I’ve been digging into some background on David Bowie lately, and somehow… Lubbock keeps popping up.

Oh, you pretty things! If you wander into a drugstore or supermarket and glance at the magazine rack, you might spot a Rolling Stone special edition on Bowie. I grabbed one—and yeah, consider me a fan.

I was there when Young Americans dropped. I picked up ChangesOneBowie for the hits. I followed him through Station to Station, and I was lucky enough to be slinging rock on the radio when he delivered later-era magic like Let’s Dance. I was also gifted Blackstar, and it remains one of the most haunting and brilliant farewell albums ever recorded.

If you know Bowie lore, you know his true ascent began with The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Sure, he had “Space Oddity” and “Changes” before that—but Ziggy was different. Ziggy was electric. That persona launched Bowie into another universe, fueled by tracks like “Starman,” “Suffragette City,” “Moonage Daydream,” and the title track itself.

And here’s where Lubbock enters the story.

Bowie has openly cited inspiration from an artist known as The Legendary Stardust Cowboy—a wildly unconventional performer from Lubbock, Texas. If that name rings a bell, it should: Stardust Cowboy… Ziggy Stardust. That’s not a coincidence.

David Bowie As Ziggy Stardust

Gallery Credit: Nessmania

We won’t go too far down the rabbit hole on the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, but let’s just say—he was out there. Completely original. The kind of artist that doesn’t just bend rules, but ignores them entirely. Bowie saw something in that chaos and creativity and ran with it.

And here’s the best part: Bowie didn’t just borrow inspiration—he gave credit. He covered one of Stardust Cowboy’s songs and even invited him to perform at a festival, bringing that West Texas weirdness to a global stage.

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It’s pretty incredible when you think about it. One of the greatest figures in rock history pulled inspiration from Lubbock—not Buddy Holly this time, but another outsider artist who dared to be different.

And in a way, that feels very Lubbock.

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