Musician Tony Visconti avoided asking his close pal David Bowie to join him on an upcoming tour as he knew the veteran star would refuse.

Visconti has worked as a producer on several Bowie albums, including his 2013 comeback The Next Day, and he is preparing to hit the road to perform the Thin White Duke's 1970 classic The Man Who Sold The World in full later this year (15).

He has enlisted former Spiders from Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey to join him for the shows, but he also recruited Heaven 17 frontman Glenn Gregory to sing as he knew Bowie would have no interest in getting onstage to perform his old songs.

Visconti tells NME magazine, "I wouldn't have gotten a Bowie soundalike, because that would be disrespectful. I had to get someone who could reinterpret the songs... I haven't spoken to him, but he certainly wouldn't do The Man Who Sold The World - he'd do something new. I'm not saying he's going to do anything, though. He's not going to perform!"