When Ziggy Played the Marquee

Terry O’Neill, celebrated photographer, was given unprecedented access to document the event; a command performance for the American television program ‘Midnight Special’ and a show Bowie would name ‘The 1980 Floor Show.’ O’Neill captured Bowie and his crew backstage as they went through costume changes, and on-stage Bowie as he transformed into the character he’d soon put to rest. As O’Neill dodged television cameras and lights, he captured this significant moment in music history.

O’Neill remembers “Bowie became a character when he performed. As much as a person takes a role in a play for the West End or on Broadway, learning the lines, putting on the costumes – this was, I think, the way he treated his stage. That night at the Marquee, I witnessed a modern-day Hamlet – and it was Ziggy Stardust”.

Award-winning music writer Daniel Rachel interviews key contributors from that day, including O’Neill, Ava Cherry, Amanda Lear, Suzi Ronson and Geoff MacCormack – along with new insights and memories from fans who were in the audience who played witness to this incredible moment in music history.