📰 Bowie’s Lookalike Contest‑Article : Aug. 1976

A cheeky, snapshot‑style Rolling Stone moment capturing the surreal heights of mid‑’70s Bowie fandom — a full David Bowie lookalike contest in Chicago, complete with costumes, poses, and a prize fit for a glam‑era champion.

Date: August 26, 1976

Length: 3 min read

A playful cultural blip that shows just how deeply Bowie’s image had seeped into the public imagination during *The Man Who Fell to Earth* era.

A mirror‑maze of Bowies, all vying for the spotlight.

📰 Key Highlights

• One‑page Rolling Stone “Random Notes” item

• Coverage of a Chicago Bowie lookalike contest

• Three finalists named, with “Basha” crowned the winner

• Prize included a limousine ride and dinner

• All contestants received free entry to *The Man Who Fell to Earth* screening

📰 Overview

This *Rolling Stone* feature from August 1976 is a perfect time capsule of Bowie’s cultural saturation. The magazine treats the lookalike contest with affectionate humour, noting the sheer number of entrants — nearly 150 — all eager to embody Bowie’s shifting personas.

The tone is light, amused, and slightly bemused, reflecting the magazine’s fascination with Bowie’s ability to inspire imitation as easily as innovation.

📰 The Story

The article presents the three finalists — “Basha,” Cindy Janauskas, and Greg Lankton — with “Basha” taking the crown and enjoying a limousine‑and‑dinner prize package. The rest of the contestants, along with one latecomer who missed the competition entirely, were treated to a free screening of *The Man Who Fell to Earth*.

Rolling Stone frames the whole event as both absurd and endearing: a testament to Bowie’s magnetic pull and the theatrical devotion of his fans.

📰 Visual Archive

• Four black‑and‑white photos of contestants in full Bowie mode

• Rolling Stone’s “Random Notes” layout with oversized decorative “R”

• Caption identifying the finalists and the latecomer

Bowie in 1976 — so iconic that entire rooms of people tried to become him.

📰 Check out the tags at the bottom of the post.

📰 Closing Notes

This Rolling Stone item stands as a charming reminder of Bowie’s mid‑’70s cultural dominance — a moment when his image was not just admired but actively inhabited by fans across America.

#DavidBowie #RollingStone #1976 #LookalikeContest #ManWhoFellToEarth

📝 Copyright Notice

All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.