📰 Goodbye Ziggy‑Article : Jan. 1973

New Musical Express

Date: January 27, 1973

Length: 6 min read

A rare, in‑depth feature capturing David Bowie in the tense, electric moment between personas — shedding Ziggy Stardust while unveiling the sharper, fractured glamour of Aladdin Sane.

A farewell and a rebirth.

The piece documents Bowie in transition, revealing both the exhaustion of the Ziggy era and the restless creative energy pushing him toward a new, more dangerous identity.

📰 Key Highlights

• Exclusive two‑day interview with David Bowie

• Bowie discusses retiring Ziggy and introducing Aladdin Sane

• Behind‑the‑scenes access at London Weekend Television

• Early insights into the themes and sound of the new album

• Charles Shaar Murray provides rare observational detail

📰 Overview

This *New Musical Express* feature from January 27, 1973 captures Bowie at a pivotal crossroads. Ziggy Stardust had become a cultural phenomenon — adored, imitated, and increasingly overwhelming. Bowie, ever the shapeshifter, was already preparing his next metamorphosis: the sleeker, more fractured persona of Aladdin Sane.

The article offers a rare window into Bowie’s creative process during this volatile period. Conducted over two days at London Weekend Television’s South Bank Studios, the interview blends performance‑day chaos with candid reflection, revealing an artist both exhilarated and burdened by his own invention.

📰 Source Details

Publication / Venue: New Musical Express

Date: January 27, 1973

Format: Feature / Interview

Provenance Notes: Based on the original NME page featuring Charles Shaar Murray’s interview and preview of *Aladdin Sane*.

📰 The Story

The feature opens with Bowie arriving at the South Bank Studios, dressed in shimmering fabrics and radiating the theatrical confidence that defined the Ziggy era. Yet beneath the surface, Murray detects a shift — a sense that Bowie is already stepping away from the character that made him a star.

Bowie speaks openly about the need to move on, describing Ziggy as both a triumph and a trap. The article frames Aladdin Sane as a darker, more fragmented evolution: a persona shaped by touring, fame, and the tension between Britain and America. Murray’s writing captures Bowie’s mercurial energy, his humour, and his instinctive ability to reinvent himself before the world can catch up.

The preview of the new album hints at its themes — dislocation, glamour, violence, and the surreal edge of life on the road. Bowie appears both exhausted and electrified, a man shedding one skin while already wearing the next.

📰 Visual Archive

• Large black‑and‑white portrait of Bowie seated, gesturing mid‑conversation

• Headline: “THE DAVID BOWIE INTERVIEW”

• Sub‑headline: “Goodbye Ziggy And a big hello to Aladdin Sane”

• Byline: Charles Shaar Murray

• Early‑70s NME layout with dense column text and studio dateline

David Bowie in early 1973 — between worlds, between selves, and on the brink of another transformation.

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

📰 Closing Notes

This feature stands as one of the most important early documents of Bowie’s evolution, capturing the precise moment when Ziggy Stardust began to fade and Aladdin Sane emerged. It remains a testament to Bowie’s relentless reinvention and the cultural shockwaves he generated with every new persona.

#DavidBowie #ZiggyStardust #AladdinSane #NME #1973 #CharlesShaarMurray #GlamRock

📝 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.Bowie's South Bank Cosmic Circus Arrival

New Musical Express’s one-page article captured David Bowie and his entourage — described as the “David Bowie Travelling Cosmic Circus” — arriving at London Weekend Television’s South Bank studios for a performance or recording session. The vivid opening scene detailed the cab pulling up, the “fluffy scarlet head of hair” (Bowie’s iconic red Ziggy cut) lighting up the grey South Bank, and the “fluorescent crocodile of exotic humanity” (Bowie’s flamboyant band and crew) ducking into a side entrance. Inside Studio 3, the article noted the organ and electric piano setup, the excited floor managers, camera operators, directors, and a “token audience” waiting in display racks. After a “decent interval,” Georgie Fame appeared at the organ and Alan Price at the piano — hinting at a collaborative or variety-style TV appearance during the Ziggy Stardust peak.

Published in the UK on January 27, 1973.

Legacy

This article is a vivid early 1973 snapshot of Ziggy Stardust mania — Bowie’s flamboyant arrival at a TV studio during the height of his breakthrough fame.