Music

This British professor is becoming David Bowie (for a year)

by Jesse Locke

Kingston University prof Will Brooker might be the world’s most dedicated David Bowie cosplayer. Yes, he beats out Flight of the Conchords AND Ricky Gervais.

As part of his method-acting process to write a monograph titled Forever Stardust, the film and cultural studies instructor is emulating every era of Bowie’s career, squeezed into the duration of a year. While trying on his chameleonic transformations (Ziggy Stardust‘s blue eyeshadow, Young Americans‘ blue-eyed soul) and traveling to various cities the pop icon inhabited, Brooker is also filling his heart with the books, music and film Bowie was interested in at each stage. This consuming even includes the Thin White Duke Diet of milk, red peppers, and massive bumps.

“The levels of cocaine Bowie was consuming is not just illegal for a professor like myself, but it’s much too expensive – as well as unhealthy,” Brooker explained to The Guardian. “So at the weekend I had a six-pack of energy drinks to try and simulate the experience of illegal substances. It made me very jumpy.”

Will he be dedicated enough to rock the Tin Machine goatee or Jareth the Goblin King’s crotch-bulge? Only time will tell. Check out a few photos of Brooker as Bowie followed by a video explaining his project below.

[h/t Consequence of Sound]