Well before Lady Gaga hot the stage with her glam rock performances there were rock stars like David Bowie as "Ziggy Stardust" and Marc Bolan. I was born in Scotland where glam rock fashion was not an easy thin to pull off. of all the places in the world Scotland was not a great place to look like a glam rock star. The street gangs of northern England were not well known at the time but they were all about ready to pounce on anyone looking a bit different. I was a bit removed from this as my family were middle class and we lived outside the city center of Glasgow which was a bit less hostile. The level of un employment and drugs on the street made life in the inner cities of Scotland pretty hard for a kid into glam rock
Being a youngster in the 70s i was made aware of glam rock stars like Marc Bolan, David Bowie, The Sweet and loads of other glam rock bands that were popular at the time. There were many divisions in the music scene including prog rock, hard rock, skinhead ska and general pop music of the day. Glam rock was divided between groups like The sweet, T Rex and the more serious David Bowie, Cockney Rebel type of glam rock bands. After seeing and hearing the first Roxy music record i decided I wanted to look like a glam rock star myself and proceeded to carry on my mission as a glam rock kid in Northern England.
The early experiences as a glam rock guy in London started by asking my mother for money to get some platform boots. it took a little while to perfect my own glam rock look as many of the top clothes were from Biba a famous shop in London that sold glam rock fashions for very expensive prices. Soon the clothes became available at the average shop and the prices really dropped, there was such a demand from the kids to look like a glam rock star that the fashion even got into the mainstream shops were the everyday shopper would now see it as somewhat normal attire. Looking at old footage of 70s films you can see the platform shoes and the spikey haircuts that were influencing designers of the high street fashions that normal people would shop.
The first act of personal attack upon me did not take place very long afterward. I walked the distance from a bus stop on the way home from a glam rock gig by a new band in town. I was being screamed at by about 20 kids from across the street, soon they came charging after me wanting blood. I was trapped and tried to reason saying it was just a fashion thing and all the girls dug it. Unfortunately this made them even more angry as I suppose they were not so popular with the opposite sex as at the time glam rock guys were getting all the dates and best looking women.
Feeling defeated the next day and nursing a swollen eye, bruises and my lost clothes I was at a loss wondering why someone would go out of their way to harm me just for being a bit different. In reality I was mimicking the glam rock stars on television never knowing that their lives were a parody of the glam rock fantasy. Now looking at footage of say the New York Dolls I see that even them all being around age twenty they were already looking burned out from constant touring, no sleep and all the drugs that keep you going when you cannot go on. That morning my clothes getting ruined were my biggest concern, now I realize the bigger picture the intolerance to me just being dressed up in a glam fashion was the iceberg of intolerance people face everyday for being different. One in a blue moon I get the urge to claim my individuality and wear at least something to stand out a being glam rock.
Being a youngster in the 70s i was made aware of glam rock stars like Marc Bolan, David Bowie, The Sweet and loads of other glam rock bands that were popular at the time. There were many divisions in the music scene including prog rock, hard rock, skinhead ska and general pop music of the day. Glam rock was divided between groups like The sweet, T Rex and the more serious David Bowie, Cockney Rebel type of glam rock bands. After seeing and hearing the first Roxy music record i decided I wanted to look like a glam rock star myself and proceeded to carry on my mission as a glam rock kid in Northern England.
The early experiences as a glam rock guy in London started by asking my mother for money to get some platform boots. it took a little while to perfect my own glam rock look as many of the top clothes were from Biba a famous shop in London that sold glam rock fashions for very expensive prices. Soon the clothes became available at the average shop and the prices really dropped, there was such a demand from the kids to look like a glam rock star that the fashion even got into the mainstream shops were the everyday shopper would now see it as somewhat normal attire. Looking at old footage of 70s films you can see the platform shoes and the spikey haircuts that were influencing designers of the high street fashions that normal people would shop.
The first act of personal attack upon me did not take place very long afterward. I walked the distance from a bus stop on the way home from a glam rock gig by a new band in town. I was being screamed at by about 20 kids from across the street, soon they came charging after me wanting blood. I was trapped and tried to reason saying it was just a fashion thing and all the girls dug it. Unfortunately this made them even more angry as I suppose they were not so popular with the opposite sex as at the time glam rock guys were getting all the dates and best looking women.
Feeling defeated the next day and nursing a swollen eye, bruises and my lost clothes I was at a loss wondering why someone would go out of their way to harm me just for being a bit different. In reality I was mimicking the glam rock stars on television never knowing that their lives were a parody of the glam rock fantasy. Now looking at footage of say the New York Dolls I see that even them all being around age twenty they were already looking burned out from constant touring, no sleep and all the drugs that keep you going when you cannot go on. That morning my clothes getting ruined were my biggest concern, now I realize the bigger picture the intolerance to me just being dressed up in a glam fashion was the iceberg of intolerance people face everyday for being different. One in a blue moon I get the urge to claim my individuality and wear at least something to stand out a being glam rock.
About the Author:
Glam rock music fashions styles new music sites Glam rock fashions styles shiny clothes visit us.
No comments:
Post a Comment