Trailblazers Who Give Us Permission to be Ourselves

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Two of the most famous rock singers from the United Kingdom are David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. Considered icons in the rock world, they share many similarities.

David Bowie was born in England to a working-class family. He eventually moved to Los Angeles.

His biggest influencers were Elvis Presley, and Elton John who was known for his flamboyant style. David was also very influenced by Little Richard who mixed gospel, soul, and rock together.  When David first heard Little Richard’s song “Tutti Frutti,” he said that he “heard God.” Little Richard, who was flamboyant on stage but had to keep his sexuality secret because of his religious family, clearly influenced David Bowie and other artists.

David studied art, music, and design in college. In 1961 he received baritone saxophone lessons and formed his first band the next year.  His love of the arts included painting, miming, acting, and theater. David was a huge reader especially of science-fiction novels. His favorite was the 1963 novel by Walter Tevis, The Man Who Fell to Earth.

In the early years David would come to interviews wearing dresses and openly displayed his appreciation for femininity and androgyny.  His big hit was when he came up with the character of Ziggy Stardust, naming his bandmates the Spiders from Mars.

David created a backstory for Ziggy including that he was an alien who came to earth as a rock star and a messenger to prepare people for the arrival of the Star Man. The album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) was successful and gained widespread popularity.  

David was always open about his bisexuality, and he made Ziggy bisexual as well.  David said that he always knew he was gay from a young age. He enjoyed extravagant costumes, hair, and makeup when he was himself and when he was Ziggy.  Many of his lyrics talk about androgyny, freedom of expression, and identification with “the outsider.” After the Stardust album, David’s next album would include a similar character to Ziggy who was also androgynous.

Despite his success David’s big problem was extreme alcohol and cocaine addiction. He lived on a diet of only cocaine and black coffee.

In 1975 David created the alto ego of the Thin White Duke who was very aristocratic and Victorian and seemed to come from another time.  His style shifted to a sound he characterized as “plastic soul,” and he released the albums Young Americans and Station to Station.  He also starred as the main alien character in the movie version of The Man Who Fell to Earth.

As David’s cocaine addiction grew, he became very paranoid including claiming that he saw an entity in his pool. He engaged a white witch to get rid of the entity.

In 1976 David and fellow rocker Iggy Pop, who was in a institution trying to get over his severe drug addiction, left Los Angeles and went to Berlin where they both recovered and got sober.  In the Berlin rehab center, David created many interesting paintings that reflected how his mind was during his addiction. He revealed that after he got clean, he said and did things as the Thin White Duke that he regretted.

David had a son with his first wife and eventually married supermodel Iman with whom he had a daughter.  In 1983, drug free and happy, he released the album Just Dance. He loved teaching and frequently took his children to museums and art galleries. He was the male vampire lead in the iconic vampire movie The Hunger. In 1986 David played the villain in Labyrinth by Jim Henson.

 David continued his success and eventually passed away from liver cancer in 2016. One of his biggest legacies which he talked about frequently is how he gave a voice to the people who were outsiders and felt like they didn't belong. David gave them permission to be themselves.

He is considered a gay icon who has influenced many artists including contemporaries such as Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga, as well as legends like Freddy Mercury who are no longer with us.

  In 1964 Freddy’s family immigrated from India to the UK to escape the violence of the revolution against the Sultan of Zanzibar.  Freddie was a very hyper, energetic, difficult child who did not like rules. He frustrated his parents and sister. His own mother said that Freddie liked to practice the guitar late at night. She would say “just don't wake up the neighbors because you are not that good yet.” 

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Eventually Freddie who knew he wanted to be a musician met Brian May, an astrophysicist, and Roger Taylor, a biology student. Brian and Roger had a band called Smile which Freddie joined. In 1970 it turned into Queen. Their break-out albums were Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera in 1975, along with the huge hit singles “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Show Must Go On.”  

Freddy’s friend, Tim Rice, speculated that “Bohemian Rhapsody” was about Freddy’s sexuality. Freddie kept himself closeted because he knew that his attraction to men would not be accepted by his family who were strict Zoroastrians. He kept his sexuality a secret. Eventually, he met Mary who worked in one of the shops the band frequented.  

They fell in love and eventually got married. Freddie said she was the love of his life, but Mary discovered he was cheating on her with other men. Freddie told her he was bisexual. At the time, however, Mary didn’t understand the term, believing people were either gay or straight. Eventually they split but remained lifelong friends.

Freddy many times referred to her as Miss Faithful. They became business partners, and she toured with them. She made Freddy godfather of her children. Freddy and Queen had fun making the music video for “I Want to Break Free” by all dressing in drag. Freddie described them as one big happy family.   

Freddie and the others took time to do solo work, but the band always remained close. When they heard about the Live Aid Concert, Freddie already knew he had AIDS and would not have much time left, so they focused on giving the best performance at Live Aid that they could.

In 1981, Freddie and Queen collaborated with David Bowie on the song “Under Pressure,” which became Queen’s second #1 hit in the UK and David’s third. It also hit top 10 in 10 other countries. David and Freddy were good friends.

In 1991 Freddie passed away just after completing Queen’s last album. In 1992, after having time to grieve, Queen and The Mercury Phoenix Trust organized The Freddy Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness and to celebrate Freddy’s life and legacy. Some guests included George Michaels and David Bowie. David was famous for reciting the Lord's Prayer before performing at the concert.  He said that he will always be grateful for what Freddy did for rock music and will always love him.

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Brian and Roger continue to keep Freddy’s legacy alive by working with singer Adam Lambert, who was also influenced by Freddie and David Bowie.  Queen + Adam Lambert continue to be hugely successful, and they continue Freddy’s and David’s message of being yourself, no matter how strange or weird.

Despite not being able to live his personal life authentically, Little Richard paved the way with his flamboyant and unique star persona. Artists like David Bowie and Freddy Mercury continued his legacy by pushing the envelope a bit further. Today, performers like Adam Lambert find even bolder ways to give people permission to be themselves no matter what others think or say.

Is there a particular trailblazer that gave you permission to be more fully yourself? If so, who and how?