Legendary Stardust Cowboy

Norman Carl Odam (born September 5, 1947, in Lubbock, Texas), known professionally as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, is an outsider performer who is considered one of the pioneers of the genre that came to be known as psychobilly in the 1960s.

Early life Odam was interested in space travel from early childhood, recalling that at kindergarten age he "used to look at the moon and [tell himself] that some day man will go to the moon." As a teenager he combined his interests in outer space and the American west to create the name "Stardust Cowboy", adding the word "legendary" because "I am a legend in my own time." The fact that the initials of "Legendary Star Dust", LSD, referred to a popular drug at the time was coincidental; he claims to have adopted the name in 1961, before the drug was popularized.

Odam took up music in his high school years as a means toward popularity and impressing girls. Inspired by Chet Atkins, he learned guitar and also taught himself to play the bugle. After high school he briefly attended college, majoring in electronics.

"Paralyzed" While in college Odam had the idea of "writing a wild song that would captivate everybody." Conversely, critic Toby Creswell includes the song in his book 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them (2005). In 1976, "Paralyzed" ranked 15th in the first ever Festive Fifty, a top 50 list documenting the favourite songs of listeners of John Peel's radio show. Classical pianist Paul Lewis considers the song his guilty pleasure.

Later career Odam was invited to appear on other programs but these were canceled because of a musicians' strike that halted live television performances. By the time the strike was over, his 15 minutes of fame had lapsed. Historian Rob Weiner of Texas Tech University considers Odam's musical career "a product of desperation," a result of the adage that "there is nothing to do in Lubbock". "Paralyzed" went on to be featured on several Doctor Demento compilations, and it often appears prominently in lists of the worst recordings ever made.

Odam has continued recording intermittently since "Paralyzed" and released several albums and singles. "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship"—an LSD-tinged satire of "I Thought About You"—was covered by longtime fan David Bowie on his Heathen album. Odam, who was largely oblivious to Bowie's fandom of his work, returned the compliment by recording his version of "Space Oddity". Bowie himself said that the term "stardust" in "Ziggy Stardust" is taken from The Legendary Stardust Cowboy. On a live online chatroom in his own Internet service provider, BowieNet, Bowie was asked where he had discovered the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, to which he replied: "When I first joined Mercury Records in the late 60s, he was one of the only other artists they had. And they gave me his entire catalogue, which at the time was three singles. I immediately fell in love with his music. Well actually, the IDEA of his music. As the music itself wasn't too recognizable as being such." Bowie has often mentioned his love for Odam's music.

A documentary of Odam's career, entitled Cotton Pickin’ Smash! The Story of the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, was prepared during the late 1980s. It remains unreleased commercially but is occasionally viewed non-commercially.

Odam currently resides in San Jose, California. In keeping with his passion for space, he has worked for a private contractor that works with NASA In May 2007, he played at the David Bowie High-Line festival in New York City at Bowie's invitation. Weiner said that Odam has never returned to perform in Lubbock, having believed that his hometown, where he first gained experience by playing in parking lots to draw an audience, offered him little encouragement. titled For Sarah, Raquel, and David: An Anthology. The names refer to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; Raquel Welch, actress; and performing artist David Bowie, all longtime fans of The Ledge's work.

In 2020, Jeff Feuerzeig began work on a documentary on Odam's life, which will feature interviews with Odam interspersed with animations based on interviews of people close to him. It is being developed in the vein of Feuerzeig's previous film The Devil and Daniel Johnston. No release date was set , as production had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discography Singles 1968: "Paralyzed"/"Who's Knocking on My Door", Psycho-Suave; Mercury 1968: "I Took a Trip (On a Gemini Spaceship)"/"Down in the Wrecking Yard", Mercury 1968: "Kiss and Run"/"Everything's Gettin' Bigger But Our Love", Mercury 1989: "Standing in a Trashcan"/"My Underwear Froze to the Clothesline", Spider 1991: "Relaxation"/"I Ride a Tractor", Norton 1992: "I Hate CDs"/"Linda", Norton 2005: "Hot Tub Teddy", Classic Bar Music split With The Altamont Boys / The Western Dark 2017: "'Twas the Night Before Christmas (flexi disc with Christmas card)", Vollmond Flexis

EP 1969: Donna Plus Apollo, Crazed Bop Records

Albums Rock-It to Stardom (1984), Luna/Amazing Retro Rocket Back to Earth (1986), Spider/New Rose The Legendary Stardust Cowboy Rides Again (1989), New Rose Retro Rocket Back to Earth / Rides Again (1991, two albums combined on one CD), New Rose Live in Chicago (1998), Pravda Tokyo / The Legendary Stardust Cowboy and The Altamont Boys (2003), Cracked Piston Records Paralyzed! His Vintage Recordings 1968-81 (2006), EM Records For Sarah, Raquel, and David, An Anthology (2011), (2-CD) Cherry Red Records Oh What a Strange Trip It’s Been on a Gemini Spaceship (2016), Impetus Records