In Northern England where I was born the idea of glam rock and dressing up in feminine fashions was not too well received in the 70s it is different now with glam rock performers such as Lady Gaga but back in the day before glam fashions were seen one the street it was tough.. The north of great Britain is home to many gangs and even back in the 1970s there were roving gangs of hoodlums where un employment and drug use festered a violent environment that would only get worse in 2010. For a kin into glam rock fashions male of female is was a risky business walking about in high heel shoes and glitter makeup. The truth is you needed to be braver than the gangs to stroll about like a glam rock star as you were just asking for a violent confrontation in the atmosphere of sexual suppression and ignorant attitudes at the time.
I was 11 years old when I first discovered glam rock stars like Marc Bolan and T Rex in the form of the single 'Jeepster' which I wore out twice on my parents' record-player. My class at school, in terms of pop sensibility was divided as follows: the boys were fans of either Slade or The Sweet, and the girls all adored Marc Bolan and glam rock. The latter was dismissed by the boys as 'a poof' even though Steve Priest, bass-player of The Sweet was clearly as glam rock & camp as anyone on the scene. But he got a pass for some reason. So I listened to my T Rex records in private, not letting on to any of my class-mates about my new obsession glam rock, fearing that I in turn would be instantly labeled as 'a poof'. My next major discovery was glam rock and Roxy Music's first album. The inside sleeve features glam fashion photos of the band looking like Science Fiction movie-stars, and it was this which first provoked the thought in me: 'I want to look like a glam rock star'.
My glam rock life began as I started to badger my mother for certain clothes: I wanted platform shoes, I wanted flares, shirts with wild, aeroplane collars and, above all, long hair. It took quite some time to get my "glam rock look' together but finally, at about the age of 14, I was able to look in the mirror with some degree of satisfaction.I rapidly realized that, in a place like Dundee, dressing in this glam rock fashion manner would be asking for abuse and it soon came along. It was mostly verbal combined with being jostled or shoulder-barged in the street. i was soon to learn the danger's of dressing like a glam rock star in the 70s.
It was after a school-dance, on my way home, that I received my proper baptism as a glam-rocker. Earlier on, I had stolen a few cans of McEwans Export beer from my parents which had been enough to get me moderately plastered, so I didn't exactly have my wits about me as I made my way to the bus-stop dressed in glam rock clothes. If I had, I would have spotted a group of black-and-red jerseys (The Shams) up ahead on my side of the street and would most probably have taken evasive action. But I didn't and suddenly found myself surrounded by black and red. I tried to make a run for it but my platforms proved to be a considerable handicap in terms of my ability to run. I was soon caught, kicked, punched, spat upon, and by the time they were finished with me, my clothes were torn and one platform shoe had been stolen, presumably as a memento.
Feeling defeated the next day and nursing a swollen eye, bruises and my lost clothes I was at a loss wondering why someone would go out of their way to harm me just for being a bit different. In reality I was mimicking the glam rock stars on television never knowing that their lives were a parody of the glam rock fantasy. Now looking at footage of say the New York Dolls I see that even them all being around age twenty they were already looking burned out from constant touring, no sleep and all the drugs that keep you going when you cannot go on. That morning my clothes getting ruined were my biggest concern, now I realize the bigger picture the intolerance to me just being dressed up in a glam fashion was the iceberg of intolerance people face everyday for being different. One in a blue moon I get the urge to claim my individuality and wear at least something to stand out a being glam rock.
I was 11 years old when I first discovered glam rock stars like Marc Bolan and T Rex in the form of the single 'Jeepster' which I wore out twice on my parents' record-player. My class at school, in terms of pop sensibility was divided as follows: the boys were fans of either Slade or The Sweet, and the girls all adored Marc Bolan and glam rock. The latter was dismissed by the boys as 'a poof' even though Steve Priest, bass-player of The Sweet was clearly as glam rock & camp as anyone on the scene. But he got a pass for some reason. So I listened to my T Rex records in private, not letting on to any of my class-mates about my new obsession glam rock, fearing that I in turn would be instantly labeled as 'a poof'. My next major discovery was glam rock and Roxy Music's first album. The inside sleeve features glam fashion photos of the band looking like Science Fiction movie-stars, and it was this which first provoked the thought in me: 'I want to look like a glam rock star'.
My glam rock life began as I started to badger my mother for certain clothes: I wanted platform shoes, I wanted flares, shirts with wild, aeroplane collars and, above all, long hair. It took quite some time to get my "glam rock look' together but finally, at about the age of 14, I was able to look in the mirror with some degree of satisfaction.I rapidly realized that, in a place like Dundee, dressing in this glam rock fashion manner would be asking for abuse and it soon came along. It was mostly verbal combined with being jostled or shoulder-barged in the street. i was soon to learn the danger's of dressing like a glam rock star in the 70s.
It was after a school-dance, on my way home, that I received my proper baptism as a glam-rocker. Earlier on, I had stolen a few cans of McEwans Export beer from my parents which had been enough to get me moderately plastered, so I didn't exactly have my wits about me as I made my way to the bus-stop dressed in glam rock clothes. If I had, I would have spotted a group of black-and-red jerseys (The Shams) up ahead on my side of the street and would most probably have taken evasive action. But I didn't and suddenly found myself surrounded by black and red. I tried to make a run for it but my platforms proved to be a considerable handicap in terms of my ability to run. I was soon caught, kicked, punched, spat upon, and by the time they were finished with me, my clothes were torn and one platform shoe had been stolen, presumably as a memento.
Feeling defeated the next day and nursing a swollen eye, bruises and my lost clothes I was at a loss wondering why someone would go out of their way to harm me just for being a bit different. In reality I was mimicking the glam rock stars on television never knowing that their lives were a parody of the glam rock fantasy. Now looking at footage of say the New York Dolls I see that even them all being around age twenty they were already looking burned out from constant touring, no sleep and all the drugs that keep you going when you cannot go on. That morning my clothes getting ruined were my biggest concern, now I realize the bigger picture the intolerance to me just being dressed up in a glam fashion was the iceberg of intolerance people face everyday for being different. One in a blue moon I get the urge to claim my individuality and wear at least something to stand out a being glam rock.
About the Author:
Glam rock glitter clothes rock stars music rockstars Glam rock star fashions styles music bands news rockstar clothes