The man who left Bowie with mismatched eyes

The creator George Underwood is taking portion successful a foundation accumulation that was inspired by a lyric written by his schoolhouse person and originative collaborator David Bowie - but it is simply a peculiar occurrence successful the precocious euphony legend's beingness for which helium volition ever beryllium astir famous.

"I cognize what you’re going to say. I cognize precisely what you’re going to say," Underwood laughs implicit the phone.

The 77-year-old has enjoyed an highly palmy career, creating images that are recognised astir the world, but helium is inactive known champion arsenic the antheral who "changed the colour" of Bowie's near eye.

Underwood archetypal met David Robert Jones - who would go amended known arsenic David Bowie - not agelong aft the aboriginal prima had moved from Brixton successful southbound London to the quiescent suburb of Bromley.

"We met erstwhile we were enrolling for the Cubs. We were 9 years aged and started talking astir music, worldly that was connected the telly... everything that was benignant of fashionable astatine that time."

The brace were soon champion pals who "were ever being silly and laughing a lot", says Underwood.

"We were ever together, we were precise bully friends and we utilized to spell up and down Bromley High Street each dressed to the nines, reasoning we were God's gift, trying to chat up each the girls, walking from the northbound Wimpy bar to the southbound Wimpy bar."

They some attended Bromley Technical College, which was truthful caller "some of the builders' worldly was inactive lying astir successful the entrance", wherever they were taught creation by Owen Frampton, begetter of aboriginal stone prima Peter Frampton.

It was astatine Bromley Technical - present called Ravens Wood School - that Underwood everlastingly changed the look of David Bowie, pursuing a enactment astir a miss called Carol to whom they had some taken a liking.

After the pair's attempts to woo her had failed astatine a chaotic 15th day party, wherever "a full unit of blokes came successful carrying bottles of gin", Underwood agreed to conscionable Carol astatine a younker nine the adjacent evening, lone for Bowie to archer him she had decided to spell retired with him instead.

"I decided to spell down the younker nine anyhow a small spot aboriginal connected due to the fact that I'd ne'er been determination earlier and her mate came retired shouting: ‘Where person you been? Carol’s been waiting for you for implicit an hour.’

"I thought: 'Uh-oh. David’s told maine a porky pastry here,'" Underwood says.

Having been egged connected by different person "to instrumentality 1 connected him", and proceeding Bowie falsely boasting helium had been retired with Carol, during interruption clip astatine schoolhouse Underwood "went implicit to him and conscionable whacked him successful the eye".

The brace made up soon afterwards adjacent though the punch had permanently damaged the pupil successful Bowie's near eye, meaning it would nary longer dilate adjacent successful agleam lights, giving it the content of being a antithetic colour from his close eye.

"It was conscionable horrible. I didn't similar it astatine the time. But of people aboriginal on, lo and behold, helium says I did him a favour due to the fact that it's fixed him this enigmatic, otherworldly look."

It was during this clip that euphony began to instrumentality implicit the teenagers' lives, with Underwood singing successful the set The Konrads, which Bowie past joined and played his saxophone.

Later they formed the King Bees, erstwhile the aboriginal Starman would show his thirst for fame successful a enactment to John Bloom, "who was I accidental astatine the clip the equivalent to, say, Richard Branson".

"I deliberation helium had his dada to assistance him with the missive but it was rather ballsy, you know: 'Brian Epstein’s got The Beatles; you request us', oregon thing similar that," says Underwood.

The set received a telegram successful reply providing the telephone fig for Leslie Conn, who became their manager.

"The springboard that David made, by penning that letter, into the little ladder of rock'n'roll and euphony - it was amazing."

The King Bees would soon divided up but successful assorted guises Bowie began to physique up a following. Within a fewer years helium was disconnected connected his ain satellite tours - and was keen to person his person on for the ride.

"In aboriginal '72 helium rang maine and said: 'Hey George, I'm doing a circuit of the States for astir 3 months. Do you wanna travel with me?' I’d lone been joined for astir a twelvemonth but helium said: ‘Oh bring the wife, you know, we'll person a large time.'

"Well you don’t crook that down, bash you? Especially erstwhile helium says: ‘The QE2, archetypal class, is leaving Southampton connected Saturday.’"

It was successful 1972 that Bowie archetypal adopted his astir celebrated change ego, Ziggy Stardust, implicit with flared jumpsuits and sparkling leotards.

"Seeing the audiences looking astatine this carnal from different planet, their mouths wide open, they couldn't judge it," says Underwood.

"When you deliberation astir it, how brave helium was to formal up similar helium did, going to immoderate of these places which were beauteous unsmooth areas. One spot was really cancelled successful Texas due to the fact that I deliberation determination were immoderate threats."

Come the extremity of the tour, Bowie asked his person to articulation him for much shows successful Japan, lone for Underwood, with a dense heart, to archer him: "David, I’ve conscionable got married, it’s not a precise bully ground for a matrimony going connected a rock'n'roll tour.

"I'd person loved to spell to Japan, but I had a beingness astatine home," helium says.

Underwood's ain forays into euphony ended aft 1 solo album, erstwhile helium decided "the euphony concern wasn't truly for me" and helium returned to his creation studies and became a painter.

But helium wouldn't permission the euphony manufacture acold behind.

"David rang maine 1 time and said: 'George, I’ve got this mate of mine, he’s conscionable done a grounds and he's looking for idiosyncratic to bash the screen and I thought you'd beryllium bully for it.'"

That mate was Marc Bolan, and Underwood soon recovered himself sitting successful a South Kensington level with shaper Tony Visconti portion the T-Rex prima "was sitting cross-legged connected the level staring astatine his woman astatine the clip for astir 10 minutes".

With an thought successful his head, Underwood returned to his parents' house, wherever helium was surviving astatine the time, and created what became the screen for the alternatively wordy debut medium of Bolan's Tyrannosaurus Rex - My People Were Fair and Had Sky successful Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars connected Their Brows.

Bowie past asked his person to make immoderate of the artwork for his ain albums, starting with the backmost of the star's self-titled record. Next came the beforehand covers of some Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - the second famously depicting Bowie's alien change ego successful a rainy Heddon Street successful London's West End, limb propped up and guitar successful hand.

"Who was to cognize however specified an iconic medium it was gonna be? I mean, successful those days, David wasn't precise good known," Underwood says.

Underwood would spell connected to enactment with groups including Procol Harum and Mott the Hoople and besides forged a coating vocation distant from music, but it is creation linked to Bowie that features successful 1 of Underwood's latest works.

Coinciding with the 50th day of the merchandise of Bowie's medium Diamond Dogs, foundation War Child has launched Sound & Vision - a caller yearly accumulation and auction. This year, Underwood is among 33 artists who person created pieces inspired by the lyric from the way Rebel Rebel, "We similar dancing and we look divine", a opus that featured connected the Diamond Dogs album.

Underwood has created a caller mentation of a coating called Dancing with Giants, featuring 2 dancers who person been dressed successful precise circumstantial clothing.

"I enactment them successful the costumes that the dancers were wearing erstwhile Ziggy arrived successful 1972 astatine the Rainbow [Theatre]," Underwood explains.

Bowie's amusement successful August that year, arsenic Ziggy Stardust, featured a creation radical called The Astronettes who were led by 1 of Bowie's cardinal influences, Lindsay Kemp.

"They had these beauteous full-body suits, which were similar spider-webs. People who cognize volition cognize astir that Bowie connection."

Underwood and Bowie remained friends passim the decades, holidaying unneurotic and regularly exchanging "silly emails", until the star's decease successful his adopted location of New York successful January 2016.

"He utilized to telephone maine Michael and I would telephone him Robert," says Underwood.

"I miss him profoundly because helium went excessively soon, arsenic we know, and helium was conscionable large to beryllium with, ever amusive to beryllium with. We laughed a lot.

"I often wondered whether each clip helium looked successful the reflector whether helium thought of me," Underwood adds.

"I'm conscionable a spot disquieted that I mightiness person it carved connected my tombstone."