GLAM ROCK Who is Glam Rock Bear?

In 1972 I was allowed to buy my first record for my 11th birthday, and what did I choose? ‘Children Of The Revolution’ by T.Rex of course! For the rest of that year I added slowly to my record collection, ‘Son Of My Father’ by Chicory Tip, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ by Slade, ‘Solid Gold Easy Action’ by T.Rex, several other unmentionable items, as well as becoming an avid viewer of Top Of The Pops and a subscriber to Popswap and Music Star music star to get all the latest pics of my new idols.

Then that Christmas came the bonanza, my own little plastic record player so I would no longer have to annoy my parents with my new found taste for all things musical, and as a bonus my first 3 albums! ‘Bolan Boogie’ by T.Rex (so I could retrospectively discover the early joys of my first teenage idol), one of those glorious compilations by the like of K-Tel (or was it Ronco?) containing Roxy Music’s ‘Virginia Plain’ and Blackfoot Sue’s ‘Standing In The Road’, and (oh, the horror!) one of those Hot Hits albums of cover versions containing the likes of ‘Wig Wam Bam’. ‘I Didn’t Know I Loved You (Til I Saw You Rock & Roll)’, ‘What’s Your Name’, ‘Gudbuy T’ Jane’ and ‘Elected’.

From then on there was no stopping me. In ’73 I got my first cassette player enabling me to record all my favourite hits from the radio, ‘Honaloochie Boogie’ by Mott The Hoople, ‘All Because Of You’ by Geordie, ‘Good Grief Christina’ by Chicory Tip…, and I also discovered the joys of a local shop where I could buy ex-jukebox singles cheaply only weeks after they dropped out of the top 20, enabling me to add the likes of ‘Hypnosis’ by Mud, ‘Hellraiser’ by The Sweet and ‘Daytona Demon’ by Suzi Quatro to my ever growing record collection, while still buying every new T.Rex release on the day of issue, ‘20th Century Boy’, ‘The Groover’, ‘Truck On Tyke’. I was also introduced to the joys of Roxy’s ‘For Your Pleasure’ LP by my slightly older and more knowledgeable cousins.

In ’74 my life changed quite drastically. I left home (for reasons I will explain if you get to know me better), and my new found freedom allowed me to mature and experiment. My musical tastes moved on to the slightly more sophisticated likes of Sparks’ ‘Kimono My House’ and Cockney Rebel’s ‘The Psychomodo’, and the two events that probably changed my life forever took place, I saw my first concert which was Roxy Music (well, I now discount having seen The Hollies the year before), and I was taken to see a show called The Rocky Horror Show at a tiny theatre in Kings Road.

To say that glam rock had an overwhelming influence on my life would be an understatement. It influenced the way I dressed, the way I looked (at 13 I was wearing platforms, the widest flares imaginable, and had my hair down to my shoulders with a bright orange spiky patch at the front – sadly I have no pics of those days), and pictures of Bowie and Lou Reed kissing in the music papers, not forgetting Tim Curry’s ‘Sweet Transvestite’, let me know it was alright to proclaim my bisexuality to all my peers and not get laughed at or have my head kicked in. A few years earlier (or later even) and my life could have turned out so differently.

So where is Glam Rock Bear today? I work primarily (oh the shame, I know) as a line dance/country DJ in London, but I also specialise in 70’s themed parties, so if you’re having one and want a DJ then drop me a line! I can more usually be found on AOL and EBay under the guise of CowbearUK.

Not my everyday attire!

The real Glam Rock Bear!


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