DAVID BOWIE: 50 years ago: “Aladdin Sane” (Part 2)

“I didn’t want to be trapped in this Ziggy character my whole life.”

It’s been 50 years since David Bowie released “Aladdin Sane”. In the first part , we talked about the fly in the ointment (or milk?) and shed light on the circumstances in which the album was created.

The album cover
A portrait of an androgynous naked torso, heavily made up in shades of pink and purple. His gaze is lowered and closed, his right eye marked by a red-blue-black flash, a drop of water hangs in the left hollow of his collarbone. – To this day, the album cover of “Aladdin Sane” is one of the most iconic of all. It was shot by Brian Duffy, who had already taken the pictures for “Ziggy Stardust” (1972). French make-up artist Pierre La Roche(Madonna, “Rocky Horror Picture Show”) was responsible for the make-up. The illustrator Philip Castle, who had designed the poster for “A Clockwork Orange”, was brought in for the post-production.

Ziggy Stardust 2.0?
Lyrically, David reflected on his fame indexed by “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”, but also on the disadvantages of touring life, urban decay, drug abuse, sex, violence and death. With the title character Aladdin Sane, which alludes to “A Lad Insane”, he created a kind of Ziggy Stardust in America. David Bowie told Rolling Stone”There was a point in 73 when I knew it was over. I didn’t want to be trapped in this Ziggy character all my life. And I guess with Aladdin Sane I was trying to move into the next area – but with a rather pale imitation of Ziggy. In my mind it was ‘Ziggy Goes to Washington’: Ziggy Under the Influence of America.”

Maria Vain

In the third and final part, we take a closer look at the individual pieces and their places of origin.

For the last time: the “Dark Mystery” calendar 2024

You can listen to the album here: