When Ziggy Played Guitar

The best music book I have ever read, dislodging Revolution in the Head and England's Dreaming. Superb in every way. -- Matthew d'Ancona
His blow-by-blow account of the performance is breathless in its fan-boy enthusiasm and much of the rest of When Ziggy Played Guitar is rooted in its personal impressions. “The by-product of Ziggy’s success was the validation of identity, our identity”, Jones writes, and it’s hard not to be moved by his hero worship. * New Statesman *
Jones is a wonderfully fluent writer, with a terrific knack for atmospheric phrasemaking, period detail and juicy factoids. * Daily Telegraph *
Dylan Jones’s account of David Bowie’s rise to superstardom. We’ll eat up anything about the greatest pop star who ever walked this planet. * The Herald Magazine *
This excellent book looks at the background to that memorable TV event, and its enduring legacy. * Choice Magazine *
Unlike previous Bowie biographies, Jones’ book says less about Bowie and more about the time, reading often, and in a very entertaining way, like a culturally-aware history textbook. For every mention of the miners’ strike or Bloody Sunday there’s a full page devoted to The Velvet Underground or A Clockwork Orange – and these pages are needed to help fully explain how Bowie put together this character who proclaimed "let all the children boogie". * whiffytidings.com *
Meticulously researched by GQ editor Dylan Jones…this 214-page tome enlists the help of people like Bono, Neil Tennant, Siouxsie Sioux and ahem, Tony Blackburn to put those 240 glorious seconds into cultural context. * Hot Press Magazine *
A personal view of one of the most influential moments in pop history. * Choice magazine *
Jones's engaging personal tribute to Bowie's glittering talent concludes that 'Ziggy is owned by all of us who were touched that day. * Daily Mail, Must Read *