Who was Ziggy Stardust based on?
Vince Taylor Bowie says that he based the character of Ziggy Stardust on the eccentric rocker “Vince Taylor” (real name Brian Holden and also known as the “French Presley”) who moved to France and worked as an Elvis impersonator. Born in 1939 in Middlesex, Taylor’s family migrated to the US when he was seven years old. By the mid-1950s, his family had moved to California, where Taylor’s sister married Joe Barbera, of the famous Hanna-Barbera cartoon partnership. It was in Los Angeles that Taylor – clearly influenced by Elvis Presley – began to hone his act in various LA nightclubs. In 1957 Taylor returned to London as a leather rocker and made such an impact that within a few months he was signed by EMI. At gigs, he would show all the signs of typical rock’n’roll magnetism, the screams from the women in the audience drowning out his weak voice, his only superficial flaw. Trips to Europe proved somewhat more chaotic, as his performances – with Taylor dressed in black leathers, wearing m
Vince Taylor Bowie says that he based the character of Ziggy Stardust on the eccentric rocker “Vince Taylor” (real name Brian Holden and also known as the “French Presley”) who moved to France and worked as an Elvis impersonator. Born in 1939 in Middlesex, Taylor’s family migrated to the US when he was seven years old. By the mid-1950s, his family had moved to California, where Taylor’s sister married Joe Barbera, of the famous Hanna-Barbera cartoon partnership. It was in Los Angeles that Taylor – clearly influenced by Elvis Presley – began to hone his act in various LA nightclubs. In 1957 Taylor returned to London as a leather rocker and made such an impact that within a few months he was signed by EMI. At gigs, he would show all the signs of typical rock’n’roll magnetism, the screams from the women in the audience drowning out his weak voice, his only superficial flaw. Trips to Europe proved somewhat more chaotic, as his performances – with Taylor dressed in black leathers, wearing m
