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Musician, August 1987
What's nice boy like Peter Frampton doing with David Bowie? The same thing he was doing twenty-five years ago: playing guitar. Anyone surprised by the pairing on the Never Let Me Down album and subsequent tour isn't aware that the two go back to Bromley Technical High School, where Frampton's father was Bowie's art master.
"It was very difficult for me to be at the same school as my father", Frampton recalls-coming to school and calling him `sir', as was the custom in English schools." It also didn't help that Owen Frampton was one of Bromley Tech's more popular teachers. "A few kids-shall we say the one-half percent who didn't get on to well with my father-made my life rather like a living hell". After a year, Peter switched out.
While he was there, however, twelve-year-old Frampton made the acquaintance of fifteen-year old David Jones, already expressing himself musically via the saxophone. "We used to hang out," Frampton says, "because I was probably the only twelve-year-old playing guitar; I was the only twelve-year-old that brought a guitar to school. Instead of hanging out with kids my age during lunchtime, playing soccer in the field, I would hang out with [Bowie] and George Underwood in the art block playing Buddy Holly numbers". (Underwood went on to do artwork for Bowie's Hunky Dory album. His best claim to fame is punching the teenage Bowie in the eye-a punch that resulted in the singer's mismatched peepers.)
Frampton and Bowie each had their own bands, but the former enjoyed the acceptance by his elders. "I used to sit occasionally", Frampton chuckles. "There was a bond between us because I was ahead of my time, as far as playing guitar very young". Bowie also introduced Frampton-then listening to Cliff Richard & the Shadows-to other eternal verities of Presley, Holly and Eddie Cochran.
The next time their paths crossed, it was on a processional basis. In 1969 Frampton-as a member of Humble Pie-headlined a British package tour that also featured a solo, acoustic-guitar-strumming David Bowie (he'd changed his name by now). Bowie had just scored his first hit with the British release of "Space Oddity.
In the 70s, both Frampton and Bowie became household names. Bowie enjoyed considerable notoriety with his Ziggy Stardust persona, then really hit it big 1975 with his number-one song "Fame". Frampton left Humble Pie and plugged away at a solo career. His payoff eclipsed even Bowie's: The 1976 Frampton Comes Alive! Was the first mega-million-selling album of the rock era.
But Frampton's dream come true turned into a nightmare as he saw his career barrel out of control. "People forgot about me, the guitarist", he now says; his image became that of a singer/personality. IT wasn't until last year's Premonition album that Frampton again felt comfortable with his music.
On the road supporting Stevie Nicks last year, Frampton got a phone call from Bowie. "He said, I really like what you're playing on your new album, and would you like to play on my new record?" Last fall Frampton went to Switzerland for the Never Let Me Down sessions; while recording, Bowie asked him on the tour as well. Frampton had planned to spend the summer recording his own album. "I had a pow-wow with all the people I'm involved with, and we thought it would be a terrific idea to do this."
He warns that he's already used to people asking him how it feels for a best-selling artist to play back-up for someone else. No controversy here: "This is a wonderful opportunity to play with a great band and be there for David, who's a terrific artist...I'm enjoying immensely being able to concentrate on my playing." Not even one chorus of "Show Me The Way" among all that Bowie material? "My job is purely to be David's lead guitarist, and I'm happy doing that."
Frampton will have competition for that lead-guitar spot from Carlos Alomar, Bowie's faithful six-stringer who solos on "Fashion" and Scary Monsters". Frampton isn't used to sharing the stage with any guitarist, lead or otherwise. "But I think we're incredibly compatible, two completely different styles." It also helps that Richard Cottle, one of Bowie's keyboadists, played on Frampton's Premonition and toured with him last year; and bassist Carmine Rojas worked with Frampton on some unreleased songs from the Premonition sessions.
As for the big B himself, Frampton admits. "We've never been this close before". But he's "exactly the same" as the fifteen-year-old that Frampton knew back at Bromley Tech: "I find us very similar in many ways. We come from the same town, we almost sound alike when we talk-talking to him on the phone is like talking to myself. [He's] just a very easy-going guy who knows what he wants."
Does that include returning the favor by appearing on Frampton's next album-which the guitarist will be "streaking into the studio" to cut as soon as the tour is over? Wouldn't that be nice!" Frampton smiles.
