As Far Out Magazine details, in the early ’70s, David Bowie was alien rockstar Ziggy Stardust, as featured on 1972’s “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.” Then he was a more hard-edged version of the same character as Aladdin Sane, on 1973’s album of the same name. On 1974’s “Diamond Dogs,” he debuted Halloween Jack, another riff on Stardust but updated to match the dystopian themes of the album. By 1976’s “Station to Station,” he’d fully realized his Thin White Duke character, a more sinister character referenced in the title track. Then there was the Blind Prophet, crafted years later and featured in the songs immediately preceding Bowie’s 2016 death.
It might seem like this fickle stylistic chameleon simply couldn’t decide what he wanted to be. But while each character was certainly a manifestation of where he was at the time, he made sure to leave his mark before he retired them. Billboard calls Bowie “the most influential rock star,” due to his far-reaching influence across musical genres.
As proof, Billboard cites the “Space Oddity,” “Ashes to Ashes” and “Rebel Rebel” rocker’s asteroid-sized impact on everything from glam to grunge to indie to electronic music to nearly all forms of pop, and anyone else, across genres, who’s dreamt a little bigger when it comes to live performances, showmanship, and exploring the distant edges of their own creative capabilities.
