A very special edition of MOJO out now, to mark Ziggy Stardust turning 50 years of age. His conception date is a little hazy, as is the way of these things. But Ziggy was delivered in physical form to British record stores on June 16th, 1972, precipitating a short life and epic afterlife that has resonated more than those of most real superstars over the last five decades.
Our David Bowie -friendly guestlist is illustrious, featuring as it does two Spiders, a rock’n’roll-ready producer, an accommodating roadie, key eyewitnesses from Detroit’s Masonic Temple and Aylesbury’s Friars Club, an ultra-ambitious manager and, more ambitious still, Ziggy’s elusive “interpreter, negotiator and head mistress”, Angie Bowie. “If you don’t want to conquer the world, don’t waste my time,” she remembers.
Elsewhere in this new MOJO, we uncover a startling exclusive: The Velvet Underground’s unheard folk era! There’s a deep dive into Stevie Wonder’s revolutionary 1972. A provocative chat with Robert Fripp. New interviews with Roxy Music, Drive-By Truckers, Darlene Love, Joan Shelley, Built To Spill and the reluctant stars of C86. Plus The Clash, Angel Olsen, Hüsker Dü, Clare Grogan, Harvey Mandel, Wilco, Sun’s Signature, The Rolling Stones, Chris Blackwell, our How To Buy guide to Soul Jazz Records, and the highs and lows of celebrity weed.
Oh, and the issue comes with a CD of 15 connoisseur Glam Nuggets, including Bowie chums Mick Ronson and Dana Gillespie, Sparks, New York Dolls, Suzi Quatro, and many more underground subversives from the glitter-encrusted end of the ‘70s. In the words of the hitherto unheralded Rock Rebellion, “Let’s Go!”
The Fat Angel Sings 