The Companion

Home ¦ Index ¦ FAQ ¦ Encyclopaedia ¦ Timeline ¦ Songs ¦ Gallery ¦ E-mail

David Bowie - Oxford Town Hall (17 June 1972)
Full frame version - Photographer: Mick Rock

"And this! This was quite controversial at the time. Although that shot was always seen with most of the background cropped out by publishers.
I really prefer the image presented in its full frame." - Mick Rock (1999)

Bowie first performs his mock fellatio on Mick Ronson's guitar at this concert during "Suffragette City" (Some confusion also places the event at the Dunstable concert four days later). This is photographed by Mick Rock and quickly published in Melody Maker. Rock considers this photo to be a defining moment in rock n roll history with Bowie captured as a potent symbol of rock n roll androgyny. Aware of the huge promotional potential of the Mick Rock photo, Bowie's manager Tony De Fries quickly has it made into a full page advertisement for Melody Maker as a "thank-you" for Mainman staff and Bowie's fans.  Ronson's mother, family and friends in conservative Hull are shocked (someone throws paint on his parent's front door and a new car he had bought for them) and Ronson temporarily quits the tour but is talked into returning.

---This page last modified: 26 Dec 2018---