Dr Glam lends his name and attitude to Dr Ian Chapman’s new programme on OAR FM Dunedin.
Dunedin musician, educator and motivational speaker Dr Ian Chapman is keeping the spirit of alter-ego Dr Glam alive through a new radio show and podcast.
Dr Chapman said The Sparkly Show with Dr Glam on OAR FM Dunedin was a celebration of “the awesomeness of the arts”.
The programme would delve into the motivations for making and consuming art, with a focus on art’s transformative and healing qualities.
Silvery statuesque rocker Dr Glam is rarely seen in performance these days but remains integral to Dr Chapman’s positive approach to life.
“My story is a bit unusual, in that I became self-actualised through dressing up in skin-tight Lycra, adopting a huge wig, lots of make-up and platform boots,” he said.
“But Dr Glam is still of value to me and I hope there are aspects of him that are helpful to other people.”
Dr Chapman has written, performed and lectured extensively on David Bowie’s influence on his own musical and professional life. Bowie’s glam-rock schtick was a “glittering example of someone who says you can take control and make your own life better.”
“That was hugely important for me as a teenager who was bullied, at a time when things were going very wrong in my life.
“The message was, if life is crap, reinvent yourself.”
The Sparkly Show would include interviews with established and emerging musicians, visual artists, actors, jewellers and sculptors, and include insights on how others have coped with difficult times in their lives.
“Sometimes artists will channel ways of coping into their art, and through their art we can make sense of the world and find empathy with others.”
The Sparkly Show with Dr Glam airs every second Thursday at 6pm on OAR 105.4FM and 1575AM, with podcasts available from oar.org.nz, Google podcasts and Apple podcasts.