The late Tony Mascia nervously helps a triumphant David Bowie into
the getaway car. Picture taken by a sixteen-year-old Total Blam Blam.
The first time I saw the dum dum boys, I was fascinated…
A little bit self-indulgent this one I’m afraid. The rather blurry snap above is the very first picture I ever took of David Bowie. The shot is of him leaving through the stage door of The Rainbow in London, on March 7th 1977, after playing a gig as keyboard player with Iggy Pop. This was the last of six dates in England on ‘The Idiot’ tour, before it moved to Canada and the USA.
This was my first ever Iggy show, and I had only seen David once before as The Thin White Duke the previous year at Wembley. Earlier in the day was also the first time I had actually met David, when I and my friend, Thommo, were the only fans around to greet David as he arrived for the show. DB gracefully stopped to say hello and shake hands, and I managed to blurt “Low’s f*cking brilliant!”.
The show itself was extraordinary. Sat towards the front, in line with David, it was fascinating to witness him play and sing as a regular band member. Of course I didn’t realise at that point that I was watching two thirds of the future Tin Machine! Iggy was absolutely breathtaking, showcasing songs from the forthcoming ‘The Idiot’.
An audience made up largely of colourful London punks gave the whole thing a slightly menacing atmosphere, especially as it had been widely reported that they had “rioted” and spent much of Saturday’s show (two days earlier) screaming for Bowie. Anyway, I was hooked on Iggy from that moment on, and it wasn’t too long before I’d be watching David in his own right again at Earls Court.
We skipped the encore to re-claim my Instamatic (confiscated on the way in) before running back round to the stage door where a gaggle of fans were draped over the waiting Mercedes, doors open, engine running. The final decaying notes of the last song onstage chased Iggy past a nervous looking Tony Mascia straight into the car, (sadly to no response from the assembled mob) and then absolute chaos seconds later as David dived onto the back seat of the car which was now covered by crazed fans determined to get a closer look.
As the car sped off into the darkness I couldn’t have possibly imagined where I’d be 25 years hence. March 7th 1977 was a magical night for me that will stay etched forever on my brain.