In Northern England where I was born the idea of glam rock and dressing up in feminine fashions was not too well received in the 70s it is different now with glam rock performers such as Lady Gaga but back in the day before glam fashions were seen one the street it was tough.. The north of great Britain is home to many gangs and even back in the 1970s there were roving gangs of hoodlums where un employment and drug use festered a violent environment that would only get worse in 2010. For a kin into glam rock fashions male of female is was a risky business walking about in high heel shoes and glitter makeup. The truth is you needed to be braver than the gangs to stroll about like a glam rock star as you were just asking for a violent confrontation in the atmosphere of sexual suppression and ignorant attitudes at the time.
Being a youngster in the 70s i was made aware of glam rock stars like Marc Bolan, David Bowie, The Sweet and loads of other glam rock bands that were popular at the time. There were many divisions in the music scene including prog rock, hard rock, skinhead ska and general pop music of the day. Glam rock was divided between groups like The sweet, T Rex and the more serious David Bowie, Cockney Rebel type of glam rock bands. After seeing and hearing the first Roxy music record i decided I wanted to look like a glam rock star myself and proceeded to carry on my mission as a glam rock kid in Northern England.
My life as a glam rock kid in Britain began with harassing my mom for glam rock clothes like platform shoes and glitter shirts. The pre disco shirts with long collars and lurid patterns were available even in depressing northern England as tons of kids could not get enough of the stuff. If you look at some 1970s films you can see how glam rock influenced the everyday fashions as eventually even business men were wearing shoes with a slight heel and office ties and accessories were often a little way out. As I began dressing in the glam rock style my life was getting more uneasy in the street. People were jeering and laughing but behind that was the real threat of violence that may occur any moment from some idiot getting mortally offended by me just having some fun.
My first encounter with violence came with me walking home after a local glam rock band played in our city. I was attacked by a local gang of kids who called me names and proceeded to rip at my sleeve. I told several of them who I actually knew from school that I was not gay I just liked the clothes and so did the girls, this enraged them even more. I was lucky just to get a black eye, spat on and my shoes taken (presumable so one of them could wear them) and get a date. Anyways it was my introduction to intolerance for no reason but the way you look and the ignorance and stupidity of the act would remain with me all my life. If people could not accept the glam rock clothes you wear how would it feel to have a skin color that they did not like? Times have changes a bit and glam rock stars like Lady Gaga can get away with more now.
Feeling defeated the next day and nursing a swollen eye, bruises and my lost clothes I was at a loss wondering why someone would go out of their way to harm me just for being a bit different. In reality I was mimicking the glam rock stars on television never knowing that their lives were a parody of the glam rock fantasy. Now looking at footage of say the New York Dolls I see that even them all being around age twenty they were already looking burned out from constant touring, no sleep and all the drugs that keep you going when you cannot go on. That morning my clothes getting ruined were my biggest concern, now I realize the bigger picture the intolerance to me just being dressed up in a glam fashion was the iceberg of intolerance people face everyday for being different. One in a blue moon I get the urge to claim my individuality and wear at least something to stand out a being glam rock.
Being a youngster in the 70s i was made aware of glam rock stars like Marc Bolan, David Bowie, The Sweet and loads of other glam rock bands that were popular at the time. There were many divisions in the music scene including prog rock, hard rock, skinhead ska and general pop music of the day. Glam rock was divided between groups like The sweet, T Rex and the more serious David Bowie, Cockney Rebel type of glam rock bands. After seeing and hearing the first Roxy music record i decided I wanted to look like a glam rock star myself and proceeded to carry on my mission as a glam rock kid in Northern England.
My life as a glam rock kid in Britain began with harassing my mom for glam rock clothes like platform shoes and glitter shirts. The pre disco shirts with long collars and lurid patterns were available even in depressing northern England as tons of kids could not get enough of the stuff. If you look at some 1970s films you can see how glam rock influenced the everyday fashions as eventually even business men were wearing shoes with a slight heel and office ties and accessories were often a little way out. As I began dressing in the glam rock style my life was getting more uneasy in the street. People were jeering and laughing but behind that was the real threat of violence that may occur any moment from some idiot getting mortally offended by me just having some fun.
My first encounter with violence came with me walking home after a local glam rock band played in our city. I was attacked by a local gang of kids who called me names and proceeded to rip at my sleeve. I told several of them who I actually knew from school that I was not gay I just liked the clothes and so did the girls, this enraged them even more. I was lucky just to get a black eye, spat on and my shoes taken (presumable so one of them could wear them) and get a date. Anyways it was my introduction to intolerance for no reason but the way you look and the ignorance and stupidity of the act would remain with me all my life. If people could not accept the glam rock clothes you wear how would it feel to have a skin color that they did not like? Times have changes a bit and glam rock stars like Lady Gaga can get away with more now.
Feeling defeated the next day and nursing a swollen eye, bruises and my lost clothes I was at a loss wondering why someone would go out of their way to harm me just for being a bit different. In reality I was mimicking the glam rock stars on television never knowing that their lives were a parody of the glam rock fantasy. Now looking at footage of say the New York Dolls I see that even them all being around age twenty they were already looking burned out from constant touring, no sleep and all the drugs that keep you going when you cannot go on. That morning my clothes getting ruined were my biggest concern, now I realize the bigger picture the intolerance to me just being dressed up in a glam fashion was the iceberg of intolerance people face everyday for being different. One in a blue moon I get the urge to claim my individuality and wear at least something to stand out a being glam rock.
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