Pretty Thing

by Stephen Burrows

An intriguing mystery beginning in the early 1970’s. A story of sexual awakening, betrayal and cultural conflict, entwined with the true story of David Bowie’s rise to stardom. It is Christmas 1972. Alice meets Danny, a shy and beautiful boy at the youth club disco. They fall in love with all the intensity of ‘first love’. Then Danny sees an orange-haired, sexually ambiguous Bowie perform ‘Starman’ on ‘Top Of The Pops’ and becomes obsessed with ‘Ziggy Stardust’. But is it just the music, or the sexual challenge that Bowie presents, that attracts? Danny embarks on a personal journey to find his true self that leads him into ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, the orbit of a rising star, and a darker life. Meanwhile, David Jones, as ‘Ziggy Stardust’, is progressing along the path to stardom. When he bursts upon the public, it shatters convention, blasting the grey early 70’s world away in a riot of glitter, ‘glam’ and trashed sexual boundaries. Nothing will ever be the same again. For him, Danny or Alice......Part love story, part thriller, including the true story of David Bowie’s rise to stardom as ‘Ziggy Stardust’; this book is historically accurate. Recreating some of Bowie’s live appearances as ‘Ziggy Stardust’ from a fan’s perspective, it is filled with 70’s nostalgia, and fascinating details of the ‘Ziggy’ story. The author, Steve Burrows, has been a fan of David Bowie since seeing ‘Starman’ on ‘Top Of The Pop’ in 1972. He always wanted to write about Bowie, and found a way of combining accurate research with a great story. The book should appeal to lovers of a good read, and Bowie fans and others who want to ‘feel’ what it was like in the early Seventies when ‘Ziggy Stardust’ burst upon the consciousness of Britain and the world.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2020

Reviews

[mike ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story. I love the local factors around Birmingham, and the Bowie thread was very informative. Very easy to read and get into.

[Stargazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good tale well told, had to read it all in one go