‘‘Ziggy’s Glam Rock Extravaganza’’ will be held at the Mayfair Theatre on Friday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of the prince of glam rock, David Bowie.
The concert is the brainchild of former University of Otago music lecturer Dr Ian Chapman, who is taking his Bowie-inspired performance persona Dr Glam off the shelf for a one-off concert, backed by Dunedin band The Oxo Cubans.
‘‘Although it is the 10th anniversary of Bowie’s passing, we decided to go beyond a Bowie-only show and incorporate wider glam rock, because it’s the musical style in which Bowie first came to prominence as Ziggy Stardust.
‘‘Hence, the repertoire includes songs from Alice Cooper, Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Kiss, Rocky Horror, T Rex and more.
‘‘We’ll be joined by two of Dunedin’s most loved and superbly talented singers: Steve Larkins and Arlie McCormick.’’
He said audience members were being encouraged to dress up in glam, and the theatre was being specially set up to allow dancing.
‘‘Dr Glam is a Bowie-esque theatrical demonstration of how to create ‘a performance skin’ as a means of overcoming stage-fright and self-doubt, transforming into an entertainer 10 feet tall and bulletproof.
‘‘It was successful far beyond my expectations, and kind of took on a life of its own for the next half dozen or so years.
‘‘Eventually, to keep Dr Glam special and not have it become a parody of a parody, I opted to retire it.’’
So, when Bowie died in 2016, he gave his last concert as Dr Glam and had kept the alter ego in the closet since.
‘‘I never intended to bring it back.’’
Fast-forward to now.
Dr Chapman went through a personal ‘‘brush’’ with prostate cancer in the early 2020s, and decided to bring Dr Glam out of the closet to help raise funds for Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ.
‘‘I went through the mill health-wise for several years, with a cycle of high PSA readings, biopsies, MRIs, three operations, catheters, a dangerous bout of sepsis and ultimately the removal of most of my prostate.
‘‘But I am now back to 100% health, and I decided I wanted to give something back, because I am extremely grateful for the treatment I received.
‘‘My father died of prostate cancer and I have several friends going through that difficult journey right now, who have not been as lucky as me.’’
Dr Chapman figured the best way to raise money for the foundation was to hold a one-off fundraising concert, featuring glam rock personae.
After that, Dr Glam would be no more, he said.
‘‘I won’t bring the sparkly old bugger back again. It’s just a ‘oncer’ for a good cause.’’
