How did David Bowie come up with the idea for the Aladdin Sane album cover photo, though, since this album artwork could be the priciest ever sold later this month?
It is perhaps the most iconic image of David Bowie as his stage alter ego Ziggy Stardust and has been described as the Mona Lisa of pop culture.
But as the original Aladdin Sane album cover photo – shot by fashion photographer Brian Duffy – prepares to be sold at auction, his son Chris has revealed how rock chameleon Bowie simply stole the idea for his famous lightening bolt from Elvis Presley and a 1970s kitchen cooking pot.
The groundbreaking photo could become the most expensive album artwork ever sold when it goes under the hammer later this month with an estimate of £300,000 – hoping to beat the record set by Led Zeppelin’s debut LP artwork, which sold for £240,000 in 2020.
However, Chris Duffy advises that music historians not to decipher Bowie’s “rock pioneer” legacy, which shows that he was merely a “music magpie” of his day who drew inspiration from his 20th-century heroes.
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In an exclusive interview, he told us: “Bowie always liked the Taking Care of Business (TCB) flash by Elvis and that evolved into his own lightening flash and became his motto. On the back of his private jet, Elvis had the TCB flash, and he had signed engagement rings with the flash that he had given his band. David adored that flash because he was obsessed with it.
” I also remember my dad was given a rice cooler one time by his mum. The pot had a blue and red flash on it, and it was made by National Panasonic. When my father showed that to David one day, he said, “Yeah, fantastic.”
The Aladdin Sane image leads the sale of the Duffy archive being sold as part of a global online auction by Bonhams from October 22. The wooden stool Bowie sat on for the 1973 Aladdin Sane album shoot, the original Hasselblad 500C camera, and a photo contact sheet from the session, one of only two of those items, are among the 35 items being sold.
Bowie’s full-length portrait of Aladdin Sane, which was the centerfold for the first 5, 000 records sold, is also up for grabs, with an estimated price of between £150 and £200,000. But although the album was groundbreaking for its day, spawning UK hit singles such as The Jean Genie and Drive in Saturday, Chris says the album title was not really Bowie’s idea either.
He told us: “I remember when dad was doing the shoot, he asked David what the album was to be called, and David replied” A Lad Insane”. This was interpreted by my father as “Aladin Sane.” He must have experienced a genie’s vision and the idea of rubbing an Aladdin’s lamp. All David gave him was a flash idea for the album so that was a quite difficult ask”.
Brian Duffy got his big break in the world of music photography after starting out as a freelance fashion artist for the magazine Harper’s Bazaar in 1955. He went on to work at British Vogue and with photographers David Bailey and Terrence Donovan – together they became known as the “terrible trio”, capturing London at its height as a cultural capital in the 1960s.
But in 1973 his career changed forever when he began an eight-year working relationship with Bowie. Duffy also photographed images for Bowie’s albums Lodger album in 1979, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) in 1980, and conducted a photo shoot on Bowie’s set of his debut film, The Man Who Fell To Earth, in 1976.
Chris claims that because they were rebels of their time, their relationship between their father and Bowie was outstanding. He said: “My father was very left wing. He had a brilliant mind and was an anarchist, which is why, in my opinion, he connected with David. You couldn’t really tell the difference between them because they were different from one another.
You must burn your bridges, according to your father, to advance. And David did that with Ziggy Stardust and so many other periods of his music. Thank goodness, nothing caught fire. Bowie’s career has evolved naturally over the past 50 years.
Chris, who continues to manage his dad’s photographic archive, remembers having a ring side seat when Bowie recorded Aladdin Sane. He states, “I was 17 when I was still residing at home.” Because he used to shoot a lot of bands at the time, my dad used to receive records each month.
“On a Sunday he had this ritual of playing records on his hi-fi and he had these big speakers in the living room. I was there one Sunday and thought, “Wow, who is that? ” It’s challenging because you’re naturally supposed to rebel when you like the same music as your parents. So I said to him” Who is that? “and he said,” David Bowie is the name of the artist. If you don’t scratch the record, you can borrow it.
” He then said, “I am shooting his new album cover next week. Do you wish to meet him?” I responded, “Yeah.” He said “Be at Trident Studios next Tuesday at 7pm”.
A few days later, Chris popped along to the studios in London’s thriving Soho district where he came face to face with Bowie and his Spiders from Mars group members Mick Ronson and drummer Woody Woodmansey. He claims, “I rang the bell and said, I’m here to meet Duffy,” and then left. David Bowie was present when the door opened. He looked me up and down and said” Who are you? Your father is a lunatic, he said when I told him I was Duffy’s son. “Come in”
Soon after, Chris found himself having intimate family dinners with Bowie who would often turn up at his home in true rock star fashion”. According to Chris, David used to come round and a limo would exit. He was always in a limited capacity, but he was such a nice guy.
“David was always interested in what you were doing and he wanted to know what you were up to. The same as my dad. However, David did that by identifying people to advance his agenda.
Chris also remembers the moment his dad garnered Bowie’s face with the infamous red and blue lightning flash when he joined the pair in the studio alongside make-up artist Pierre La Roche. He remembers: “The make-up artist drew a little flash on the side of Bowie’s cheek and dad said “No take that off”. He then got the lipstick from the artist’s box, drew it on his face and said “Fill that in. Aladdin Sane was born and the rest is history.”
Today, Chris says he is happy to sell some of his father’s archive at a time which has seen 90, 000 of Bowie’s possessions – including stage costumes and lyrics – take up permanent home at the new V&, A East Storehouse in Stratford, London. He says, “My dad and I started establishing the archive in 2006 to make sure that his legacy and his recognizable images were preserved and accessible.
“The exhibits sold at Bonhams have taken up residence in museums and galleries all over the world. At this key moment of recognition for the iconic Duffy/Bowie collaboration, I feel it’s right that a small but significant part of the Duffy archive collection is available for many to share in this legacy. I appreciate Bonhams for hosting the sale of his artwork, as well as their thoughtful treatment of his distinctive contribution to pop culture.
The Mona Lisa of Pop: The Duffy Archive will be on view in a free exhibition at Bonhams, New Bond Street, London from October 22 to November 5. For auction sale details visit www.bonhams.com
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Source: Mirror
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