“Afterwards he sent David an invoice for $10,000. I don’t know if David actually paid him that much”: Tony Visconti on Dave Grohl’s “ludicrious” Bowie session fee

Since David Bowie’s death a decade ago, his long time producer, Tony Visconti, has talked at length about his friend, their working relationship and the work they did together. You may have assumed that these days, there’s not much more to know.

Not so. In a new interview with Spin, in which he talks about his role in Bowie’s 21^st Century work, Visconti lets slip a couple of titbits about the guests on 2002’s Heathen. First, there’s Dave Grohl – who played on the Neil Young cover I’ve Been Waiting For You - and his eye-popping invoice.

“The Grohl story is interesting,” says Visconti. “He played acoustic guitar, remotely from California, and sent us a file. His drumming would’ve been better, but that didn’t happen.

"Afterwards, he sent David an invoice for $10,000. Sure, he was on top of his game, but that was ludicrous. I don’t know if David actually paid him that much.”

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Meanwhile, Pete Townshend had been in turns an influence, rival and - eventually – friend to Bowie. After they had met again at a 9/11 memorial service in 2001, the singer invited him to play on the track, Slow Burn.

“Townshend dropped in for a visit when we were recording in Philip Glass’s studio, Looking Glass,” Visconti remembers. “They had a long chat, and I could see camaraderie between old friends. David asked him to play. He did, but we asked him to play a bit more aggressively, and he said, ‘Oh, do you mean Townshend Windmill Chords?” He nailed it in one take. Two of his right-hand fingers were bleeding afterwards.”

The producer is also asked about Bowie’s taste in guitarists. For an artist who once said he was merely “using” rock, Bowie employed a lot of out-and-out rockers: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Adrian Belew, Peter Frampton, Earl Slick and, of course, Mick Ronson.

“He probably viewed them as ‘flavours.’ He knew specifically what each of their special talents were. I know he loved David Torn because he was just out there.

"He loved Slicky because he could shred as soon as the guitar came out of his case. I loved his tone, too. When David worked with Mick Ronson, he found the perfect foil for his live shows. But when Mick went solo and made his own records, David didn’t like that.”

The last of the boxsets covering Bowie’s various eras (I Can't Give Everything Away, covering 2002 - 2016) came out last year. But with another significant Bowie anniversary looming next January, Visconti hints that there may be more to come: “It will be David’s 80th birthday. I’m sure the estate might have surprises even I don’t know about.”