David Bowie 's Ziggy Stardust immortalized on earthly plaque

Bowie's Ziggy Stardust immortalized on earthly plaque

 

 

Fri, Mar 09 09:17 AM EST

By Ethan Bilby
LONDON (Reuters) - When Ziggy Stardust touched down on earth he could scarcely imagine humanity lasting another five years, let alone the 40 years which have transformed the heart of central London.


 《中英對照讀新聞》Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust immortalised on earthly plaque 大衛鮑伊的齊基星塵在地球的紀念牌匾上化為永恆
◎俞智敏
When Ziggy Stardust touched down on earth he could scarcely imagine humanity lasting another five years, let alone the 40 years which have transformed the heart of central London.
當齊基星塵在地球登陸時，他根本無法想像人類還能再存活5年，更別提倫敦市中心區在過去40年間所歷經的改變。
British singer David Bowie’s unique alien visitor persona, known for his glam makeup, fiery orange hair, and skintight jumpsuits, is being commemorated on Heddon Street in London’s trendiest shopping district to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of his album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars."
英國歌手大衛鮑伊的獨特外星訪客角色素以華麗的化妝、火焰般的橘色頭髮、超緊身連身褲為人所熟知，現在倫敦最流行的購物區海登街更將為他設立一塊紀念牌匾，以慶祝這張專輯「齊基星塵與火星蜘蛛的興衰」發行40週年。
The Crown Estate, who own Regent Street and the surrounding area, are placing a plaque to commemorate the street corner location used to shoot the cover of Bowie’s famous 1972 album in a spot that has become a pilgrimage for his fans.
擁有攝政街與周邊地區所有權的皇家財產局打算在這個街角設立牌匾，以紀念鮑伊當年在此拍攝這張發行於1972年的著名專輯封面照片，這裡已成為他的歌迷朝聖地。
David Bowie’s androgynous Ziggy Stardust was at the forefront of a vibrant 1970s glam rock scene, and his extreme aesthetics went on to influence glam metal bands of the 1980s as well as visual rock in 1990s Japan.
大衛鮑伊這個雌雄莫辨的齊基星塵角色，是1970年代活躍發展的華麗搖滾的最前線人物，他極端的美學風格後來更影響了1980年代的華麗金屬樂團，以及1990年代日本的視覺系搖滾。
Whereas in 1972, Heddon Street was just a narrow alley, it has become a plaza full of restaurants in 2009 as part of Regent Street’s 750 million pound regeneration by the Crown Estate.（Reuters）
海登街在1972年時還只是一條窄巷，但到了2009年時卻已成為滿是餐廳的步道街，也是由皇家財產局所主管、價值7億5000萬英鎊的更新計畫的一部分。（路透）




新聞辭典
persona： 名詞，複數可寫作personae或personas，指小說或戲劇等裡面的人物、角色，或指常與某人真實或私下個性迥異的某種形象，如He had a shy, retiring side to his personality that was completely at odds with his public persona.（他的個性裡有很害羞靦腆的一面，與他在公眾面前的形象完全相反。）
commemorate：動 詞，指紀念、慶祝某事，如A statue has been built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poet’s birthday.（這座雕像是為了紀念詩人的百歲誕辰所豎立。）
androgynous：形容詞，指雌雄 同體的，或指難辨雌雄的，如With her lean frame and cropped hair, Lennox had a fashionably androgynous look.（她的骨架精瘦，頭髮又削得極短，讓藍妮克斯有著雌雄莫辨的時髦外型。）名詞則為androgyny。


 
Bowie during the Heathen Tour in 2002.





David Bowie ( /ˈboʊ.i/ BOH-ee;^[1] born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. He is known for his distinctive voice and the intellectual depth and eclecticism of his work.
Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in July 1969, when his song "Space Oddity" reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart. After a three-year period of experimentation he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with the flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, spearheaded by the hit single "Starman" and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie's impact at that time, as described by biographer David Buckley, "challenged the core belief of the rock music of its day" and "created perhaps the biggest cult in popular culture."^[2] The relatively short-lived Ziggy persona proved merely one facet of a career marked by continual reinvention, musical innovation and striking visual presentation.
In 1975, Bowie achieved his first major American crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the hit album Young Americans, which the singer characterised as "plastic soul". The sound constituted a radical shift in style that initially alienated many of his UK devotees. He then confounded the expectations of both his record label and his American audiences by recording the minimalist album Low (1977)—the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno over the next two years. The so-called "Berlin Trilogy" albums all reached the UK top five and garnered lasting critical praise.
After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its parent album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and "Under Pressure", a 1981 collaboration with Queen. He then reached a new commercial peak in 1983 with Let's Dance, which yielded several hit singles. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including blue-eyed soul, industrial, adult contemporary, and jungle. His last recorded album was Reality (2003), which was supported by the 2003–04 Reality Tour.
Buckley says of Bowie: "His influence has been unique in popular culture—he has permeated and altered more lives than any comparable figure."^[2] In the BBC's 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, Bowie was placed at number 29. Throughout his career, he has sold an estimated 140 million albums. In the UK, he has been awarded nine Platinum album certifications, 11 Gold and eight Silver, and in the US, five Platinum and seven Gold certifications. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him 39th on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", and 23rd on their list of the best singers of all-time.