll. Going further back, rock/blues relies heavily on country music (Ray Charles is clear about that - so much so that he released a Country album). So you could argue that since country music originated in Scotland/Ireland it is a derivative of The British Isles but that would be a stretch. As for Bowie, aka David Robert Jones, I'm not trying to denigrate his talent and hard work. He was wildly successful for a reason. He just wasn't very original. If Kinsey was correct, that would mean that only 10 percent of the population is gay while a majority of 90 percent have likely never been in a gay club - especially back then! I was there. I witnessed the originals. DB learned a lot from Warhol's crew, which is why he made sure to hitch his wagon to The Factory. When he "came out" to the public, coopting the gay struggle without suffering the trauma, he instantly became more edgy and people wanted to feel the coolness of the fringe. Even Angela, in this book, congratulated him on this clever marketing.

[@ejtattersall156]

To say that the Beatles were in their initial stages were derivative of American rock is, yes, obvious. That said, their first incarnation was playing skiffle, then rock and some blues, then Indian influences, but in their later work, there are elements of classical, John Philip Souza, British military bands and even traditional native British influence. A Day In The Life is a piece of art. Period. Originality is not inventing a form of music, however, but how you put it together. The Beatles pulled in so many influences that they created their own sound. But you reduced them to a Delta Blues derivative, and that was my only issue. I grant your point on the Stones and Clapton. Did Bowie rip off the gay scene? Sure. But he made it visible and more acceptable. We live in an imperfect world. In his late-70s career he did three albums that few would say were not fresh and interesting and a departure from all of his previous influences. Low is his most well-known achievement and not connected to his early roots in the gay scene. Again, everyone is influenced, but it is how you put it together. The Sex Pistols were Dada, but also still rock. And they too took a lot of cues from the gay scene. Incidentally, Kinsey is no longer considered a relevant study. His methodology was deeply flawed. The consensus is about three to four percent of the population.

[@paceoneil4065]

@@ejtattersall156 Excellent response ! I think that we agree on a lot more than we disagree on. Artists do grow beyond their initial roots (if they're good). And we all start out copying our idols until we get our wings. Like I said before, I take nothing away from The Beatles or David Bowie - I grew up on them. I just resent when they become famous on the backs of the oppressed minorities. David Bowie obviously is not gay. Bi, yes, according to Angela. If we believe her account, then sex for DB was a tool, a means, not a lifestyle. Oppression has always been the route to great art so it's offensive (to me) when people latch onto a disenfranchised group in order to seem cool. Bowie's "outing" did a lot for his career but very little for the gay community, Bonnie Raitt is the only artist I know who pays homage (and money) to the black southern artists who built the sound we all love. Oh, and Kinsey was sex manic anyway, I just used him to make a point. Thanks for the polite and respectful debate. It is so rare these days.

[@ejtattersall156]

@@paceoneil4065 One thing you said rather surprised me. You said, "Nothing truly rock original, except the Sex Pistols, has come out of England." Calling the Pistols original to England is true but it is diametrically opposed to almost every narrative out there in the US. The stock narrative is the Pistols were derived from the Ramones. A ten-year old child can tell the difference but 99% of US rock fans refuse to, so I have this argument over and over. Remarkably, you held to the argument of British rock as derivative and made an exception for the one band which is most often attacked as derivative of the US and contrived. So, right off the bat you deserve my respect. You are also entirely correct, as I said, of the Stones and Clapton. I have only taken issue with the Beatles and Bowie, and this has been a good conversation in that direction. i do want to offer a perspective on Bowie that maybe you have not considered. I went to high school in the South. No homophobe asks if you have sex with men, they just see a set of traits and act according to their bias. So, I was the target of huge loads of homophobia, while not happening to be gay. For me, Bowie was a big middle finger to homophobic bullies who decided, in their minds, my sexuality for me. They were not going to consider me one of them, so I leaned into being the Other. And Bowie helped me do that. More than that, my two favorite things in the world were space and music and he brought them together. I was also a theater nerd, so the theatricality spoke to me. Bowie got folded into glam rock, but in my feeling, he was something entirely transcendent. I had never seen anything like Ziggy before or since. In my estimation, that's pretty original. 1970 was a pivotal moment in Bowie's trajectory because he saw Elvis. Bowie was doing a folk act before that. But when he saw Elvis, he realized, Oh! It's all about sex. His insight was that it didn't matter what kind of sex, just sex. Sex is what matters. So to the degree of American influence he had, you might point to Elvis.

[@LoyalOpposition]

Funny how she had no "english accent" on a talk show 5 months before this. She's a phony. Her own son hasn't talked to her in over 40 years. Even the courts gave the father the boy, which only happens in rare situations.

[@cassandraunheeded]

She sounds completely American to me. From Connecticut.

[@chrishills2427]

Zero English accent on display here

[@thomassummerhill6357]

Cocaine and Black Magic what a crazy combination It’s a miracle Bowie survived.

[@cassandraunheeded]

It is not that uncommon.

[@thomassummerhill6357]

@@cassandraunheeded We will probably never know what he was trying to use it for

[@cassandraunheeded]

@@thomassummerhill6357 For magic of course.

[@cassandraunheeded]

@@thomassummerhill6357 Magic of course.

[@thomassummerhill6357]

@@cassandraunheeded Like David Copperfield ?

[@crankenstein70]

Too bad they can't layer some of his music over this...The Prettiest Star...Golden Years...Scary Monsters...The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell..etc

[@SuperLisalis]

What year did she write this??

[@daveroxit]

The book was published in 1993.

[@haroldfadorka3816]

At least David was honest with Angie before they got married. Bowie made it clear he didn't love her and he said he would see other's during the course of their marriage. As time chugged along in their arrangement , one can detect the obvious Angie became self important and much more obnoxious. Can't really blame David for moving on to more favorable situations.

[@cassandraunheeded]

There’s nothing wrong with her.

[@johncarroll772]

Talented writer 👏

[@billphillips3711]

As far as her changing accents, perhaps sometimes she puts on certain accents for certain comments. But I think that's about what is the best "fit' to accentuate the comment appropriately. In my opinion, most of the time she isn't even aware of her accents changing. I'd love to know who was really responsible for Angela's presence "on the scene". As fabulous as she was and is, her life in London doesn't seem organic. There's just too much agenda pushing.

[@MillyMasher]

Spoke many languages interesting person

[@gerardmurphy6263]

Why wait now

[@tommeredith7462]

Easy to understand why Bowie dumped this Angie Broad.

[@MillyMasher]

😅😅😅

[@cassandraunheeded]

He just never loved her.

[@cassandraunheeded]

He just never loved her.

[@melraggedy]

Should not agree too get married he didn’t love her😢

[@cassandraunheeded]

Right you are.

[@johnfahey7587]

Sleaze sells books. Money money money makes the world go round.

[@joeblow1748]

And here you are.

[@LannieLord]

@@joeblow1748 Tell Madonna's brother this.

[@ejtattersall156]

@@joeblow1748 You do know youtube is free, right?

[@cassandraunheeded]

There’s nothing sleazy here.

[@MillyMasher]

Kurt 😢

[@MillyMasher]

😅😅😅😅😅

[@A.S.P.A.]

She is a brilliant storyteller, I will give her that. But I have some difficulty to accept the "we did it". She run the operations on the backstage, but come on, he was Bowie. She was extremely important but there wasn't a we in it. He did what any other male artist did at the time. And I understand it must have been heartbreaking, but she knew.. she was there.

[@cassandraunheeded]

I think it’s all true.

[@LannieLord]

Gag order?! I'll be he wanted to have her tongue removed and her lips sewn shut . She sounds like a crazed Julie Newmar here, and you KNOW the editor & publisher was all "Yeah, you can do the book as LONG as there is sexual stuff every other paragraph".

[@cassandraunheeded]

Nonsense. Well written and all true.

[@gerardmurphy6263]

Time to move on Angie than you for your input

[@sweetbermudaonions60]

This book is not NEW....

[@cassandraunheeded]

She’s fine. She’s a writer.

[@MillyMasher]

Her sòn been with a narcissistic person ruin drain everyone around them.

[@cassandraunheeded]

I think Duncan’s fine. He’s a filmmaker.

[@rch6650]

she's annoying

[@cassandraunheeded]

Too bad for you I guess.

[@arricammarques1955]

Probably, wishful dreaming from the author.

[@cassandraunheeded]

Nope. All true.

[@MariaGaldamez-e4e]

Wishful dreaming? She literally had his son lol

[@terrywrigley9751]

Angie u excelled here!

[@simondeun9692]

Angie still go on making money with the name Bowie and with David. Shame, make yourself interesting so you can make a interesting story.

[@cassandraunheeded]

She’s a writer. And a very good one.