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.
Becoming Ziggy Stardust
"If someone's wearing a pink hat and a red nose, and it plays a guitar upside down, I will go and look at it. I love to see people being dangerous." This was Bowie's sentiment as he set out to create the most celebrated alter ego the pop world has ever seen: Ziggy Stardust.
By the end of 1972, he rose to stardom. Within a few months, he transitioned from a merely adequate pop singer to a cultural phenomenon in a new form – Ziggy Stardust. Bowie said. “I always felt a bit out of my element, which is a ridiculously [grandiose] way of looking at it. When I look back, I now realize that from ‘72 through to about ‘76, I was the ultimate rock star.”
David and a Couple of Pals
Back in their teens, in the days when Bowie was still David Jones, and Elton John was still Reginald Kenneth Dwight, the rising stars became good friends. But not long after Bowie’s death, John admitted they lost touch and hadn’t spoken much for about 40 years.
Fun fact: Bowie was also a dear long-time friend of Iggy Pop. The two even shared an apartment for some time in Berlin during the 1970s.
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.
Ziggy Stardust Raised Some Sanity Questions
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.