The Mick Ronson Story: Turn and Face the Strange

by Rupert Creed, Garry Burnett

This book explores Mick Ronson's life and career with his family, friends, fellow musicians and fans.
For devotees of David Bowie, and Mick Ronson – the Spider from Hull – who lit up the fabulous Ziggy Stardust shows with his dazzling guitar playing and powerful stage presence. This is Mick Ronson's story. And it begins in his home-town of Hull.
Based on the successful show Turn and Face the Strange. With unique material and exclusive interviews with fellow musicians, friends and family (to include Maggie Ronson, his sister, and Nick Ronson, his son) and those who knew him.
A new leading biography of guitarist, songwriter, arranger, producer and musician Mick Ronson. Most famous for his critical contribution to David Bowie's spectacular live band, studio albums including Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Aladdin Sane. Mick also helped produce Lou Reed's Transformer, released five solo studio albums, performing in bands with Ian Hunter, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan as well as working with many other musicians.
This is an authentic story of a boy from a council estate from Hull who achieved international rock god status. Set in a time of seismic social change, with colliding cultures of personal and community identity, image and fashion, gender roles and sexual freedom.

Genres: Music

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2022

Reviews

[Jim Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt rendering Ronno's musical life, bringing the humanity of him to the fore.

[Colette Tully · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ronno you legend ! ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

[Graham Pryor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was at university in Hull (Mick's home town) at the time he was progressing from local guitar hero to an international figure as lead guitarist in David Bowie's Spiders, and I was fortunate to see them play at Bridlington in the Ziggy farewell tour. The adrenalin that fuelled Mick's development as a musician comes over when reading this book, with tales of his work with local bands, most notably The Rats, full of the excitement felt when creating his own style. The authors provide many insights, such as Mick's embarrassing meeting with Jeff Beck, his hero, and including some candid views of Bowie which are bound to flavour the reader's opinion of Ziggy himself. It also serves, especially in the earlier chapters, as a decent social history of Hull in the 1960s/1970s. Brilliantly researched, the book not only paints a resonant picture of Ronson but also explodes any notion of the music industry as glamorous. There are tales of treachery and deceit, management skulduggery and manipulation, episodes of callousness and camaraderie, and the reader wonders at times why Ronson persisted after so many disappointments. The answer, of course, is that he had a gift, one he could not cast aside in the face of adversity. This book, which became a real page turner, is successful in explaining that gift, particularly in areas I had not been aware of, and stands as a fine memorial to the man.

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in Hull, and you get a lot of Hull in the book. A lot of Bowie too, of course, showing him in a somewhat different light. The writers did a lot of research, spoke to many people, and offer a convincing image of the great man and guitar player. It’s a good companion to the “Beside Bowie” documentary about Mick Ronson, it’s written with a lot of love, and I enjoyed reading it very much.

[Rick Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story, brilliantly told, of a local lad turned guitar hero; the genius behind Bowie & Ziggy. Ended far too soon. RIP Mick.

[Alecsander Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvellous a must read for anyone interested in Mick, or Bowie, or pop music, or Hull, or Spiders, or Rats or...

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm grateful to anyone who writes about Lovely Mick. Again, this was written with love. There can't be many people banned from doing their job of cutting the grass because the teenage schoolgirls were so besotted that they couldn't concentrate on their classes.

To know him is to love him, but sadly I only know and love him from afar.

But I bought this book in Hull!

[claire waddington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Very good read enjoyed it xxx very interesting read about Mick ronson about his music career amazing part of history