Artist Biography

Greetings Earthlings,

I have had many interesting adventures on my way to becoming a spaceman, such is the nature of the convolutions of life.

After taking a spin out from Mars one day, many years ago, a blown ion drive forced me down to a little orchard outside Perth where, under the alias of Claude Woodward, I was raised by a pair of horticulturalists. I grew up in amongst a million different species of fruit, nuts and flowers; an idyllic little haven, but my brown thumb hastened me into a career as a keyboard player/sonic manipulator. I seized on the seventies synth technology (Moogs and the like) and started inventing devices to better articulate the new ‘Toneology’

It was a fun ‘hippie enthused’ time of many interesting bands, playing ‘Prog Rock’ in quarries and throwing fluorescent paint around on stage etc, etc, etc....

As culture moved on and haircuts got spiky I packed up my sonic manipulating tools and headed for the glorious East, ending up in Sydney. After many, many, many duo gigs, I was eventually replaced by a computer. Undaunted I produced my first solo album ‘Art Official’ (1990). I used to set up my menagerie of keyboards and devices outside the Opera House and sell my CD’s to the bemused tourists.

Another quirky little foray in Sydney, whilst I was playing with a couple of ex ‘Masters Apprentices’ dudes I connected up with Martin Sharp and through him, Tiny Tim who he brought over to Australia for gigs and recordings. I ended up recording several albums including ‘The Tiny Tim Christmas Album’ (yes really!!) and some pretty uncontrolled rock music. Such variety in your Earthling culture!!

As the temporal flow continued I was catapulted through a worm hole, and ended up at Uluru playing in a world music band called ‘Indiginy’. A strange and eerie orangey/red landscape – reminds me of back home on Mars. It was the place I invented the ‘RapRod’ and the ‘Claudatron’ (with its haunting Theremin like sounds) which led to the eventual evolution of the Spaceman. It was in fact a Sydney DJ – Jay Katz, who first suggested I come out of the Spaceman closet, and I’ve been a happy little alien ever since.

After a few months wandering around your planet experiencing English music festivals and an electronic music summer school at IRCAM in Paris, I headed back to Australian shores to spend the rest of my dwindling earthly resources on more musical toys and settled back in Sydney to attempt fame and fortune once again.

I found myself mysteriously playing in an Irish band (‘Roisin’) at The Rocks and it was there that I met the love of my life an earthling called Brenda. This was also the time of the GENESIS OF THE DALEKS – sorry - THE SONIC MANIPULATOR. I was playing ‘The Sounds of Seduction’ and other clubs but after donning a back pack I became a Roving Spaceman and did many festivals including the 2000 Sydney Olympics – yes that was me!

In 2001 we embarked on a Space Odyssey and that space was London. In yet another guise I was playing Jazz renditions of classical tunes with a violinist in a band called ‘Morpheus’. We did a great Beethoven 5, but after a couple of years of moderate starvation, we called it quits and I teleported back to Australia, this time to Melbourne after seeing their website trumpeting ‘Melbourne welcomes Buskers’ ...OK I’ll try that, and so the next phase in The Sonic Manipulator planet conquest began. 3½ years and many new inventions later I’m still flailing about on the streets of Melbourne, mostly after dark, with eerie flashing lights and even eerier sounds – be warned – ‘THE MARTIANS ARE COMING’...!
Cheers Claude Woodward - The Sonic Manipulator

Artist Mission

Music Influences

Alternative Links

• When not on Mars I reside in cybersbace at
  My fantastic website