MICK ROCK
BIRMINGHAM Town Hall in March 1972, early in the Ziggy Stardust Tour. Commissioned by Men Only, Rock had pitched an interview after hearing “Life On Mars”. “David wasn’t very well known at the time, but I was completely fascinated with him,” Rock told Uncut in 2009. “We bonded immediately. All that happened afterwards came in the wake of that relationship. It changed my life.”
Rock became his official photographer, documenting Ziggy’s meteoric rise, sealed by Melody Maker’s infamous shot of Bowie simulating fellatio on Mick Ronson’s guitar. He also served as his videographer, directing striking promos for “The Jean Genie”, “John, I’m Only Dancing”, “Space Oddity” and “Life On Mars”.
The summer of ’72 brought Rock into contact with Lou Reed at London’s King’s Cross Cinema, his overexposed live portrait adorning the cover of . His shot of a half-naked Iggy Pop,. Attracted by the decadent glam sensibility of his work, Queen hired Rock to shoot the sleeve of . Taking inspiration from a moody still of Marlene Dietrich in , he devised an unforgettable image that the band recreated for the “Bohemian Rhapsody” video. This was emblematic of Rock’s singular approach. Revealing a subject’s hidden nature didn’t interest him; it was all about amplifying their mystique. Or, as he wrote in his diary, “freezing shadows and bottling auras”.
