In October 1973, David Bowie appeared for the last time as Ziggy Stardust at the “1980 Floor Show” (Get it? 19-Eighty-Floor? 1984?), a surreal cabaret he curated at London’s famed The Marquee Club. Some of the extravaganza was later broadcast on NBC TV’s “The Midnight Special.” Above, Bowie and Marianne Faithful performing the delightful Sonny & Cher number “I Got You Babe.” Bowie later said:
There were a lot of clubs to go to in the Soho scene in the 60’s but The Marquee was top of the list, because musicians did hang out there, pretending to talk business and picking up gigs – but picking up girls mostly. One of my keenest memories of The Marquee in the ’60’s was having a permanent erection because there were so many fantastic looking girls in there, it was all tourists, especially in summer, all flocking to London to get an R&B star. My final performance of Ziggy Stardust was at The Marquee. I wanted to go back there because I had so many good memories over the years. We changed the place completely and for 3 days we filmed what became ‘The 1980 Floor Show’. I had The Troggs on with me and then got Marianne Faithfull to duet with me on a version of Sonny & Cher’s ‘I Got You Babe’. I dressed Marianne in a nun’s habit with the back cut out and I dressed as the Angel of Death!
(via r/obscuremedia and The Ziggy Stardust Companion)
