2 months ago
Fifty years agone today, connected nan shape of London’s Hammersmith Odeon, David Bowie killed Ziggy Stardust.
Of course, it was not a accepted murder: Ziggy was Bowie’s creation, a characteristic he’d created, a alloy for his emergence to fame down his blockbuster 1972 medium “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and nan Spiders From Mars,” which led to 1 of nan fastest and astir meteoric rises to superstardom successful pop-culture history and created thing of a self-fulfilling paradigm, involving nan emergence of nan titular stone prima whose fame went to his caput and possibly died, possibly didn’t. After astir a decade of trying and mostly failing to go celebrated arsenic himself, Bowie apparently figured it mightiness beryllium easier to do it arsenic personification other — arsenic a “totally reliable integrative stone star,” arsenic he would later picture it.
He was right. Within 18 months, Bowie had rocketed from a one-hit wonderment to 1 of nan astir iconic popular stars nan world had ever seen, pinch immoderate of nan top euphony of nan era. In this almost unparalleled 18-month basking streak, Bowie created 3 classical albums — “Hunky Dory,” “Ziggy Stardust” and “Aladdin Sane,” featuring songs for illustration “Changes,” “Life connected Mars?,” “Starman” and “The Jean Genie” — arsenic good arsenic helming 3 others for different artists: Lou Reed’s “Transformer” (featuring nan New York bard’s biggest ever hit, “Walk connected nan Wild Side”), Iggy Pop and nan Stooges’ “Raw Power,” and Mott nan Hoople’s “All nan Young Dudes,” nan generation-defining title way of which Bowie wrote. But for illustration galore specified creations, Ziggy turned into a Frankenstein-like monster that, exacerbated by drugs, idolatry, overwork and nan trappings of fame, threatened to devour its creator, causing an personality situation that Bowie would struggle pinch for galore years to come.
It was besides 1 of nan astir manic periods of activity immoderate awesome prima had undertaken earlier aliases since: Bowie was fundamentally connected circuit for nan full period, playing astir 200 concerts connected 3 continents, and erstwhile he wasn’t performing, he was recording, successful photograph aliases video sessions, and plotting. There were much mundane, if colorful, real-life complicating factors arsenic well: His manipulative, Svengali-like manager, Tony Defries; dissention and rebellion wrong nan Spiders, Bowie’s backing set that was besides a portion of nan Ziggy storyline; and not least, a earnestly undersold upcoming American circuit that needed a bully logic to beryllium canceled.
And so, connected nan Odeon shape — successful beforehand of 5 1000 fans, countless journalists and documentarian D.A. Pennebaker’s camera crews — connected nan past show of nan biggest British circuit successful history, earlier “Rock and Roll Suicide,” nan climactic opus that closed some nan “Ziggy” medium and astir each performance he performed during this era, Bowie stunned nan world: “Not only is this nan past show of nan tour,” he said, “but it’s nan past show that we’ll ever do.”
The audience’s shrieks tin beryllium heard successful nan unrecorded medium and movie of nan concert. The news made headlines crossed nan world: “Bowie Quits,” nan New Musical Express trumpeted. It was arsenic if nan Beatles had announced their status from nan shape of Shea Stadium successful 1965.
Of course, it wasn’t nan past anything for Bowie, isolated from pretending to beryllium a characteristic he’d grown saturated with. The pursuing week he’d committee a train for France, wherever he and astir of nan Spiders would grounds a caller album. Within 3 and a half months he’d beryllium playing a performance pinch them arsenic well; successful little than a twelvemonth he’d motorboat a awesome American tour, sporting a wholly caller look, sound and vision.
But that was it for Ziggy — nan “we” successful Bowie’s connection presumably referred to himself and his change ego. And though he’d play galore of nan era’s iconic songs connected his adjacent circuit and passim his career, it was ne'er arsenic nan characteristic that had vaulted him to stardom. Indeed, he wouldn’t play nan 2 songs that opened astir each performance of nan period, “Hang connected to Yourself” and “Ziggy Stardust,” again for different 5 years — and erstwhile he did, it was from a safe distance. After truthful galore self-reinventions, nan six songs from nan medium that were played successful nan mediate of nan different audience-challenging 1978 setlist took connected nan aerial of a nostalgic look astatine photos from one’s adolescence.
But its bequest is monumental, and not only musically: The mendacious status has go a trope of nan intermezo world, and each clip a patient and comparatively young musician announces one, nan world waits for nan seemingly inevitable comeback. And intentionally aliases not, Prince took nan full conceit — nan characteristic based connected oneself, nan rise-to-superstardom storyline, and moreover nan mendacious status — to an moreover bigger level pinch his “Purple Rain” album, circuit and movie conscionable a twelve years later.
It each grew from nan shape of nan Hammersmith Odeon connected July 3, 1973.
It surely could beryllium based on that nan autumn of Ziggy Stardust and nan Spiders from Mars began almost a twelvemonth to nan time earlier that last performance — connected July 6, 1972, erstwhile Bowie’s culture-shifting capacity of “Starman” was aired connected Britain’s astir celebrated euphony tv show, “Top of nan Pops.” With groundwork laid by nan just-released album, a agelong drawstring of U.K. performance dates and respective highly strategical interviews — including 1 successful which Bowie announced his past highly arguable bisexuality — he and his Spiders From Mars, guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick Woodmansey, took Britain by storm. Their snow-white tans, glitter costumes and dyed hairsbreadth struck a fatal rustle to nan earthy imagery of nan fading hippie era, which Bowie would picture successful his 2002 “Moonage Daydream” memoir arsenic “some benignant of denim hell.”
For a procreation of early musicians, it was nan balanced of nan Beatles’ 1964 quality connected “Ed Sullivan Show,” including Boy George, U2’s Bono, nan Clash’s Mick Jones, Siouxsie Sioux, nan Cure’s Robert Smith, Morrissey and Johnny Marr of nan Smiths, John Taylor and Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran, David Gahan of Depeche Mode and countless others. (Variety documented Bowie’s emergence successful an extended article past year.)
But that was conscionable nan beginning. As nan group played a bid of concerts crossed England cementing that fame successful nan summertime of 1972 and drove some nan medium and azygous toward nan precocious reaches of nan U.K. charts, Bowie and Defries plotted nan adjacent phase: conquering America. After a brace of rapturously received, highly theatrical concerts astatine London’s Rainbow Theatre successful August, Bowie boarded nan QE2 astatine Southampton connected September 12 and group sail for New York.
Bowie had traveled successful America doubly before, had met Andy Warhol and cardinal scenemakers for illustration writer Lisa Robinson and DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, and witnessed nan vibrant euphony communities successful New York and Los Angeles. But ne'er earlier arsenic a star, fto unsocial 1 powered by nan level of fame and contention he’d generated successful England. Bowie and Defries’ attack was essentially, “If you enactment for illustration a superstar, they will judge you’re one,” truthful limousines, five-star hotels, property blackouts, arena-sized concerts and a sprawling, self-important entourage were nan bid of nan day. Despite his comparatively debased recognition, this worked for illustration gangbusters successful awesome markets for illustration New York and L.A. — wherever Bowie played rapturously received concerts astatine Carnegie Hall and nan Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, nan second documented connected nan “Santa Monica ‘72” unrecorded medium — and pockets of fame for illustration Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
David Bowie Express/Getty Images
“Bowie astatine nan clip wasn’t famous,” recalled Ron Delsener, who promoted nan Carnegie Hall show, successful nan caller documentary “Ron Delsener Presents.” “But to me, nan full point was theatrical. Now, nan [venue’s] booker was very, very dubious astir having personification who looked for illustration David Bowie play. So I went down location and said, ‘He’s playing a character called Ziggy Stardust, an alien from acold away,’ and [convinced her]. And Bowie knocked it dead.”
But nan long, haphazardly booked circuit had galore debased points arsenic well. The shows successful places for illustration St. Louis and New Orleans were sparsely attended, and nan astir 50-person entourage would often beryllium idle for days, astatine ludicrous expense, successful places for illustration Kansas City and Phoenix.
“We should not usage limousines different than to and from gigs aliases to and from studios aliases for proscription of Bowie,” Defries thundered successful a memo dated October 22. “We are attracting excessively galore followers and carrying them pinch us. Every other personification who stays pinch america astatine a edifice is an other room-service charge. GROUPIES SHOULD BE SENT HOME WITHOUT BREAKFAST!”
Adding to nan expenses, nan yet fatal discord wrong nan set began erstwhile nan halfway members of nan Spiders discovered that virtuoso pianist Mike Garson, who’d joined nan circuit successful September, was making virtually 10 times arsenic overmuch per week arsenic they were. They received raises, but mistrust had been sown.
However, arsenic nan polarized circuit progressed, Bowie’s vibrant adjacent shape began to return shape. He and nan set grew much assured amid nan bigger stages and superstar treatment. His hair, constitution and outfits became moreover much lurid and otherworldly — successful a fresh of drunkenness, inspiration aliases both, he shaved disconnected his eyebrows, which he would not turn backmost for 3 years.
And astir significantly, nan chaotic group and experiences of nan circuit spawned a powerful group of caller songs. “Jean Genie,” based connected nan indelible riff of nan blues modular “I’m a Man,” grew from a singalong connected nan circuit autobus and gathering Iggy Pop. It was hastily recorded successful Nashville and issued arsenic a azygous successful November while nan group was still connected tour. “Watch That Man” was inspired by decadent evenings astatine New York’s legendary Max’s Kansas City nightclub and starred stone socialite Cyrinda Fox (who later joined Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler) arsenic “Lorraine.” Soul vocalist Claudia Linnear is nan stunning femme fatale successful “Lady Grinning Soul.” “Panic successful Detroit” featured nan city’s post-apocalyptic atmosphere, aft nan devastating riots of nan precocious ‘60s, and different quality from Pop. And Bowie’s adjacent single, “Drive-In Saturday,” astir a early nine wherever group person to study really to make emotion again, was sparked by immoderate unusual domes Bowie saw from his train arsenic it traveled from Seattle to Phoenix.
Also recorded but not included were Bowie’s type of “All nan Young Dudes,” a supercharged revamp of Bowie’s 1972 azygous “John, I’m Only Dancing” (which was primitively slated to adjacent nan medium but dropped astatine nan past minute), and an incomplete, multi-part opus titled “Zion” that featured snarling guitar activity from Ronson and haunting intro and outro that would later move up successful nan 1974 “Diamond Dogs” way “Sweet Thing.” Bowie recorded a wordless guideline vocal that offers a tantalizing glimpse of what nan opus could person been.
Not surprisingly, nan group’s quality attracted stares everyplace they went successful early ‘70s America, recalls RCA unit technologist Mike Moran, who flew to Nashville to grip nan “Jean Genie” session. “They each said they wanted to spell [the celebrated restaurant] Lum’s for lunch,” he tells Variety. “I said ‘I’ll conscionable bid in’ — remember, this was nan days of redneck Nashville. But they said, ‘No, we want to spell out.’ So I said okay, and we get successful nan car. These guys person orangish hairsbreadth and purple outfits, and arsenic I’m driving retired of nan parking batch I spot my friend Jim Fogelson, who was president of Capitol Records successful Nashville. He sees maine successful nan car pinch these guys and astir drops dead. But we sewage to Lum’s and everybody had a shot — people stared astatine them, but everyone was polite.”
Bowie’s quality masked his no-nonsense attack successful nan studio. “He usually did conscionable 1 aliases 2 takes of his vocal, and he and Mick Ronson worked very intimately and were awesome together,” Moran, who worked connected respective different Bowie sessions during this time, recalls. “He was nan astir master personification I ever worked with.”
Finally, successful December, aft a last-minute filming of a video for “Space Oddity” — the four-year-old opus that had been Bowie’s first U.K. deed and, recently acquired by his label, RCA, would soon go Bowie’s highest-charting U.S. azygous to day — Bowie boarded nan RHMS Ellinis and sailed for home.
Not that he’d get overmuch remainder while there. The set almost instantly launched into a short circuit of England — including a Christmas Eve return to London’s Rainbow — performed their explosive unrecorded type of “Jean Genie” connected “Top of nan Pops” (incorporating nan Beatles’ “Love Me Do” into nan finale”), and vanished signaling nan “Aladdin Sane” album, which featured an indelible screen image by photographer Brian Duffy. The image debuted nan lightning-bolt slash crossed his look that would go nan iconic awesome not only of nan lurid imaging of nan era, but for Bowie for decades to come.
“The flash connected nan original Ziggy group was taken from nan precocious voltage motion that was stuck connected immoderate container containing vulnerable amounts of electricity,” Bowie wrote successful 2002. “I was not a small peeved erstwhile Kiss purloined it. Purloining, aft all, was my job.”
After conscionable a fewer weeks of frantic mentation and last medium sessions, nan caller look and single, “Drive-In Saturday,” were premiered connected nan BBC’s “Russell Harty Show.” Days later, Bowie and his caller backing vocalist and walking companion, puerility friend Geoff MacCormack, boarded nan SS Canberra en way to New York.
The caller medium and look would beryllium accompanied by a caller sound — bigger, louder and much bombastic than its tastefully restrained predecessors — and Bowie and nan set launched into respective days of frantic rehearsals astatine RCA’s New York studios successful mentation of nan first date, a Valentine’s Day capacity astatine nan iconic Radio City Music Hall. The set had gotten a batch bigger, pinch nan 3 Spiders and Garson now joined by 2 horn players, 2nd guitarist John Hutchinson and MacCormack (who would later telephone himself Warren Peace) connected backing vocals and percussion. Along pinch respective “Ziggy” highlights and astir nan entirety of nan caller album, nan setlist featured a screen of Jacques Brel’s haunting “My Death,” and “Space Oddity,” which had antecedently been performed acoustically by conscionable Bowie and Ronson, was now a full-blown accumulation pinch a chaotic video introduction. (On an assemblage signaling of nan concert, an assemblage personnel tin beryllium heard saying, “This is incredible, I’ve ne'er seen thing for illustration this before.”) The shape was bookended by a brace of elevated achromatic discs base nan “Aladdin Sane” lightning bolt.
A mates of days earlier nan concert, Bowie attended a Rockettes capacity astatine Radio City — 1 of nan performers was lowered to nan shape from nan rafters connected a gyroscope. He not only incorporated that entranceway into his 2 concerts astatine nan venue, he went 1 amended erstwhile he and nan Spiders began nan 2nd half of nan show by entering connected a level that roseate from beneath nan stage.
As if each that weren’t melodramatic enough, connected opening night, astatine nan extremity of nan show-closing “Rock and Roll Suicide,” Bowie collapsed arsenic sounds resembling gunshots were heard. “Nobody knew it was portion of nan show,” Moran’s woman Linda, who was astatine nan show, recalls. “You heard what sounded for illustration gunfire, and past constabulary ran down nan aisles.” Accounts disagree arsenic to what really happened — some opportunity Bowie was exhausted, immoderate opportunity he became alarmed and fainted erstwhile a instrumentality rushed nan stage. But either way, nan four-week U.S. circuit was disconnected to a more-than-newsworthy start.
After nan past 2 dates successful Los Angeles, Bowie and MacCormack boarded yet different water liner and headed disconnected for nan singer’s first-ever circuit of Japan successful April. In a measurement akin to America, Bowie received a fanatical reception for his 5 concerts successful Tokyo but a acold much muted 1 successful nan different cities. Likewise, nan show’s much schematic songs and costumes — parts of which featured Bowie performing while wearing only a jockstrap — had been toned down retired of respect for Japanese civilization and nan country’s acold much blimpish crowd power astatine concerts. However, nan experience, and not slightest respective new, Japanese-themed outfits designer Kansai Yamamoto created for Bowie while he was successful nan state — would germinate nan singer’s look moreover further for nan British tour, which was launching successful London conscionable 3 weeks aft nan last day successful Japan.
The Kansai designs “were everything that I wanted them to beryllium and more,” Bowie wrote successful 2002. “Heavily inspired successful adjacent parts by kabuki and samurai, they were outrageous, provocative and unbelievably basking to deterioration nether nan shape lights.”
Yet again, Bowie and MacCormack boarded a vessel — but this time, it was heading to nan acold Eastern metropolis Khabarovsk successful nan Soviet Union, arsenic nan brace would recreation backmost location via nan Trans-Siberian Railroad, taking much than a week to get successful Paris pinch stops successful Moscow, Warsaw and Berlin. In Paris, Bowie was greeted by Angie and respective journalists, and returned to London — after walking immoderate 8,000 miles complete onshore — on May 4, conscionable arsenic “Drive-In Saturday” was peaking astatine No. 3 connected nan singles floor plan and nan “Aladdin Sane” medium debuted astatine No. 1.
“After an unbelievably agelong and strenuous circuit of nan U.S. and Japan, I came to backmost to England via Russia, Poland and East Germany,” Bowie wrote successful 2002. “I was utterly exhausted and nan past point I wanted to do was support touring but…”
His prima had risen moreover further successful nan 3 months he’d been away. By this constituent he was nan biggest popular prima successful England, and request for nan circuit — the astir extended British trek successful pop-music history — was highly high. As was request connected nan performers: The circuit crammed immoderate 61 concerts, often 2 per day, crossed 7 weeks. The setlist had been streamlined down to astir 65 minutes arsenic well, pinch respective of nan “Aladdin Sane” songs dropped and an different medley incorporated: first, it mixed 2 songs from “Hunky Dory” — “Quicksand” and “Life connected Mars?,” nan second of which would beryllium released arsenic a U.K. azygous to capitalize connected nan circuit — pinch his hippie anthem “Memory of a Free Festival”; concerts successful nan first half of nan circuit would often characteristic a monolithic crowd singalong connected its coda, “The sun instrumentality is coming down, and we’re gonna person a party.” However, that medley was dropped mid-tour for a different one, combining a different hippie-era song, “The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud,” pinch a rousing verse and chorus from “All nan Young Dudes” earlier concluding pinch “Oh! You Pretty Things” from “Hunky Dory.”
The circuit thundered crossed Britain, launching pinch a high-profile but problematic show astatine London’s Earl’s Court that was plagued by mediocre sound and a too-low stage. “No 1 would hear, nary 1 could see,” Bowie wrote successful 2022. “There were fights retired there, too. An unmitigated disaster. Lots of nude dancing successful nan aisles, though.”
The touring statement past took an 11-hour train thrust to Scotland for respective dates and past criss-crossed nan state complete nan adjacent 5 weeks, playing concerts that were regularly disrupted by unruly crowds and stage-invading fans: Norwich, Sheffield (where early members of nan Human League and Heaven 17 were successful attendance), Manchester, Liverpool (ditto early Echo & nan Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch and Soft Cell vocalist Marc Almond, who was 1 of nan crowd members who touched Bowie’s manus during “Rock and Suicide”), Coventry, Preston, Wolverhampton, Torquay, Bristol, arsenic good arsenic respective greater-London area concerts. One was astatine nan Lewisham Odeon successful South London, wherever Bowie had attended galore concerts arsenic a youth. “It’s bully to beryllium home,” he told nan crowd, which included a young Boy George; “I’ve ne'er seen thing much breathtaking since,” George said later.
A show successful Bournemouth was filmed for a suitably outraged BBC documentary portion that Bowie later described arsenic “one of their accepted ‘good heavens, immoderate next?’-type reports. It was each excessively funny” At immoderate constituent Bowie recovered clip to portion a video for “Life connected Mars?,” clad successful a vivid light-blue suit and dense makeup.
“After Earls Court I really did want it each to travel to an end,” Bowie wrote successful 2002. “I was now penning for a different benignant of task and, exhausted and wholly saturated pinch nan full Ziggy concept, couldn’t support my attraction connected nan performances pinch overmuch heart. Strangely enough, nan remainder of nan circuit was an astounding success, but I was wasted and miserable.”
The due circuit wrapped connected June 29 successful Leeds, arsenic nan set and unit took a well-earned breather earlier nan last 2 dates astatine London’s Hammersmith Odeon connected July 2 and 3.
* * *
With Pennebaker’s cameras rolling and celebrities successful nan assemblage ranging from Mick and Bianca Jagger to Barbra Streisand, Ringo Starr, Lou Reed and Rod Stewart, Bowie did not intend to disappoint. He and nan set were successful apical shape arsenic they soared done nan by now well-oiled set, performing iconic versions of “Hang On to Yourself,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Changes” and a dozen-odd different originals. He nodded to Jagger, Reed and Ringo by playing acquainted covers of nan Stones’ “Let’s Spend nan Night Together,” Reed’s “White Light/ White Heat” and nan snippet of “Love Me Do,” arsenic good arsenic Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around” — superstar guitarist Jeff Beck traded licks pinch Ronson connected nan second way and “Jean Genie.”
But for each that, nan status announcement people dominated headlines. While respective members of nan touring statement were alert that it was coming — Ronson had been told successful Japan, but was sworn to secrecy — it stunned nan crowd, nan media, and respective bandmembers. Woodmansey, who had spoken disrespectfully to and astir Bowie during nan circuit and seemed singled retired for sadistic treatment, initially didn’t recognize that each of his early plans had been canceled; he would beryllium fired by guidance complete nan telephone a week later, connected his wedding day.
But connected that nighttime 50 years ago, contempt nan retirement, nan show went on. A lavish tour-ending statement was held astatine nan Café Royale successful Piccadilly, pinch Bowie seated astatine a array surrounded by Jagger, Reed, Beck, Ronson, drummer Aynsley Dunbar (who would soon switch Woodmansey) and vocalist Lulu.
“I person perfectly nary recollections of this statement astatine each isolated from that do retrieve emotion incredibly relieved that it was each over, nan touring particularly,” Bowie wrote successful 2002. “I retrieve that I spent astir of my clip chatting and laughing pinch Jagger and Lou Reed, who, by nan way, tin beryllium wickedly funny.”
Also successful attendance were Ringo, Paul and Linda McCartney, Keith Moon, Cat Stevens, Sonny Bono, Barbra Streisand, Elliott Could, Tony Curtis, Ryan O’Neal and Britt Eklund, pinch a unrecorded capacity by Dr. John. The statement ended astatine 5 a.m.
Bowie recalled of nan performance immoderate 20 years later, “About 48 hours later, I’m sitting location thinking, ‘What person I said? I don’t deliberation I really meant that astatine all. I’m emotion amended already.’ I cognize I really pissed disconnected Woody and Trevor. They were truthful angry, I think, because I hadn’t really told them that I was splitting nan set up. But that’s what Ziggy did, truthful I had to do it too.” The autumn of Ziggy Stardust and nan Spiders From Mars was much aliases little complete.
And six days aft that last bow, Bowie, Ronson, Dunbar and respective different members of nan touring set (including Bolder, who was invited astatine nan past infinitesimal aft ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce declined) headed to nan Chateau D’Herouville studios successful France to grounds Bowie’s ‘60s covers compilation, “Pin-Ups.” With songs made celebrated by nan Who, nan Kinks, Van Morrison’s Them and others, it’s an uncharacteristic look backward, a emotion missive to nan euphony that Bowie revered arsenic a teenager.
Yet he was already moving connected to his adjacent chapter. The expanded Spiders would person 1 past hurrah, successful a tv performance filmed astatine London’s Marquee nine (where Bowie had seen galore of nan supra artists successful nan ‘60s) titled “The 1980 Floor Show” that acted arsenic some a promotional conveyance for “Pin-Ups” and besides a signpost to his adjacent project, nan “Diamond Dogs” album, which was intended arsenic a philharmonic type of George Orwell’s “1984” earlier authorities were denied by nan precocious author’s estate. The tv typical opens pinch an extended capacity of Bowie’s opus “1984,” delivered successful nan Spiders’ difficult stone style alternatively than nan much nimble, R&B-inflected statement connected nan type he released connected his 1974 “Diamond Dogs” album.
And though fans would move retired successful droves erstwhile Bowie adjacent took nan shape successful June of 1974, it was not nan creator they were expecting. Gone were nan spiky hair, level heels and lurid costumes, replaced pinch smooth, short cut, flats and prestigious Yves St. Laurent suits. By nan extremity of that tour, stone and rotation would mostly beryllium gone too, replaced pinch Bowie’s return connected nan R&B he’d heard each complete U.S. power during his agelong hours walking crossed nan state successful limos and buses. (Head present for a heavy dive connected Bowie’s activity that year.) Whether aliases not his fans were ready, Bowie had moved on.
Sources: “Moonage Daydream: The Life & Times of Ziggy Stardust” by David Bowie and Mick Rock; Kevin Cann’s masterful book “David Bowie: Any Day Now, The London Years 1947-74”; David Buckley’s stellar liner notes to nan 2002 deluxe editions of “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and nan Spiders From Mars,” Robin Mayhew’s “Ziggy Stardust Companion” website, and Chris O’Leary’s “Pushing Ahead of nan Dame” site and “Rebel Rebel: All nan Songs of David Bowie from ’64 to ’76” book, nan definitive study of Bowie’s euphony and history.
