Who Was Ziggy Stardust? David Bowie’s Alter Ego Explained

Ziggy Stardust was David Bowie’s fictional rock-star alter ego… an androgynous, alien-like performer who arrives on Earth with a message of hope, but becomes consumed by fame & ego, burning out as an effigy of rock-and-roll excess. Bowie introduced the character through his 1972 tour and later album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. He performed as Ziggy onstage (and offstage) during one of the most famous eras of his career.

“But BOY could he play guitar…“

Was Ziggy Stardust a Real Person?

Ziggy Stardust was a fictional rock star created and personified by David Bowie for the 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

The character of Ziggy himself was a sort of mashup of alien glam rock, avant-garde theatrics and old fashioned rock n roll burnout.

The Ziggy concept was many things together — an album, a tour, a wild alter-ego personality, and an unforgettably theatric stage show. The reason it’s so iconic is because Bowie elevated the concept of a “concept”, while putting on an incredible show with an unforgettable soundtrack. it felt dangerous and shocking, and nobody had done anything quite like that before — but lots of people did after.

Who was Ziggy Stardust based on?

The character wasn’t based on any one person or thing, but it did have some well-documented inspirations. One of those was a British 50s rock n roller called Vince Taylor, who suffered an LSD-fueled mental breakdown. “In his own mind he did become the Messiah,” Bowie said in a 1990 interview. “He always stayed in my mind as an example of what can happen in rock ‘n’ roll.”

The “STARDUST” part of the name, Bowie cheekily admitted to lifting from a Texas psychobilly pioneer from the 1960s who called himself “The Legendary Stardust Cowboy“. But Bowie didn’t just like the word… decades after the Ziggy era ended, Bowie made a cover of Cowboy’s song “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship” for his 2002 album Heathen.

“The name ‘Ziggy’ was one of the few Christian names I could find beginning with the letter ‘Z’.”

– David Bowie

Who were the Spiders from Mars?

The Spiders from Mars were David Bowie’s backing band during the Ziggy Stardust era. The core lineup included guitarist & frequent collaborator Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder & drummer Mick “Woody” Woodmansey.

What is the Story of Ziggy Stardust?

The Ziggy Stardust album loosely tells a freewheeling pseudo-story about how Earth only has a few years to live and Ziggy descended as a rock n roll savior who can communicate with the aliens — but becomes consumed by his ego and rock lifestyle to descend into “rock n roll suicide”…

But boy could he play guitar.

Ziggy played for time, jiving us that we were voodoo
The kids were just crass, he was the nazz
With God-given ass, he took it all too far
But boy, could he play guitar

– David Bowie – “Ziggy Stardust”

What was the Ziggy Stardust Tour?

Interestingly, Bowie began touring and performing as Ziggy Stardust, with his band The Spiders from Mars of course, in Feb 1972 — four months before the June release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

The tour was massive, spanning 170 shows from Mid-1972 through July 1973, and included major tours in UK, US and Japan.

Who designed the Ziggy Stardust Costumes & Look?

Famed designer Kansai Yamamoto designed Bowie’s most famous avant-garde Japanese stage costumes.

Bowie’s initial visual concept for the Spiders from Mars’ jumpsuits was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film A Clockwork Orange.

Hairdresser Suzi Fussey created Ziggy’s famous fiery red mullet in a happy little accident. They used a German hairdye Schwarzkopf Red Hot, which was unexpectedly bold, and created a glowing alien neon orange that fit the character perfectly. Suzi later married one of the Spiders from Mars, guitarist & close Bowie collaborator Mick Ronson.

Freddie Burretti was a designer friend of Bowie’s, and created Ziggy’s early look, including that “starman suit” on David Bowie’s legendary “Top of the Pops” 1972 performance.

When did David Bowie Retire Ziggy Stardust?

“Of all the shows on the tour, this one will stay with us the longest because not only is this the last show of the tour, but it is the last show we will ever do.”

– David Bowie, retiring his Ziggy Stardust character without warning, July 3, 1973

The final show of the tour was July 3rd, 1973 at the legendary Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Before the last song, “Rock N Roll Suicide”, Bowie made a shock announcement that even caught his own band by surprise — he was retiring Ziggy forever.

However, the announcement wasn’t particularly clear, leading many to initially (and wrongly) believe Bowie was giving up music. The Daily Express’ paper headline soon screamed “BOWIE QUITS ROCK!” It took weeks to sort out that Bowie was only quitting Ziggy.

In his memoir, Spider from Mars: My Life with Bowie, drummer Woody Woodmansey recalled the hollowed shock immediately following the announcement. “There was no ‘Great tour, guys,’ no champagne celebration. It was just done. We felt dropped.”

Photographer Mick Rock witnessed the scene and agreed, “Nobody knew what it meant. Was he retiring from music? Was he dying? The Spiders were just sitting there in shock.”

“David had killed off the thing that made them all famous, right at the height of its power.”

Why was Ziggy Stardust Important?

David’s Ziggy persona was a massive moment in music; it took the idea of rock concepts a glamorous step forward. Ziggy lifted live music as performance theater art, while the whole time, through the album, tours, interviews, etc committing to an extreme alter-ego concept. It set the stage for other greats who invented famous alter-egos like Alice Cooper, KISS, Marilyn Manson and Lady Gaga.

His fiery gender-fluid persona that was bursting with personality also opened the door for gender-bending open sexuality in the mainstream.

Ziggy also paved the way for Bowie’s own next projects: Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs…

David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust and Official Merch

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