3: April 13th — Glam and Ziggy Stardust
Listen to Ziggy Stardust. Also, listen to and/or watch the following:
- T. Rex, “Bang a Gong”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4o4Q9sd_y4
- T. Rex, “20th-Century Boy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpMa6JADDJM
- The Sweet, “Ballroom Blitz”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFBuYHldeY
- The Sweet, “Blockbuster”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNXFtVWB47E
- David Bowie, “Starman”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYtRp9UNx8Y
- Roxy Music, “Virginia Plain”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BonWfTW7jKc
- Roxy Music, “Ladytron”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCzhAeukF1A
- The New York Dolls, “Personality Crisis”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctg5FCS1wCM
- The New York Dolls, “Trash”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9d5csMFAfE
Blog question: Why do you think Bowie decided to adopt this persona? What does Bowie add to the glam idea? What was glam itself?
I thought I wasn’t familiar with glam rock, but it turns out that a lot of artists that I listen to have been associated with the genre in the 70’s. I’m assuming that the freedom and gender-bending experimentation drew a lot of young artists to the genre (Bowie included). I decided to look into the Wikipedia article on Ziggy and was surprised by the amount of thought and preparation that went into curating Bowie’s image from that period. I definitely noticed the similarities between Ziggy and some of the other artists listed above (namely The Sweet and T.Rex) but am unsure as to what extent Bowie pioneered the glam rock style. As far as the actual songs go, I thought that Ziggy Stardust and 20th Century Boy shared a very similar sound, and I’m very curious to learn whether the dynamic between these bands and artists was collaborative rather than competitive. I believe the flamboyant, upbeat, energizing qualities of this genre offered a distinct break from the aesthetic of 60’s rock, which is why it appealed so much to the generation of rockstars in the succeeding decade.
ReplyDelete- Oksana M.
Glam rock music truly seemed to effortlessly mix together the more grimy parts of metal/rock and dress it up in outrageous clothes and personas. What I saw with bands like the New York Dolls was the hard core, almost metal music with a very elaborate facade and flamboyant dress. I was familiar with some of these glam rock bands and songs, like Sweet with "Fox on the Run," and found it one of the ways to describe perhaps Queen (as a mix of glam and other forms, though they didn't stick to one genre just like Bowie). Another thing I noticed after some research was how this emerged out of the UK, just like how the Beatles and Stones only years before ignited the British Pop invasion.
ReplyDeleteHunky Dory did introduce this idea of Bowie always going to shift and go through CHANGES, so perhaps this extension of the psychedelic rock of the 60's into something new and revolutionary enticed Bowie to change once more. What Bowie adds to the idea of glam rock was this idea of a real Alter Ego, something that wasn't as common or done as successfully before. Ziggy Stardust is still such a famous alter ego that it evokes the idea of glam rock on its own. What's more is that it was able to question the idea of masculinity, sexuality, and almost ironic or self-aware sense around glam. It seemed to be very fake almost, all the more emphasizing how someone like the character of Ziggy Stardust wasn't real. It was all a stage performance, so it was obvious to just go ALL THE WAY!
In the very first lesson, we agreed that Bowie was a very theatrical person, with a lot of his music videos and performances reminding us of broadway performances. I think adopting this persona was as a result of his interest in this, as it added another element of showmanship. I’m sure adopting this persona also helped his branding, as Ziggy Stardust was an easily recognisable character that would have probably been cosplayed, painted by fans, etc. This must have also contributed to glam rock, which is rock music performed by singers wearing outrageous and wacky costumes. I could not find whether Bowie popularised the movement or if he simply contributed to an existing one, but it seems like a chicken and the egg scenario. Several popular artists like Bowie, Freddy Mercury and Elton John would have participated in glam rock while also popularising it, making it uncertain where it really began.
ReplyDelete- Natasha Mubeen
In The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, we are introduced to Bowie’s newly adopted, iconic persona of Ziggy Stardust. As an androgynous, extra-terrestrial rock-star, the persona of Ziggy Stardust could have given Bowie the freedom to express his creativity, and to experiment and mix together different ideas and styles of music into something unique to him. In this album, I noticed that a lot of songs incorporated elements from different musical genres, blending a lot of the heavier elements like those seen in The Man Who Sold the World with the poppier elements of Hunky Dory, while also bringing in some jazz and rock and roll.
ReplyDeleteEssentially, this could be seen as an example of glam rock, especially in regard to the artificial, otherworldly presentation of Ziggy Stardust, which, in its exaggerated “inauthenticity” creates an interesting critique of the standard rock-star and society’s view of celebrities. In general, glam rock can be seen as a genre that embraces the over-the-top, campy, and flamboyant, while also being able to create music that is very high-powered and energetic. In a way, the brashness of this genre could have been what propelled it forward as something that would have so much influence on artists in the years to come, as bands like The New York Dolls laid the groundwork for the sound and boldness of genres such as punk rock. I think that Bowie in particular was really great in using these elements, along with this notion of artificiality, to create his persona which embraced creativity and freedom of expression, especially in regard to gender and sexuality, while also being unafraid to offer criticism towards societal expectations and views of the artist.
- Lillian Gabrelian
From my research, glam was a style of rock music that originated in the UK in the 70s and had artists wearing flamboyant outfits and experimenting with upbeat, pop like sounds. I think just from the past couple of classes we could already see Bowie liked to take on androgynous forms and experiment with sci-fi lyrics like in "The Superman" from The Man Who Sold The World and "Life on Mars" from Hunky Dory among other songs. What I like to think is that Bowie saw an opportunity to tap into a new genre of music/style. To him, glam was not just about wearing outrageous costumes or makeup, it was a way for him to rebel against traditional norms. From watching the other glam performers like T. Rex, The Sweet, Roxy Music, etc... it is clear that Bowie went a step further by creating a persona, Ziggy Stardust, incorporating glam into his songs and writing bold lyrics. The other performers were all glam artists, but in the sense where their clothes and "look" did not influence their music. One song I really loved from Bowie's Ziggy Stardust album was "Lady Stardust." I think the lyrics really added onto the gender bending aspect of Ziggy Stardust and to Glam rock itself. In the song itself he sings about a boy who wears makeup and has long hair, but once Lady Stardust sings people forget about the musician's gender. This showed that people should value you for who you are as a human being and that fitting into stereotypical gender norms is a false construct. Not only does Bowie add onto glam by adapting a persona, but he uses glam to push back against issues in society like rigid gender norms. I'm sure songs like this and the fact that Ziggy Stardust was an androgynous, bisexual alien sparked conversations, inspired others to embrace their true selves, and caused people to rebel. I don't think Bowie started glam but I do think he pioneered a new form of glam and a new form of rock and roll in general.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Cohen
I think Bowie may have opted to adopt his glam rock persona as a sort of rejection of the earliest parts of his career, when he tried to conform as a typical British pop star and had very little that was unique about his performances. By first experimenting with "The Man Who Sold the World" and "Hunky Dory" with the idea of personal change and shifting his persona, he dives in headfirst with "Ziggy Stardust." With the character of Ziggy, Bowie contributes to the sort of narrative structure that is present in glam rock, with performers not only adopting flashy onstage personas but creating stories and characters in their songwriting (for a non-Bowie example, the lyrics of "Ballroom Blitz" involve "the man in the back" and "the girl in the corner"). Bowie combines this with the extraterrestrial theme he established in his earlier music, and creates a sort of detached perspective from humanity in the character of Ziggy, which I would guess is reflective of Bowie himself feeling like an outsider. Ziggy's detached perspective from humanity is especially obvious in songs like "Soul Love," when the chorus includes the line "Idiot love will spark the fusion," which not only encapsulates a sort of science fiction theme, but also implies that "idiot love" is not something Ziggy himself is afflicted with. I think that this is how Bowie sets himself apart from the other glam rock musicians, by developing a character that is not only not human, but a character that is increasingly developed and evolves throughout a loose narrative on an album.
ReplyDeleteSofia Potter
Glam rock is about so much more than just the standalone music; it’s about the theatricality, the mystic rock-star aura, and the storytelling -- all things Bowie aimed to heighten in his own music. Going into the Ziggy Stardust album, Bowie’s music was really augmented because the unique themes already complemented so many glam rock elements. His fantastical, epic riffs, vocals, and lyrics fit in well with glam rock’s limitless exuberance and freedom of expression. Glam to me is the extravagant illusion and characterization of the performers that manifest within the performances. Bowie creates an entire experience for the audience, comprising both music and character. And, although he may not have invented glam rock, he certainly established a lot. When I think glam rock, I picture Bowie’s painted face, bright & unconventional outfits, and mystifying performances (which really highlights Bowie’s lasting power as a glam icon in our culture). Looking at other big glam players like T. Rex, I can see some inspirations Bowie took, as well as what he added as his own unique flare. I see T. Rex tapping into freedom with funky costumes that add extra pizzazz, memorability, and personality to performances. I believe that Bowie takes this to the next level by creating a deeper level of intricate specificity of his persona. Ziggy Stardust, this flamboyant, cosmic rock-star, adds an extra layer of complexity and theatricality to the music, very befitting of Bowie’s plan to present stories in his music. In bands like Sweet or even Queen, what I see is personas being used to convey a crafted portrayal of the band and its music; but unlike Bowie, the separation of artist and character is less distinct. When Bowie is Ziggy, it’s far from JUST flashy costumes and a stage-name; rather, we get this fleshed out character. Bowie takes this further by allowing us to follow this character through this stellar album. My favorite song of the album, “Starman,” tells a tale of Ziggy Stardust from the perspective of an Earthling, with lines like “There's a starman waiting in the sky / He'd like to come and meet us / But he thinks he'd blow our minds.” These lines are meta because not only is Bowie singing as Ziggy, but he is also a narrator, characterizing Ziggy as this divine martian (which is of course additionally augmented by the accompanying whimsical instrumentals of the song).
ReplyDelete-Mila Daniel
I think Bowie chose to adopt this persona to embrace the idea that he is able to transcend the boundaries of musical genres. This album is yet another huge shift from his past works, namely Hunky Dory which was perhaps more theatrical and piano driven. Ziggy Stardust was the means in which Bowie was able to break away and rebel against convention. While certainly there were other musicians who associated with the glam rock era who also wanted to break away from the musical norm, I think Bowie’s past establishment as an artist helped him to forge his own path while simultaneously embracing certain pop aspects of music that appeal to the larger public. I think what distinguishes this album is that it is framed really well, the opening and the closing songs; Five years and rock n roll suicide are both emotionally packed, somewhat ballad-y pieces that both serve to establish Bowie as a versatile and innovative musician.
ReplyDeleteMia Sparks
Ziggy Stardust was a huge extension to Bowie’s theatrical persona. It was a way for him to really become that androgynous rock star people wanted to see. From watching the videos, it is clear that Ziggy Stardust was inspired by the cliche rocker look at the time, but Bowie escalated that image. In his earlier albums, like The Man Who Sold The World, we see Bowie trying to conform to the style of other popular musicians of that time. In The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Bowie takes that rock style and puts his own spin on it. However, I think the Ziggy Stardust character also comments on the way these rockers are idolized and the way fame or success gets to their heads. In the song “Ziggy Stardust,” Bowie sings, “Making love with his ego / Ziggy sucked up into his mind, ah / like a leper messiah / when the kids had killed the man / I had to break up the band.” Bowie took glam to the next step. His avant-garde looks of heavy makeup, tight clothing, and glitter allowed Ziggy to be both flamboyant and dramatic. Ultimately, the glam persona we know today would not be nearly as popularized without Bowie’s touch. He opened the door for musicians to be expressive while putting on a performance.
ReplyDeleteSofia Sabra
I think it is very cool how Bowie created this persona of Ziggy Stardust. He was definitely an early pioneer of this Glam Rock era and I think this was the case because he wanted something different and unique. While watching the video of him singing “Starman”, it is evident that he not only brings such a creative appearance to stage, but also positivity and enjoyment for what he is doing. This persona of Ziggy Stardust seems to give Bowie a purpose for performing and writing songs. Looking closer at the lyrics of "Ziggy Stardust" they tell a full story of a rockstar who rises to fame but eventually faces downfall. Writing narrative songs like this as compared to other pop songs of the time must have also been more entertaining in my opinion.
ReplyDelete-Sydney Beale
This week’s listening material was very interesting! I really enjoyed the David Bowie album, and the other songs were interesting to listen to, but I did not enjoy them as much. When listening to some of the other tracks I realized that I had heard some of them before, although I obviously did not know the name of them. Based on the songs that you assigned for us to listen to/watch, I think glam was basically men wearing extravagant clothing, whether that be sequined suits, pink bomber jackets, or big boots. It seems that artists who identified with the style of glam did not necessarily all play the same music. The Sweet, Roxy Music, and the New York Dolls all utilized aspects of glam style, but their musical styles were all unique from one another. Also, I noticed that a band like the New York Dolls was especially masculine and loud and raw in terms of the way they sang, although the lead singer wore skin-tight sparkly pants. It almost seems like the music that artists that followed the glam style sung was possibly more masculine and less polished than possibly other musicians’ music that did not follow the glam style in terms of appearance. David Bowie adds an element of elegance to the style of glam. Although I do not know exactly why he decided to adopt this style, he maybe did because he was truong to relate to audiences and others at the time were adopting this style. He also may have just felt that this style more accurately represented the extraordinary mind that he had. Instead of playing music that was so different from his appearance, David Bowie connected the two aspects of his life - musical style and clothing style - to create his own unique position. No one is exactly like David Bowie, and his adoption of a glam persona likely helped situate himself as a unique character in an industry where everyone is fighting to be memorable.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Bowie's adoption of the Ziggy persona was a defining moment in glam rock history. Although Bowie was not the first glam rock artist, he was one of the most notable. He drew on the over-the-top theatricality of bands like T. Rex and New York Dolls while adding in his own elements of science fiction and reflection on darker subjects. As we discussed in last week's class, Hunky Dory was sort of a stepping stone album that showed Bowie's changes and evolution as an artist. In order for Bowie to expand on his performative roots and explore gender and sexuality more explicitly, developing Ziggy and thrusting himself fully into the genre of glam rock only made sense. Additionally, Bowie's disdain for the normal and mundane also made him a great fit for the glam rock genre. At the time (and even today to some extent), men dressing up in makeup and traditionally "feminine" clothes was seen as taboo. Glam rock took what mainstream society said was outrageous and really played up that outrageous aspect on their own terms. Bowie's transformation into Ziggy really encompassed all of these aspects of glam rock and elevated them by integrating these themes into a concept album with a structured narrative.
ReplyDelete- Addison Harms
[Apologies for the slightly short comment, my original comment got deleted while I was writing :(]
I don’t think that there is anything more glam than assuming an alternative identity, especially one so rooted in the flamboyance and the risk-taking attributed to the genre. As discussed previously in our weekly lectures, Bowie embraced experimentation in both his fashion and his music. Thus, this background is why I feel Bowie’s adoption of the Ziggy Stardust character is not only genius but warranted, as the role reflects his natural progression as an artist. To elaborate more on his prior work, specifically Hunky Dory and the song “Life on Mars,” Bowie showed interest in telling narratives through his music that were not necessarily from his perspective but from others. His knack for storytelling and empathizing with lives outside of his own is why Ziggy Stardust is such an effective tool for Bowie, as he is, essentially, not himself at all. He is solely a mysterious rock star with similarly mysterious origins. I can imagine this creative decision being very freeing as well as risky; however, making artistic choices without insurance of their success, I think, adds much to the idea of glam. One of the songs I enjoyed most on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album was “Moonage Daydream,” as it unites so many competing elements to create a song perfectly encapsulating the wonder of glam. The space-related diction, the echoey vocal effects, the saxophone playing uniquely alongside a flute, and the screeching noises that close the song should not work together, but, they do. Many of these elements also appear in other glam songs like Sweet’s “Blockbuster,” which uses echoey effects and harmonies alongside an untraditional siren sound. Experimenting with sound effects, therefore, is definitely a staple of the genre.
ReplyDelete-Devin Bosley
Listening to this album, I kind of felt like Bowie saw himself as some sort of Jesus-type figure as many of the songs come across as sermons and like he's somewhat delivering the words he says rather than just singing them as he did in the other albums we have listened to this quarter. To me, I feel like this persona as Ziggy Stardust comes from Bowie wanting to be 'more than human.' As I mentioned previously, he acts as a sort of demigod as Ziggy and I think this is an extension of the aforementioned yearning he had for being more than. Glam, to me, is about a desire to dress up something dirty and gritty into something beautiful. When I was listening to the album, I felt like much of the production, while beautiful, had a lo-fidelity feel to it that reminded me of this idea. When I think of glam, I often think of the glam rock bands of the 70s and 80s and I feel like Bowie brought many of their styles and ideals to a totally different genre of music, if Bowie's music could be confined to a genre at all.
ReplyDeleteThis album, in particular, I kind of think of as Bowie's magnum opus and it probably is my favorite album of his generally. I relistened to it a few weeks ago on my own volition and I noticed that each time I listen to it, I get excited about something different. On today's listen, I really admired a lot of what was going on in the opening track. I think this song is sonically very interesting and it has a sort of timeless quality. Lyrically, I really appreciate the lines, "Your face, your race, The way that you talk, I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk." To me, this is Bowie speaking as an alienated (and literally alien) Ziggy falling in love. He has suave and curiosity and is searching for ways to be more human which could be understood as Bowie wanting to learn to come down from his godliness and understand people more.
- Charles Whitcomb
Glam is technically a music genre but ultimately glam is about the performance. Glam carries the same hedonism as Rock and Roll but flips the masculinity of Rock and Roll on its tail and experiments with gender which Bowie owns here with his androgynous characters. Also the fact that Ziggy Stardust is an alien is a motif in queer theory and in music. I think Bowie takes on this performance to make a statement about the over-performed masculinity and hedonism of Rock and Roll. Its why Ziggy Stardust has a fall as well as a rise. As Bowie rises in the music sphere as an experimental rock artist, he made a statement against that genre and elected to participate in the Glam camp. I often have a difficult time distinguishing how the sound of Glam is different but I agree with my classmates that overall the sound is untraditional, especially if we properly compare it to concurrent music from the time period... I feel like Glam has a certain style to it musically and unexpected vocal performance but ultimately it would be incomplete without the imagery and persona which makes Bowie everything he became!
ReplyDeleteIn the iconic Top of the Pops performance where Bowie looks into the camera and points to the viewers as he sings “ I picked on you-oo-oo” perfectly captures Bowie’s intentions to completely captivate his audience when creating the Ziggy Stardust persona. In my opinion, Bowie created Ziggy Stardust to show the “Rise and Fall” of a persona in real time. The full title of the album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” alludes to the idea that stars have a limited time to maintain their relevance. The album starts off with a warning “We've got five years, that's all we've got” (Five Years) and ends with the fall of Ziggy Stardust “you've lived too long/Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide” (Rock n’ Roll Suicide). The album itself is a perfect open and shut story about a rock star who recognizes his impermanence, but still vows to make the most of his fame “So inviting - so enticing to play the part/I could play the wild mutation as a rock & roll star” (Star) before his time is up. Although Bowie eventually stops using the Ziggy persona, his ability to constantly reinvent himself allows him to maintain his relevance unlike other bands and rock stars that Ziggy emulates.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, glam rock was the first time rock stars were allowed to experiment with their image and reflect their styles in their music. Bowie added to this by being one of the first to invent a completely new identity in Ziggy, portraying himself as an otherworldly creature “There's a starman waiting in the sky” (Starman), but also in popularizing the outfits and style that came with glam rock (colors, glitter, wild hair, etc.). This fashion style and music genre is additionally influenced by Marc Bolan/T.Rex’s entire Electric Warrior album, the New York Dolls, and more, showing how (not to be cliché, but) glam rock encapsulated more than music, it was the lifestyle itself.
Also I didn’t mention either of these songs in my analysis above, but my favorite songs on here are “Moonage Daydream” and “Suffragette City”. I genuinely could listen to both on repeat for hours and I wouldn’t get bored.
Tanvi Gaitonde
A lot of the glam rock singers and groups of the 70s had the same overall glittery “look” and simple “sound.” While David Bowie probably heard a lot of this music at the time, it seems like he wanted to be taken more seriously as a musician and become a famous icon rather than a caricature of something else. An an interview I found, Bowie said this of Ziggy Stardust: “What I did with my Ziggy Stardust was package a totally credible, plastic rock & roll singer – much better than the Monkees could ever fabricate.” The Monkees were innocent and fun-loving in the 60s, so Bowie wanted to be the opposite of that. The persona was new and more out there than previous seen in the rock scene, an alien if you will. This was emphasized in the last name — STARdust. You can really see the influences that the space race and other world events had on David Bowie in his music and the development of his persona.
ReplyDeleteI think was Bowie added most to the image of glam rock was personality. His on stage presence was less robotic and emphasized the music and his personal feelings.
I’m the album, it seems like he tried to tell a story and fell short. Perhaps he wrote “Ziggy Stardust”, “Lady Stardust”, and “Star” together, but everything else separately to add filler into the album. Melodically, the songs are great, but don’t form a cohesive story.