The Thin White Duke

2025-10-13T22:56:20Z

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{{Short description|David Bowie persona from 1975 to 1976}}
{{about|the David Bowie persona|the electronic music producer who uses this title for remixes|Stuart Price}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox character
| name = The Thin White Duke
| series = 
| image = David Bowie 1976.jpg
| image_size = 300
| alt =
| caption = David Bowie as the Thin White Duke in Toronto, February 1976
| first = 1975
| last = 1976
| creator = [[David Bowie]]
| portrayer = David Bowie
| species = 
| gender = 
| occupation = [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocrat]], cabaret performer
}}

'''The Thin White Duke''' was the [[persona]] and character adopted by the English musician [[David Bowie]] for public appearances in the mid-1970s. Though the Duke is primarily identified with Bowie's 1976 album ''[[Station to Station]]'' and is mentioned by name in the [[Station to Station (song)|title track]], he had first begun to adopt aspects of the persona during the tour supporting his ''[[Young Americans]]'' album in late 1974. The look and character of the Thin White Duke were also influenced by that of Thomas Jerome Newton, the humanoid alien played by Bowie in the film ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'', which filmed in mid-1975.<ref name="uncut">{{cite news |title=David Bowie – the inside story of The Man Who Fell To Earth {{!}} Page 6 of 7 |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/david-bowie-the-inside-story-of-the-man-who-fell-to-earth-67591/6/ |access-date=21 July 2020 |work=UNCUT |date=2 April 2015 |archive-date=21 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721065740/https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/david-bowie-the-inside-story-of-the-man-who-fell-to-earth-67591/6/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Thin White Duke became a controversial figure due to ostensibly pro-fascist statements made by Bowie in press interviews during this period. Soon after making the comments, Bowie claimed that they were "theatrical" remarks made in character and did not reflect his actual views. In later years, he blamed his erratic behaviour during the mid-1970s on an "astronomical" use of hard drugs (particularly [[cocaine]]) while living in [[Los Angeles]]. He left California for Europe in late 1976 to improve his mental and physical well-being and settled in [[West Berlin]] in early 1977, at which point he quietly retired the Thin White Duke persona.

==Development==
[[File:The Thin White Duke 76.jpg|thumb|At [[Maple Leaf Gardens]], Toronto, 26 February 1976]]
David Bowie, who had experience performing in [[experimental theatre]] before becoming famous as a musician, began adopting different performing personae in the early 1970s, most notably the [[glam rock|glam]] alien [[Ziggy Stardust (character)|Ziggy Stardust]]. He famously retired Ziggy in 1973 at the end of the [[Ziggy Stardust Tour]], and adopted the dystopian Halloween Jack persona for his ''[[Diamond Dogs]]'' album and most of [[Diamond Dogs Tour|the following tour]].

An early version of the Thin White Duke character began to appear in late 1974 during the second leg of the tour. During this "[[plastic soul]]" lead-up to his ''[[Young Americans]]'' album, Bowie's hair was still orange, but it was cut shorter, and his stage costumes moderated from colourful glam outfits to more conventional dress clothes. The Thin White Duke was mentioned by name in the [[Station to Station (song)|title track]] of Bowie's next album, ''[[Station to Station]]'', and he appeared in that persona during the following [[Isolar – 1976 Tour|Isolar Tour]].

Bowie was significantly influenced by [[William S. Burroughs]], whom he met in 1973, enthusiastically incorporating his [[Cut-up technique|'cut-up']] technique as a method to harness unconscious creative processes. Stark suggests that Burroughs' reference to semen in ''[[Naked Lunch]]'' as 'the Thin White Rope' may have influenced the name of the Thin White Duke.<ref>[https://tanjastark.com/2014/10/20/confronting-bowies-mysterious-corpses-2/ Stark, Tanja. (2015). Confronting Bowie’s Mysterious Corpses.] In T. Cinque, C. Moore & S. Redmond (Ed.). Enchanting David Bowie: Space/Time/Body/Memory (pp. 61–78). New York: Bloomsbury Academic. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from {{doi|10.5040/9781501304781.ch-004}}</ref>

==Characteristics==
At first glance, the Thin White Duke appeared more conventional than Bowie's previously flamboyant [[glam rock|glam]] incarnations. Sporting well-groomed blonde hair and wearing a simple, [[cabaret]]-style wardrobe consisting of a white shirt, black trousers, and a waistcoat, the Duke was a hollow man who sang songs of romance with an agonised intensity while feeling nothing, "dry ice masquerading as fire".<ref name="Bowie: An Illustrated Record">{{Cite book|last=Carr |first=Roy |author-link=Roy Carr |author2=Murray, Charles Shaar |author-link2=Charles Shaar Murray | year=1981| title=Bowie: An Illustrated Record |location=New York| publisher=Avon|isbn=0-380-77966-8|pages=78–80}}</ref> The persona has been described as "a mad aristocrat",<ref name=" Bowie: An Illustrated Record"/> "an amoral zombie",<ref>{{Cite book|last=Buckley| first=David|year=2000| orig-year=First published 1999 |title=Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story |location=London |publisher=Virgin|edition=2nd|isbn=0-7535-0457-X|page=58}}</ref> and "an emotionless ''[[Aryan race|Aryan]]'' superman".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pegg |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Pegg |year=2004| orig-year=2000 |title=The Complete David Bowie |location=London |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn |isbn=1-903111-73-0|pages=297–300}}</ref> Bowie himself described the character as "A very Aryan, [[fascist]] type; a would-be romantic with absolutely no emotion at all but who spouted a lot of neo-romance."<ref>{{cite book |last=Doggett |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Doggett |date=2011 |title=The Man Who Sold The World: David Bowie And The 1970s}}</ref>

==Controversy==
While being interviewed in the persona in 1975 and 1976, Bowie made statements about [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Nazi Germany]] that some interpreted as being sympathetic to fascism or even pro-fascist.<ref name=T>{{cite web|work=[[The Times of Israel]]|title=From 'Heil Hitler' to 'Shalom, Tel Aviv,' the many incarnations of David Bowie|author=Borschel-Dan, Amanda|date=January 11, 2016|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/from-heil-hitler-to-shalom-tel-aviv-the-many-incarnations-of-david-bowie/|access-date=12 January 2016|archive-date=12 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112132620/http://www.timesofisrael.com/from-heil-hitler-to-shalom-tel-aviv-the-many-incarnations-of-david-bowie/|url-status=live}}</ref> The controversy deepened in May 1976 when, while acknowledging a group of fans outside of [[London Victoria station]], he was photographed making what some alleged to be a [[Nazi salute]]. Bowie denied this, saying that he was simply waving to fans and the photographer happened to take the photo while his arm was outstretched.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Paytress|first=Mark|title=The Controversial Homecoming|journal=Mojo Classic|date=January 2007|issue=60 Years of Bowie|page=64}}</ref>

In an interview with [[Cameron Crowe]] published in [[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]] in September 1976, Bowie said, "I believe very strongly in fascism. The only way we can speed up the sort of liberalism that's hanging foul in the air at the moment is to speed up the progress of a right-wing, totally dictatorial tyranny and get it over as fast as possible. [...] Television is the most successful fascist, needless to say. Rock stars are fascists, too. Adolf Hitler was one of the first rock stars."<ref>[[Cameron Crowe|Crowe, Cameron]]. [http://www.theuncool.com/journalism/david-bowie-playboy-magazine/?curator=MusicREDEF "David Bowie: A candid conversation with the actor, rock singer and sexual switch-hitter"], [[Playboy (magazine)|]], September 1976, via The Uncool. Retrieved 12 October 2025.</ref> These comments provoked substantial outrage and, alongside anti-immigration remarks made by [[Eric Clapton]] around the same time, inspired the creation of the [[Rock Against Racism]] movement.<ref>Renton, David. [https://books.google.com/books?id=4GN8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT82 ''Never Again: Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League 1976-1982''], [[Routledge]], 2018.</ref>

As early as 1976, Bowie began disavowing his allegedly pro-fascist comments and said that he was misunderstood. In an interview that year in the ''[[Daily Express]]'', he explained that while performing in his various characters, "I'm [[Pierrot]]. I'm Everyman. What I'm doing is theatre, and only theatre ... What you see on stage isn't sinister. It's pure clown. I'm using myself as a canvas and trying to paint the truth of our time on it. The white face, the baggy pants{{snd}} they're Pierrot, the eternal clown putting over the great sadness."<ref>Jean Rook, "Waiting for Bowie, and finding a genius who insists he's really a clown", Daily Express, May 1976</ref> In 1977 (after retiring the Duke), Bowie stated that "I have made my two or three glib, theatrical observations on English society and the only thing I can now counter with is to state that I am ''not'' a fascist".<ref>Allan Jones, Goodbye to Ziggy and All That, Melody Maker, Oct. 1977</ref>

In later years, Bowie called the mid-1970s "the darkest days of my life" due to "astronomical" usage of [[cocaine]] and [[amphetamines]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Buckley| first=David|year=1999 |title=Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story |location=London|publisher=Virgin|edition=1st|isbn=1-8522-7784-X|pages=258–75}}</ref> For much of 1975, he was obsessed with [[Satanism|Satanic symbols]], remained awake for days at a time, and lived on a diet of red peppers, milk, and hard drugs.<ref name="uncut"/> In subsequent interviews, he blamed his erratic behaviour and fascination with Nazi Germany and the [[occult]] during his Thin White Duke period on drug-induced paranoia and depression, and claimed that his mental state was such that he could not remember the late-1975 recording sessions for ''Station to Station''.<ref>Carr & Murray (1981): p. 11</ref> "It was a dangerous period for me," he explained. "I was at the end of my tether physically and emotionally and had serious doubts about my sanity."<ref name="Bowie's UNCUT interview on Low">{{cite web|title=Bowie's UNCUT interview on Low|url=http://www.bowiegoldenyears.com/low.html|website=BowieGoldenYears.com|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-date=28 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228035917/http://www.bowiegoldenyears.com/low.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Eventually, he began to see the Thin White Duke as "a nasty character indeed",<ref>{{cite book|last=Wilcken|first=Hugo|date=2005|title=Low|location=New York|publisher=Continuum|isbn=0-8264-1684-5|page=24}}</ref> and later, "an [[ogre]]".<ref>{{cite journal|first=Timothy|last=White|date=February 1978|journal=Crawdaddy|title=Turn and Face The Strange}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
In an attempt to salvage his mental and physical health, Bowie left California's drug-fueled social scene for Europe in late 1976, staying in [[Geneva]], Switzerland, for a time before joining his friend [[Iggy Pop]] in [[West Berlin]] in early 1977. Though he did not publicly retire the Thin White Duke as he had Ziggy Stardust, Bowie did not appear in the persona after settling in Europe.

Bowie lived in West Berlin for almost two years, during which time he moved on both musically and personally with his "[[Berlin Trilogy]]" albums (''[[Low (David Bowie album)|Low]]'', ''[["Heroes" (David Bowie album)|"Heroes"]]'', and ''[[Lodger (album)|Lodger]]'') in collaboration with [[Brian Eno]] and [[Tony Visconti]]. He also produced Pop's albums ''[[The Idiot (album)|The Idiot]]'' and ''[[Lust for Life (Iggy Pop album)|Lust for Life]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.factmag.com/2016/01/11/david-bowie-flowers-berlin-flat/|title=Berliners are laying flowers outside David Bowie's Berlin flat|work=FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music.|date=11 January 2016 |access-date=21 March 2017|archive-date=2 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302004901/http://www.factmag.com/2016/01/11/david-bowie-flowers-berlin-flat/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Ola Hudson]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/~alper/Bowie_and_fascism.htm |title=Taking it all the right way: Was David Bowie a Fascist? |last=Alper |first=Arad |year=2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407094759/http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/~alper/Bowie_and_fascism.htm |archive-date=7 April 2014 }}

{{David Bowie}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thin White Duke, The}}
[[Category:Alter egos]]
[[Category:David Bowie characters]]
[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1975]]
[[Category:Fictional dukes and duchesses]]
[[Category:Fictional fascists]]
[[Category:Race-related controversies in music]]
[[Category:Fictional singers]]
[[Category:1975 controversies]]

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The Thin White Duke