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[phasmaarcana]

Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie

I never got around to writing this post.... life happened.  There is so much to write about Ziggy. In the fic I wrote I unashamedly squeezed a couple of years into a much shorter time period, I also hinted at friendship between real musicians of the time that probably never existed. But, hey! It’s a fantasy and play with glam rock ambiance just to satisfy myself. I sort of hinted at Crowley being the inspiration for Ziggy, so, my advice is that you read the wiki-page; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggy_Stardust_(character) And the lyrics of the song is also hinted at....: Ziggy played guitar Jamming good with Weird and Gilly And the Spiders from Mars He played it left hand But made it too far Became the special man Then we were Ziggy's band

Ziggy really sang Screwed-up eyes and screwed-down hairdo Like some cat from Japan He could lick 'em by smiling He could leave 'em to hang They came on so loaded, man Well-hung and snow-white tan

So where were the spiders While the fly tried to break our bones? With just the beer light to guide us So we bitched about his fans And should we crush his sweet hands? Oh

Mm-hmm

Ziggy played for time Jiving us that we were voodoo The kids were just crass He was the nazz With God-given ass He took it all too far But, boy, could he play guitar

Making love with his ego Ziggy sucked up into his mind, ah Like a leper messiah When the kids had killed the man I had to break up the band

Oh, yeah

Ooh

Ziggy played guitar

Album cover.... shot in Heddon Street, London

Back side of the album.... the phone box in Heddon Street. I doubt it is still there but I actually have a photo of me just outside it. 

One of the bands I really liked back in the late 70s had an office just  beside it and fans used to hang out there. People had the phone number to the phone box and used to phone just to see who was hanging out there and chat for a while... 

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair... cont.

Queen.... I first heard them back in 1974 and I’ve loved them since even if my glam rock soul found by “Another one bites the dust” slightly too much disco. But the rest.... Question is if they ever were a glam rock band, they always had their very own style. Unpredictable, yet always recognisable.  Freddie is part of the fic, and I’ve  happily borrowed one of their songs - You Take My Breath Away. Which is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)

You Take My Breath Away: https://youtu.be/v_wLNqUz7pM

You Take My Breath Away Live 1976: https://youtu.be/-GymG5y0Yt8

Seven Seas of Rhye: https://youtu.be/u7e4Tr9IH5U

Keep Yourself Alive: https://youtu.be/JofwEB9g1zg

The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke: https://youtu.be/IGNILpVcgz4

Ogre Battle: https://youtu.be/7p-5CgWP7Iw

This shot must have been taken when they did the photoshoot for Queen II... I’ve stolen it from reddit...

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair...cont.

Someone you simply can not pass by when it comes to glam rock is Marc Bolan (and T.Rex of course) ... and he IS part of the story. He was an icon who tragically passed away far too early.

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Bolan

Metal Guru: https://youtu.be/tUqAGoPtfto

Hot Love: https://youtu.be/fGx7nrjn0ic

20th Century Boy: https://youtu.be/rpMa6JADDJM

picture from: https://onceuponatimeinthe70s.com/tag/marc-bolan/

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair... cont.

Very glam.... but from Sweden.... Not part of the fic, but they are very good representatives of the genre! And from what I’ve heard there is a story behind that blue face... it was supposed to be white... but.... ah well...!

The Ballot Band: https://youtu.be/eW39N__k7xg

The have a Facebook group!: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1110873502417316

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair...cont.

Though not really glam or glitter rock, and therefore not part of the story, Sparks was one of the bands I loved. Labeled the “best British band ever to come out of America” (Yup, I think those were the exact words) they may be something of an acquired taste. But, wooow, they were awesome, and very much part of my glam 70s.

wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparks_(band)

This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us: https://youtu.be/eUJ_ifjKopM

BC: https://youtu.be/NHBJYjseaSw

Happy Hunting Ground: https://youtu.be/jhf6MFsr0tY

[phasmaarcana]

You waited. And now you see Michael Sheen and David Tennant, being perfectly effable. (On our Soho set. The bookshop is on the left. Could that be a pub on the right?)

[phasmaarcana]

You waited. And here we see Crowley and Aziraphale, inside the bookshop talking to... well, that would be telling. Welcome to Season 2. This time it's ineffable.

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair... cont.

A musician once said that if he was to choose one song that encapsules the glam rock era it would be “All the Young Dudes”, written by David Bowie, made known by Mott the Hoople. 

Billy rapped all night 'bout his suicide How he'd kick it in the head when he was 25 Don't wanna stay alive when you're 25 Wendy's stealing clothes from unlocked cars Freddy's got spots from ripping off stars from his face Funky little boat race The television man is crazy Saying we're juvenile delinquent wrecks Man I need a TV when I've got T. Rex Hey brother you guessed I'm a dude All the young dudes Carry the news Boogaloo dudes Carry the news All the young dudes Carry the news Boogaloo dudes Carry the news Now Jimmy looking sweet though he dresses like a queen He can kick like a mule It's a real mean team We can love Oh we can love And my brother's back at home With his Beatles and his Stones We never got if off on that revolution stuff What a drag Too many snags Well I drunk a lot of wine And I'm feeling fine Gonna race some cat to bed Is this concrete all around Or is it in my head Oh brother you guessed I'm a dude All the young dudes Carry the news Boogaloo dudes Carry the news All the young dudes Carry the news Boogaloo dudes Carry the news

Well.... erm... almost 50 years later the lines “Don't wanna stay alive when you're 25″ actually feels encouraging. 50+ is actually kind of nice. And contrary to what young fic writers believe. You don’t automatically get hip, knee or other joint problems the day you become 40! 

Anyway... the first song I heard by Mott was “Roll Away the Stone” and listening to it today still makes me happy. Besides, I thought Ian Hunter looked awfully cool in his sunglasses... though not as cool as Crowley.

Wiki - Mott the Hoople: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mott_the_Hoople

Wiki - All the Young Dudes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Young_Dudes

All the Young Dudes: https://youtu.be/9IqiRY60ZDE

Roll Away the Stone: https://youtu.be/yKmvTcSzcE8

Saturday Gigs: https://youtu.be/JNTxtVhGlz4

picture from: https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Mott_The_Hoople

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair... cont.

 One other group I never did manage to see on stage was Slade... I’m still kind of weak for Noddy’s voice but I never did warm to his sideburns!  Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade

A few of their awsome songs:

Skweeze Me Pleeze Me: https://youtu.be/-mKjx2oL_fI

Far Far Away: https://youtu.be/iQ5itYUNu70

In for a Penny: https://youtu.be/UsSyt8nbOrM (don’t forget to ogle Dave Hill’s platform boots.... and listen to the lyrics!

Standing on the Corner: https://youtu.be/YqFaySGzMAY and a short live version; https://youtu.be/Qlb9eCNYAEM

Picture from: https://jaynachman.com/getting-closer-to-being-slayed-by-slade/

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair

and should anyone be interested here is the link to the fic:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34735222/chapters/86485945

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair... cont...

So what about the music?

I’ll start out by presenting the music I listened to - first out... My idols as a 10-year old. Sweet. For a while I though they were the best thing since somebody invented music... l still sort of like them, even if my taste did develop and change.

Wiki-link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sweet

** Teenage Rampage: https://youtu.be/FE0In6Tt7nI

** Hell Raiser: https://youtu.be/7yYifj6IsUQ

** Ballroom Blitz: https://youtu.be/7lTwA5xMeTM

** The Six Teens: https://youtu.be/J9MZ3ooM6wQ

** Fox on the Run: https://youtu.be/kRv7EjjwYBI

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair...cont.

... to continue with setting the mood... the makeup. A quick google search mainly turned up a modern take on the makeup, but what the h***! They capture the feeling, the mood, the spirit of the “real” glam rock... all apart from the one showing a shot of... GASP... a beard. I think the only one sporting facial hair together with makeup was Roy Wood/Wizzard. I’ll post screenshots together with links to the searches hoping to avoid copyright issues....

(in case you missed my previous post - this is to show some of the feeling and mood of 70s glam rock, a setting used in a Good Omens fanfiction)

Google search 1

Google search 2

Google Search 3

Google search 4

[phasmaarcana]

A Godawful Small Affair

Yup... I finally did it.... I wrote something... A Good Omens fanfiction. It’s supposed to take place during a somewhat compressed time line in London during the 70s. Crowley accidentally becomes a Glam Rock icon.

So.... why the 70s? Why Glam Rock? And what is Glam Rock? People born later usually associate Glam with eminent rock bands such as Mötley Crüe... well... that’s not entirely true

Wiki tells us:  Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diverse sources across music and throwaway pop culture, ranging from bubblegum pop and 1950s rock and roll to cabaret, science fiction, and complex art rock. The flamboyant clothing and visual styles of performers were often camp or androgynous, and have been described as playing with other gender roles. Glitter rock was a more extreme version of glam.

I grew up with this music but I was far too young to really “be part of it”. I had to stay home and settle for listening to the radioprograms, read the magazines and papers like Disc and NME. 

Somebody once said that the music you listen to at a certain age tends to shape you and remain your favourite kind of music as you grow. That was certainly true for me. I will post a few links to some of the music I listened to and enjoyed during this period.

Some of the songs, linked in later posts, are mentioned in the fic, just like some of the artists. I have unashamedly squeezed a couple of years into a much shorter time frame and self indulgently let these artists be friends with one another and hang out together - some did know one another, but most of them probably only met once or twice. Sorry about that. 

But lets start with some pictures to set the mood.... starting off with the inevitable platform boots!