Graham Reid | | 1 min read
Norman Odam – still alive at 75 – isn't a household name, unless your household is attuned to outsider artists like Jandek, the Shaggs, Daniel Johnston, Roky Erickson, Hasil Adkins and the like.
But as The Legendary Stardust Cowboy – the name he appeared under – he might just be familiar to David Bowie fans, because it from him that Bowie borrowed the stardust/starman idea for Ziggy Stardust.
Born in Lubbock, Texas the young Odam was taken with the idea of space travel and of course was right there as an impressionable teenager when those sputniks and rockets started going into space.
His debut single Paralyzed (it's on Spotify here) is widely considered one of the worst songs ever and to be honest it's less a song than a . . . car crash of rockabilly and ineptitude.
Needless to say he suddenly had a cult following for his weirdness, cowboy outfit and space travel obsession.
His later work -- where he began to construct something approaching songs – are kinda fun and worth seeking out. And some are damn good.
This one we leave over to you but it may be familiar because Bowie – by way of acknowledging Odam's influence – recorded it on his 2002 Heathen album.
We leave it over to you now to either discover the Legendary Stardust Cowboy on Spotify here or simply pass by quickly.
For the purposes of comparison, here is Bowie's version. Flight of the Conchords anyone?
I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spacecraft
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For more oddities, one-offs or songs with an interesting backstory check the massive back-catalogue at From the Vaults.
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