You've probably heard the opening bars of Aladdin Sane, the title track of David Bowie’s album from 1973.
It was written while he was touring his alter ego Ziggy Stardust in the US – the pianist Mike Garson had joined the Spiders from Mars band for the tour, and his signature avant-garde jazz sound weaves through the Aladdin Sane album, at a point when Bowie was looking for a new direction.
Mike would contribute to eight Bowie albums in all, from Aladdin Sane to Reality in 2003, and he would also play live with him across those decades – this month he's headlining at the Dublin Bowie Festival, along with other regular collaborators of David’s, Earl Slick, Mark Plati, and our own Gerry Leonard.
Mike Garson spoke to Rick for RTÉ Arena - listen above, and hear more from Arena here.
