When Ziggy Played Guitar: David Bowie and Four Minutes that Shook the World

GQ Editor Dylan Jones’ classic account of David Bowie’s legendary appearance as Ziggy Stardust on Top of the Pops in 1972.

___________________ 6 JULY, 1972

David Bowie appears on Top of the Pops for a third time.

His quiff is big, bold, and the colour of fire. His make-up is lavish. His jumpsuit is a wild burst of colourful patterns, like a fluorescent fish skin. He carries a brand-new blue acoustic guitar. There’s excitement, mixed with incredulity. And then he begins to play.

It’s a moment that will change the world of music forever.

This is Ziggy Stardust, what would become Bowie’s most famous persona. It’s an instant seismic shift in the zeitgeist. This one performance embeds Ziggy Stardust into the nation’s consciousness, and music will never be the same again.

In When Ziggy Played Guitar, Dylan Jones looks back at one of the most influential moments in pop history,the birth of an icon, and the myriad unexpected ways that David Bowie reshaped pop culture.