* fun fact > WHO IS ZIGGY STARDUST?

The name Ziggy Stardust comes from two places, Ziggy’s – a tailor’s shop in London and a country singer, Norman Carl Odam, aka, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy. But who is the character of Ziggy Stardust based on? Many have speculated that it was Jimi Hendrix based on the lines in the song, “He played it left hand.” and “jiving us that we were voodoo.” However, Bowie says that the inspiration was Vince Taylor.
Who is Vince Taylor?

Taylor was the front man for the band “The Playboys” and was successful primarily in France and the England during the late 1950s and early 1960’s. Vince suffered from drug and alcohol abuse and his erratic behavior made it difficult for him to continue with the Playboys or have a solo career. ... See More

The title “Leper Messiah” comes from an incidence in 1965 when Vince opened for the Rolling Stones in Paris, and then returned to London where at a party with Bob Dylan he tried LSD for the first time. When he returned to Paris he was filthy, unshaven and out of his head. Going on stage wearing only a sheet and clutching a bottle of wine he insisted that his name was Mateus, the Son of God. He persuaded his audience to follow him and together they paraded across Paris, preaching all the way.

After that, things went downhill for Vince, for a while he was hiding in Switzerland and he attempted many comebacks during the years, none successful. In the early 80’s Vince became increasingly paranoid, telling people that the Duke of Windsor was out to kill him. After a spell in a mental hospital he finally moved to Switzerland where he worked as an airplane mechanic. He said it was the happiest time of his life. Vince died in 1991 from lung cancer.