David bowie alter ego
Other noms de guerre include Charlie Parker performing as Charlie Chan, Trumpeter Fats Navarro as Slim Romero, Eric Dolphy as George Lane, Antonio Carlos Jobim as Tony Brazil, and scads of others. The hilarious alias would inspire another alter ego project, Branford Marsalis’ hip-hop jazz group Buckshot LeFonque. While alto saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley was signed to Mercury Records he appeared on a Blue Note recording under the name Buckshot La Funke. Many players would take on a different name to record with other artists, though, unlike most alter egos, they didn’t change their sound. Julian “Cannonball” Adderley: Buckshot La Funkeīefore Prince changed his name to the unpronounceable “Love Symbol” in a battle with Warner Bros, many jazz artists were recording under pseudonyms to get around contractual obligations. Johansen eventually tired of the character and went back to making music under his own name and with the reunited New York Dolls in 2004.Ħ. This career reinvention was remarkably successful thanks in part to his cover of “Hot Hot Hot,” and the four other records that followed. After the Dolls broke up, David Johansen abandoned the makeup and fishnets to don a tuxedo, pomped up his hair, and became campy lounge singer named Buster Poindexter. Many of these “talking blues” songs included thoughtful narrations or “recitations.” Out of Williams’ more than 150 songs, only 14 were released under the pseudonym of Luke The Drifter and none of them charted during his lifetime.Īs a kind of reverse transformation, the man who’s partially responsible for creating the look of heavy metal and the sound of punk rock went from being the cross-dressing frontman of the New York Dollsto a latter-day Catskills lounge singer. Having become a bona fide star, the public expected all of Williams’ releases to have a uniform “Hank Williams sound.” As a result, Williams created the persona Luke The Drifter, with which he could sing about more serious subjects the likes of societal wrongs, without fearing backlash. While many artists use alter egos as a vehicle for outlandish behavior, country legend Hank Williams created the moralistic alter ego Luke The Drifter to espouse good deeds and dole out sage wisdom. The Duke eventually landed Bowie in hot water for his more controversial statements, which he attributed to the character. Soon after, Bowie debuted his third persona, The Thin White Duke, a mad aristocrat whose look closely resembled Bowie’s humanoid alien character Thomas Jerome Newton in The Man Who Fell To Earth. Not wanting to be stuck as Ziggy forever, Bowie killed off the character to become Aladdin Sane, a harder, nastier persona inspired by the dark decadence of America. David Bowie: Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane/Thin White DukeĪnother artist who turned to the stars for inspiration was David Bowie for his bisexual alien glam rock star persona, Ziggy Stardust, immortalized on his 1972 concept album, The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Wiggles, a rapping underwater DJ, Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk, Lollipop Man, and countless others.Ģ. His lifelong fascination with sci-fi manifested itself in his characters Starchild (inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey) and Doctor Funkenstein, who sprung from Clinton’s fascination with cloning. Both of his pioneering bands, Funkadelic and Parliament, were part of Clinton’s cosmology that included galactic-themed dancers, costumes, and a replica spaceship on stage during performances. George Clinton created more than just alter egos he created an entire universe with his P-Funk mythology that would pave the way for Afrofuturism.
George Clinton: Starchild/Dr Funkenstein/Mr Wiggles
DAVID BOWIE ALTER EGO PROFESSIONAL
Mattel’s website says the latest iteration of the doll “shoots for the stars in a professional look with themed accessory”.ADVERTISEMENT 1. Isabel Ferrer, Barbie’s European director of marketing, said the company had “a clear goal: to inspire girls to become the next generation of astronauts, engineers and space scientists”.Īccordingly, there is also the Astronaut Barbie launched amid the space race in 1965, it has remained part of the product line ever since. The company also announced a one-off Barbie doll honouring Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti – whose 199-day mission on the International Space Station in 2014 was then the longest by a woman – as part of its Dream Gap Project. Ziggy isn’t the only visitor to outer space commemorated by Mattel this week.
He evolved the character in 1973, ushering in the era of Aladdin Sane. “This collectible Barbie doll honours the cultural legacy of the musical genius who redefined rock and roll … Colours and decoration may vary.”īowie introduced the Ziggy Stardust character in 1971, and based the 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars around it, featuring the classic songs Five Years, Starman and Suffragette City.