A Fist Fight, an Alter-Ego & the Star Who Fell to Earth
Before Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke and The Man Who Fell To Earth…
…He was little David Jones of suburban South London.
David had big ideas and an alter-ego named Ziggy. He dreamed of things that were out of this world.
He loved music, art and dancing.
When Ziggy was 9 years old, he met his very best friend, George Underwood. They understood each other’s flamboyant, artistic nature. They were inseparable.
When Ziggy and George were 15, they fell in love with the same girl. One day on the bus, George overheard Ziggy bragging about his date. A date with the girl George liked. A date he had lied to George about.
A disagreement escalated and a fight broke out. George punched Ziggy directly in the left eye. Ziggy was immediately taken to the hospital for two different eye surgeries.
For rest of his life, he suffered from an eye condition called anisocoria, luckily giving him a signature look– the appearance of two different eye colors.
His right eye was blue, and his left a greenish hue.
George and Ziggy reconciled and remained good friends, playing music together through their teenage years. They formed a band called The Konrads.
One day Ziggy heard Little Richard sing “Tutti Frutti." Right then and there he decided he would grow up to be a rockstar.
And that's exactly what he did.
David Bowie remembered that moment when he first heard Little Richie sing:
“I had heard God. My heart nearly burst with excitement. I’d never heard anything even resembling this. It filled the room with energy and colour and outrageous defiance.
When Bowie stopped being afraid to be himself, he became one of the most iconic musicians on the planet, the moon (and likely beyond).
Bowie released Space Oddity on his self titled album in 1969— at the same time as the moon landing. The song was considered controversial at the time and BBC even banned it. It was mis-understood.
But Space Oddity isn’t just a catchy tune about a fictional astronaut.
Major Tom in space is a metaphor about releasing fear and choosing to be yourself.
It took six years for the song to catch on, finally launching Bowie’s legendary music career. ⚡️
As an adult, that same childhood friend, George Underwood, became an artist. He designed the album sleeves for many of David’s albums, including:
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Bowie’s lyrics are abstract and profound. They’re often bio-graphical, like Starman.
“There's a Starman waiting in the sky.
He'd like to come and meet us.
But he thinks he'd blow our minds.”
And he did blow our minds. Bowie became an artist of cosmic proportions. He was one of the greatest influences of 70s counterculture.
But Bowie wasn't just a rockstar. He was a messenger from another planet sent to our world to free our minds, hearts, and dancing feet singing,
“Let the children lose it. Let the children use it.
“Let all the children boogie.”
— DAVID BOWIE
Learn more about our favorite Starman with these illustrated children’s books and games:
Starboy: Inspired by the Life and Lyrics of David Bowie
Little People Big Dreams: David Bowie
David Meowie Puzzle
Celebrate Bowie’s work with five graphic tees from The Stardust Collection and Young David Bowie from The Gentle Boys Collection.
For the tiniest Bowie fans, shop our Stardust ONESIES and the Ziggy Baby Rattle.
