In the weeks since the last update – Cherry Vanilla – I’ve continued to chip away at various strands in order to unmask Bowie’s Mystery Guest.

The response from the last update was extremely positive but more than one person kept throwing Tim Buckley’s name back at me.  As far as I know, Tim is linked with the party because of this photograph.  I’ve yet to source which publication it’s from so if you know, then drop me a line.

Tim Buckley revisited

In the BMG video, I dismissed Tim because of testimony from Lee Underwood, a friend and guitarist who played with Tim in 1973.  However, as Tim himself is no longer here to verify Lee’s comments, I decided to dig some more. This is Tim Buckley revisited.

Here’s the executive summary – Originally I said that Bowie’s Mystery Guest is not Tim Buckley.  After more digging, I’ve altered my opinion and am happy to announce that it’s definitely not Tim Buckley.

However, I have theory – which is new, so read on.

As we’ll never have information from Tim directly, we need to ascertain one simple fact.

Where was Tim Buckley on the 3rd July 1973?

On the 16th June 1973, Tim played his last gig at a short residency in Atlanta, GA.  This was only 17 days before the photo was taken.  The next official gig for Tim was 6th August 1973 in New York.  This is 34 days after Bowie’s party.  Obviously, it is feasible for someone to travel between Atlanta, London & New York in that timespan.

I’ve discovered rumours of gigs, taking place in Houston & Albuquerque, for other dates in July but I’m awaiting confirmation.  If my information is correct, then these would almost eradicate the 17 days between Atlanta and Bowie’s party.

I’m with the band….

How much can a friend change in 18 days? Not too much, so I contacted the band members that were playing with Tim at the Atlanta gig, 17 days before the party.  As it happens, one of them was Lee Underwood and we already know his thoughts:

Although there is definitely a resemblance, I wouldn’t identify that individual as Tim.

I received a response from Russell ‘Buddy’ Helm, Tim’s drummer at the gig.  He said:

The fellow looks somewhat like Tim at that point, but I do not think it is him.

Almost word for word, what Lee had said.

Then I had a stroke of luck.  Thanks to a very kind lady called Donna, I received an email from Llew Llewellyn and Judy Buckley Llewellyn.  Judy was Tim’s wife and she was gracious enough to answer a few questions about an unknown man in a photograph standing next to David Bowie.

Cigarettes & Alcohol?

Talking of photographs, look at this one featuring Tim and a huge cigar.

That cigar is really important. Critical even.

In the Bowie photo, Bowie’s Mystery Guest is clearly smoking a cigarette and wearing a fabulous blue shirt.  He’s a man that’s enjoying the hospitality that, if the party follows the same financial arrangements as the Ziggy tour, is being charged to someone’s room-bill.

I’ve been concerned with hair, eyes and nose shape – trying to discern if Mr X is Tim Buckley.   I should have been looking between his fingers.

This is what Lee Underwood told me all those months ago:

Looks a lot like Tim, but he never smoked cigarettes, and, to my knowledge at least, never wore a glitzy shirt like that.

And again, this is what Russell ‘Buddy’ Helm told me:

Tim did not smoke

Even though his two bandmates had told me that he categorically didn’t smoke, I’d discounted this as we have a photo of Tim with a huge cigar.  I wanted to believe, but the proof in front of me was too compelling.

Thankfully Judy had cleared it all up.  This is what she said:

Tim never, ever smoked cigarettes, There is a picture on our website with him with a cigar, but that was a joke prop.

So the cigar was a dud! Tim Buckley didn’t smoke and Bowie’s Mystery Guest is hammering a cigarette.  Judy also agrees with Lee Underwood on sartorial matters:

Tim would never have worn that shirt, especially unbuttoned like that (and his) hair was much shorter by that time.

I can’t imagine anyone that could know Tim at that moment in 1973 better than his wife and two band-mates that toured with him only 18 days earlier.  It seems like a closed case to me, but Judy was kind enough to share one final piece of information with me:

Tim was not in the UK at that time.

Rather cheekily, I asked if she had any idea as to where Tim was on the 3rd July 1973.  She replied:

At Home.

Thanks to Judy, Llew, Lee and Buddy, we now know that Tim didn’t smoke, wouldn’t wear that blue shirt, didn’t have hair that long at the time and finally was at home and not in the UK.

Mr X is not Tim Buckley.

Just one more thing…

Now I’d like to say that’s the end of things concerning Tim Buckley, but there is one thread unanswered.  The press cutting with Tim’s name.  Someone put Tim’s name into a publication under that photo, but who and, given the evidence above, why?

Llew Llewellyn shared a radio clip of Joni Mitchell.  It was recorded in 1968 for “Hubert On The Air”, a Dutch radio show hosted by Hubert van Hoof.  Joni talks about her time with a man that claimed to be, but wasn’t, Tim Buckley.  A Tim Buckley imposter….

Here is a great information resource about this clip.

Is Bowie’s Mystery Guest Joni Michell’s imposter?  Was he grabbed by a reporter who splashed the assumed identity under the photo as a caption?

There is no doubt that Bowie’s Mystery Guest looks like Tim Buckley, but is he actually a man that’s pretending to be Tim Buckley?

I’ll let you know….

Finally, huge thanks to you for reading and of course, Judy Buckley, Llew Llewellyn, Lee Underwood, Buddy Helm and Donna Young. Thank you, thank you, thank you.