Rebel Rebel

Ending the year with David Bowie and one of my favorite hometown tales.

In August, former president Donald Trump and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani joined a long list of people immortalized in mugshots.

And they were glorious.

The expressions were fascinating and reminded me of one of my favorite mugshots: David Bowie's.

Bowie's arrest happened in my hometown of Rochester, New York.

On a Friday night in 1976, Bowie and Iggy Pop, who our newspaper identified as James Osterberg Jr., played our arena, then known as the War Memorial.

Pop and Bowie and several members of Bowie's entourage were arrested in a hotel after the concert in charge with marijuana possession.

Reports say they had about a half pound of pot.

Back then, that was a low-level felony.

Bowie bailed everybody out.

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He drove to Springfield for his next show that night.

Word spread of Bowie's arrest and his arraignment a few days later.

About 200 fans showed outside a Rochester, New York courtroom to greet him, minutes before he pled not guilty.

After a quick chat with a lawyer, Bowie made a six-ish hour trip to New York City in a limo.

The limo, which was parked outside his lawyer's office, was ticketed for parking in the space for too long.

iggy pop marijuana

But as the Democratic & Chronicle described, a plainclothes officer took the ticket and put it in his pocket.

A few months later, Bowie faced a jury.

He wasn't indicted.

And that's the last time that David Bowie set foot in my hometown.

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And have you ever had a mugshot taken of you?

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