Traveling with David Bowie in the Soviet Union: An Interview with Geoff MacCormack

In conjunction with the Wende’s exhibition David Bowie in the Soviet Union, Bowie’s old school friend and percussionist, background singer and dancer between 1973 and 1976 Geoff MacCormack speaks about the series of photographs he made during his and Bowie travel on the Trans-Siberian Express in April 1973. Bowie decided to travel by boat and train from Japan to France because of his air travel phobia combined with his eagerness to visit the Soviet Union. He and MacCormack took the SS Felix Dzerzhinsky from Japan to Siberia, from where they embarked on a one-week train ride to Moscow. They stayed in Moscow for two days, visiting the Kremlin and the GUM department store and attending the May Day parade before continuing their travels to Paris via Warsaw and East Berlin. MacCormack, using the artist name Warren Peace at the time, contributed to Bowie albums such as Aladdin Sane (1973) and Station to Station (1976). With Bowie, MacCormack co-wrote the music for “Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me” on Diamond Dogs (1974) and “Turn Blue” on Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life (1977). In 2007, MacCormack published From Station to Station: Travels With Bowie 1973-76, an illustrated account of his time in Bowie’s entourage, followed in 2023 by David Bowie: Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me (ACC Art Books) MacCormack is interviewed by Joes Segal, the Wende Museum’s Chief Curator and Director of Programming. This program took place via Zoom on May 17, 2023. Browse the online catalogue for “David Bowie in the Soviet Union“: