James Briggs had never known what David Bowie's Life on Mars? meant. And twenty-five years
later with a career stealing his soul a relationship in stasis and a hairline in furious
retreat life on earth had him cornered. So when a lightning bolt of inspiration strikes he
leaves everything behind to cycle one of the song's lyrics 'From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads'
to discover what life love and Life on Mars? really mean. What followed was life-affirming
inspirational and often hilarious. Criss-crossing Europe he visited French chateaus where
Bowie recorded Spanish Olympic stadiums he played former communist states where his music was
banned and the Berlin Wall he helped topple - all while navigating angry Soviet ballerinas
suspicious village mayors and an irate Cliff Richard fan. James found kindred spirits and a
new love (and occasionally hatred) for cycling as he discovered what happens when instead of
following the crowd you follow the lyrics and music of the greatest artist of the 20th
century. As the world reconsiders its priorities From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads is a clarion
call to embrace the strange blaze your own path and live as fearlessly as the Starman
himself.
