David Bowie was born a man but didn’t stay that way. He became one of the most pioneering figures in music. He was unafraid of reinventing himself during every phase of his career. Ziggy Stardust came out of his constant need to forge himself into a new being. This persona would later be seen in the album ‘The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.’
Bowie often picked different personas to represent another place in his life and music. Ziggy Stardust was an artistic inspiration and a political statement, hitting the nerve of popular culture. But this persona wouldn’t have come to light had it not been for Bowie’s meeting with another rockstar. Find out who this person was and how he inspired Bowie.
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Vince Taylor And Gene Vincent Inspired Ziggy Stardust
In the 1960s, David Bowie met another rockstar named Vince Taylor. At this point, the latter was ruined by the excesses of pleasure. Reckless drug usage led Taylor to have a mental breakdown. He would go on to join a cult, declaring himself as the supreme extraterrestrial on earth.
David Bowie had another life-changing meeting during that era. He also met the rockabilly, Gene Vincent. Because of his accident, Gene had to crouch and position his body to reach around the mike. Watching him modify his performance by contorting his body also inspired Bowie to create a new character for himself.
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What Did David Bowie Represent As Ziggy Stardust?
David Bowie compressed Vince Taylor, Gene Vincent, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed to create the moniker of Ziggy Stardust. David Bowie as Ziggy was a fascinating intersection between God and man, who returned to earth with a message for humanity. The idea of Ziggy was the metamorphosis of the self, not to be typecast as an individual.
In David Bowie’s words, Ziggy Stardust represented his anti-establishment and anti-political stance. His character was a scathing criticism of fake sensibilities in the rock music scene. For Bowie, Ziggy represented an alien. Ziggy was a Martian with specific Japanese influences. It’s these influences that ground Ziggy in humanity. Since the 1970s was a time Bowie found to be alienating, embodying this confusion made sense.
Eventually, the persona assumed its costume. Bowie adorned a blue cape, lurex tights, thigh boots, and a leotard with colorful scarves sewn onto his shirt. Called ‘Rainbowman’ due to his eclectic costumes, Bowie made changes to the character. He rebelled against the norm of rockstar apparel. Contradictory to jeans and long hair, Bowie went on to perform in his showman costume. Soon, the Rainbowman became Ziggy Stardust.
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