In early 1968 David Bowie enrolled in actor, teacher and choreographer Lindsay Kemp s dance class at the London Dance Centre. Bowie later claimed it was during this tenure that his interest in image really blossomed. Studying the dramatic arts under Kemp, Bowie became immersed in the creation of personae to present to the world. In July 69 he had his first hit single with Space Oddity , and his second, self-titled album was released in November. A year on came The Man Who Sold The World, and Hunky Dory followed in December 1971. Three months later, in February 1972, came the launch of the Ziggy Stardust Tour, at the Toby Jug in Tolworth, Surrey, and the rest, as they say, is history. But in less than three years of intense activity, Bowie had gone from being a glorified song-and-dance-man with a penchant for the tunes of early 60s comedy crooner Anthony Newley to becoming the most flamboyant, creative and dynamic rock star on the planet. This film uncovers the full story of these years and by tracing events from even further back, when David was still named Jones and a member of any number of UK Beat groups, to the release of the The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars in June 72, it reveals one of the most fascinating pre-fame periods in the history of contemporary music. With the use of rare and seldom-seen archive film, exclusive interviews, contributions from his closest confidantes and comment from the most knowledgeable writers and music historians, this film is the best document yet to emerge on the early years of David Bowie and is destined to become the standard work on the subject.
