I had to phone someone so I picked on you-oo-oo...
I know everyone here is talking about radio (and rightly so), but for me, my musical memories of 1972 will always be dominated by this image. Picture the scene, a Thursday night, 7:30pm or so, a small suburban living room containing 3 teenagers and an 11 yo (all boys) squashed onto a sofa, with the only armchair occupied by a mildly-sozzled patriarch, grumpily allowing his offspring to watch the TV show of their wishes (if you're thinking Royle Family or Archie Bunker here (Essex-style, of course), you won't be far off). It's July 6, 1972, and I'm two months into my 18th trip around the sun. The TV show? Top of the Pops. Your host? Tony Blackburn.
Now, over the years, I've warmed to Tony Blackburn. His sheer longevity on British radio has earned him legendary status, and it was only after he left/was booted from Radio 1 (the BBC's 'pop' channel) that he was able to get the opportunity to showcase his love of Motown/Stax/Atlantic. At the time, though, he was the Radio 1 'suit' with the annoying grin and cheesy patter, that made you want to throw things at him. It didn't help that he looked like Donny Osmond's big brother either. We've had our tea, and Mum is in the kitchen washing up.
To give you an idea of just.how.dull. the music charts were in July 1972, Donny & Marie, "with 'Puppy Love'!!", were into their 2nd week at #1 (they would stay there for 6 whole weeks!!!). TOTP only ever featured acts going up the charts and always finished with the number 1. So, even though this is 'our' show, we know it's not going to end well: all in all, we're fed, fed-up & fractious, squashed, and Pop's about to nod off and start snoring.
The market for 45s was of course dominated by teenage girls (who, as we boys knew, knew
nothing about music!), so we've already been 'treated' to the New Seekers, Sweet & The Partridge Family ("new entry at #30!!"), when a blue-varnished acoustic guitar swims into view, and the camera pans up to this other-worldy figure.
Cue eruption from the airchair: "
He's wearing makeup!!!" "They all wear makeup on TV, Dad" "Kit, Kit! Come quick, look! He's wearing makeup!!!" The world had tilted slightly on its axis.
"I had to phone someone so I picked on you-oo-oo":
The way Bowie pointed that finger, smilingly draped an arm around Mick Ronson, and looked beyond the camera to engage the audience sitting at home, stickily hemmed in by disapproving members of their immediate family, seemed of a piece with the new Ziggy Stardust persona we’d been reading about. It felt like an arrival long delayed.
David Hepworth 15-Jan-2016
Guardian.com: How performing Starman on Top of the Pops sent Bowie into the stratosphere
Astonishingly, the single had been released way back in April (28th, actually, two days before my birthday, though DB was not of course to know that), but it didn't make its appearance in the Top 50 until June (18th, at #49), which probably accounts for the misattributed date at the start of this video. By July 6th, it had made #29 (one place higher than The Partridge Family!!). #10 was as high as it charted, 3 weeks later (and 4 weeks out of that it had left the charts altogether), but it didn't matter: 'Starman' had made a star out of David Bowie.
.
David Bowie - our Brixton boy: January 8, 1947 - January 10, 2016 RIP