Iggy pop david bowie gay

When David Bowie died on Sunday, he left behind legions of fans who will remember him as the godfather of glam rock and the patron saint of defiant outcasts. And it became quickly apparent online that to one diverse group that came of age during his ascendance, Mr. Bowie, 69, was not just a pop idol but a lifeline. In the days since his death, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender fans have shared how the rocker influenced their lives and helped bring queer culture into the mainstream in the s and s.

James Newell Osterberg Jr. Designated the "Godfather of Punk" , [1] [2] he was the vocalist and lyricist of influential proto-punk band The Stooges , who were formed in and have disbanded and reunited multiple times since. Initially playing a raw, primitive style of rock and roll , the Stooges sold few records in their original incarnation and gained a reputation for their confrontational performances, which often involved acts of self-mutilation by Pop. With both musicians having relocated to West Berlin to wean themselves off their respective drug addictions, Pop began his solo career by collaborating with Bowie on the albums The Idiot and Lust for Life with Pop usually contributing the lyrics. Throughout his career, he is well known for his outrageous and unpredictable stage antics, poetic lyrics and distinctive voice. Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the course of his career, including garage rock , punk rock , hard rock , heavy metal , art rock , new wave , jazz , blues , and electronic.

Follow Billboard. All rights reserved. When he uttered these now-immortal words in the Jan. He wasn't the first U.

David Bowie's alien alter-ego, Ziggy Stardust, crashed landed amongst the ruins of the hippie dream in , and at that moment pop culture was refashioned in his image. An inexplicable image -- androgynous, glamorous, erotic, terrifying and articulate -- Bowie became the avatar for queer sexuality as something rebellious, desirable, and powerful. Five albums into what was to become a stratospheric career, Bowie was already a modest success when he mutated from the hazy, homely folk of Hunky Dory to the bombastic elegance of Ziggy. Regardless of the truth about how "gay" he was, for someone on the threshold of such success to risk it all with such an admission immediately made queer seem bold, brave and rebellious. Bowie -- in his heels and feathers, eyebrows shaved, lip-sticked and glittered, sticking his nail polished finger seductively down the lens of TV cameras, and hanging off the shoulders of his guitarist Mick Ronson -- redesigned the dominant model of the queer.