Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones has revealed that he once stole equipment from David Bowie.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Jones confirmed a rumor that in 1973, at Bowie’s last Ziggy Stardust show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, he made off with some of Bowie’s equipment.
“They played two nights, and after the first night they left all the gear up, because they were playing there the next night,” he explained. “I knew the Hammersmith Odeon like the back of my hand, I used to bunk in there all the time. I was like the Phantom of Hammersmith Odeon.”
He said he stole a minivan and got into the venue at about 2 a.m., when the place was empty except for one guy who was asleep and snoring.
“I tiptoed across the stage, and I nicked some cymbals, the bass player’s [amplifier] head – a Sunn amp it was – and some microphones,” he said. “I got Bowie’s microphone with his lipstick on it!”
Jones said he eventually called Bowie to admit he nicked the equipment, noting, “He knew I’d done it; he thought it was funny.” Jones clarified that he doesn’t think he took anything that actually belonged to Bowie, just his band.
In the same interview, Jones admitted to a somewhat gross “party trick,” sharing, “I like to fart in front of people.”
“You can tell if someone’s cool or not from their reaction,” he said. “I farted in front of Lisa Marie Presley once. She was sitting outside Starbucks and I was going in, and I just let one rip. She had this look on her face of disgust. I just carried on walking into Starbucks. Is that bad?”
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