David Bowie was mistaken for a tour guide at the Sistine Chapel – as he was such an expert on Michaelangelo.
His former publicist Alan Edwards reveals in his new book how he was with the star in Rome, Italy, for a gig.
He says: “As usual he wanted to see some art so we went to visit the Vatican. David didn’t like people making a fuss over him and often used to move about incognito wearing a cap and carrying a Greek newspaper. This visit was no exception and David…me and a few others from our party arrived unnoticed at the Sistine Chapel.”
He says he was left staggered by the Starman’s knowledge – and so did many of their fellow tourists too. He says: “David was a mine of information, especially on how Michelangelo came to take on the job, apparently reluctantly as he considered himself a sculptor….David was bringing the story to life, not only for us but others.
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AFP via Getty Images)
“I noticed a few people hanging on his every word as he explained that, contrary to popular myth, Michelangelo didn’t lie on his back to do the painting but built his own scaffold. Still it was exhausting work physically. David said it was so stressful that the great man even wrote a poem about it.
“I wondered if he could relate to the experience in any way to being told by record companies that he had to do something and finding the whole process wearing. Either way it was an extraordinary behind-the-scenes look at one of the wonders of the world. When I looked around, there was a growing band of people behind us and I realised they thought David was the official tour guide.”
Publicity guru Edwards worked with Bowie for three decades right up until the singer’s death in 2016. Widely considered to be the most influential entertainment PR in the UK, he has represented some of the biggest stars in the world including the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and David and Victoria Beckham.
I Was There: Dispatches from a Life in Rock and Roll by Alan Edwards (Simon & Schuster) is published on Thursday.
