Rebel Rebel

The Zoo Crew is spinning "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie from the 1974 album Diamond Dogs, and Zoo Freaks, get ready for some wild trivia about this glam rock anthem! Bowie crafted the song’s iconic guitar riff to playfully jab at Mick Jagger, aiming for a Rolling Stones-esque vibe. Guitarist Alan Parker recounted in a 2014 Uncut interview that Bowie said, “I’ve got this riff and it’s a bit Rolling Stonesy – I just want to piss Mick off a bit.” Parker helped refine the riff in under an hour, and Bowie quickly penned the middle section and lyrics. The song’s gender-bending lyrics, like “You’ve got your mother in a whirl / She’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl,” capture its rebellious spirit, with biographer Marc Spitz noting in Bowie: A Biography that it’s a tale of a young “tramp” embracing “sexy nihilism.”

Another juicy tidbit: "Rebel Rebel" was meant for a scrapped Ziggy Stardust musical, marking Bowie’s farewell to the glam rock era he helped define. As American Songwriter highlighted in 2024, it’s a “storybook ending” to his glam phase, with its androgynous character echoing the swagger of Marc Bolan. Bowie himself gushed about the riff, saying in a 1999 VH1 Storytellers episode, “It’s a fabulous riff! Just fabulous! When I stumbled onto it, it was ‘Oh, thank you!’” On X, the official @DavidBowieReal account celebrated the song’s 50th anniversary in 2024, sharing a 1987 live performance clip and quoting its danceable lyrics: “We love dancing, and we look divine.”

The song’s rebellious vibe extended to its visuals. For a 1974 Dutch TV performance, Bowie sported a pirate-inspired look—complete with an eyepatch and a bottle-green bolero jacket adorned with a Russian comic supergirl appliqué—prompted by conjunctivitis, as he later recalled in Nicholas Pegg’s writings. Sadly, the jacket was stolen during a press conference. Reddit’s r/DavidBowie community rates it a “gl

David Bowie, born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, in Brixton, London, kicked off his career as a musical chameleon. As a teen, he played saxophone in local bands and was fascinated by music and performance, inspired by acts like Little Richard. At 15, he formed his first band, The Konrads, but soon went solo, adopting the name Bowie to avoid confusion with The Monkees’ Davy Jones. His early years were a hustle—releasing singles and experimenting with folk, mod, and music hall styles. His 1969 single "Space Oddity" became his breakthrough, hitting the UK charts and cementing his knack for blending theatricality and innovation.

Bowie’s rise wasn’t just musical—he was a cultural shapeshifter. His 1972 Melody Maker interview, where he declared his bisexuality, shocked and inspired fans, aligning with his Ziggy Stardust persona’s gender-bending allure. Stay connected with Bowie’s legacy via his official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Fans can dive deeper at David Bowie News or join communities like r/DavidBowie on Reddit and the David Bowie Fan Club on Facebook.