Several new books about David Bowie are due to be published this year alone.
But GQ editor Dylan Jones' volume marks out its own very specific territory: namely Bowie's Top of the Pops performance of 'Starman' in July 1972. This, Jones argues, was not only the pivotal moment in Bowie's career, but also a seismic event in British pop culture as a whole. The context for this performance, and its many, varied consequences, are unpicked in loving detail, branching out into disciplines from rock history and fashion survey to personal autobiography. At times it's obsessive, and slightly repetitive, but it always remains accessibly, engagingly written, and teeming with information on Bowie's work. (Who knew that Major Tom was originally inspired by circus artiste Tom Major, father of John?)
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