The all-consuming Ziggypersona took Bowie to new levels of superstardom
Regardless of whether you deem The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars as David Bowie’s finest record or not, there’s no question that it’s the LP that still looms largest in his legend. It was the period when, finally, Bowie became a household name in the UK and solidified himself as a vital, integral part of popular culture.
What’s important to note about Ziggy Stardust is that it’s notjust a collection of songs or evenjust a concept album. It’s a multimedia black hole: sucking in references to art, literature, film, geography, culture, fashion and history. It’s no surprise to learn that for many, Ziggy Stardust was the gateway to a wide range of high-art ideas and a fashionable, instantly cooler world populated by the likes of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Andy Warhol and Stanley Kubrick.