Over the years, Bowie had several alter egos, but Ziggy Stardust was the most memorable of them all. In 1972 and 1973, he toured as the glam rock persona until he abruptly announced at a performance that he would be putting Ziggy and the Spiders from Mars to rest.
Bowie later admitted that Ziggy would not leave him alone for years. His alter ego was lingering around, and that is when it soured. “It became very dangerous,” he described. “I had misgivings about my sanity.” Four short years after the Ziggy Stardust period, he then became the Thin White Duke.
Long-Haired Men
When Bowie was 17, he formed an organization centering around something he felt strongly about: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men. The organization aimed to oppose the treatment that he and other long-haired men received while walking about the London streets.
Bowie took the organization he formed very seriously. When speaking with the London Evening News, he said that it was all about “the protection of pop musicians and those who wear their hair long.” In his eyes, any man with the guts to be walking around with hair reaching down to his shoulders eventually goes through hell.
Bowie' Hair
Since we’re on the subject of hair, it's quite interesting that a lock of Bowie’s hair was sold at auction. That’s right. After he passed away, a ringlet of his hair had been put up for auction. It had been snipped by a woman in London back in 1983. It was part of the Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction.
According to the director of the auction, Bowie garnered admiration across the musical spectrum, with fans wanting anything that might bring them closer to their favorite artist. “What can bring you closer than a lock of hid hair?” The bidding started at $2000 and made it up to an incredible price of $18,750.
The Thin White Duke
It was in late 1974 when an early version of this character started to appear. His hair was still glowing orange but shorter, and his stage costumes went from vivid glam outfits to conventional formal suits.
During his “Thin White Duke” period, he struggled with substance abuse and emotional problems. He was apparently living on a diet of milk and peppers. He did some bizarre things, like keep his urine in his refrigerator so that “no other wizard could use it to enchant him.”
Perfect Timing
Bowie first released his famous single Space Oddity on July 11, 1969. Timing turned out to be nothing short of perfect — nine days after it was released, the BBC used the song when they covered Apollo 11’s lunar landing. The hit ended up being Bowie’s first major success in the UK.
The song was inspired by the film "A Space Odyssey," which is about a fictional astronaut, Major Tom, and his launch into space. In 2013, the song saw renewed popularity when Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield performed the song aboard the International Space Station, which was the first music video ever shot in space!