The fall and rise of the alter ego

From Ziggy Stardust to Sasha Fierce, what does reinventing yourself do for your career?

ROUNDUP. With the release of her latest album, “I am ... Sasha Fierce” Beyoncé Knowles isn’t the first to attempt confusing and alienating fans with the strange re-branding technique of creating the alter ego. Here’s a look at famous aliases of music-past.

David Bowie
Alter Ego: Ziggy Stardust
The androgynous, glittery front man for The Spiders from Mars, Ziggy Stardust sported an electric red mullet and outrageous skin-tight costumes while claiming he had come to Earth to give us hope for the five years before the world would end. But by then, Bowie — who was actually born David Jones — cooked up a coked up new persona called “The Thin White Duke.”
Cultural Impact: Ziggy basically invented the glam rock movement in the ’70s and was likely the inspiration for the legions of rock’s alter-egos in years to come, though few could top his bizarro coolness.

Ghostface Killah
Alter Egos: Ironman, Tony Starks
Ghostface, the original stage name of Dennis Coles, comes from the moniker of a character in the 1979 Japan-ese kung fu film “Mystery of Chess Boxing,” but his other alter ego is less obscure. Ironman is derived from the Marvel comic of the same name (different syntax though) and in the comic, Tony Stark is Iron Man’s original identity.
Cultural Impact: Maybe we can thank Ghostface for the Summer of 2008 “Iron Man” craze, and 2009’s forthcoming “Iron Man 2” phenomenon. Otherwise, Ghostface is mostly recognized by his original stage name.

Will Oldham
Alter Ego: Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Billy is only one in a series of monikers the indie-folk artist has adopted over the years, though there is little difference between Oldham and the persona he performs under. Oldham explains that the pseudonym allows “both the audience and the performer to have a relationship with the performer that is valid and unbreakable.”
Cultural Impact: This little nugglette of indie trivia keeps hipsters besting each other at their too-cool-for-school indie shows.

Kool Keith
Alter Egos: Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom, Mr. Nogatco, Mr. Gerbik, Reverend Tom
Previously a psychiatric patient at Bellevue, it might not be a stretch to say that Keith Matthew Thornton’s various alter egos could be a product of some “issues.” Need proof? He had one of his alter egos kill off another of his alter egos in the opening track of his 1999 album, “First Come, First Served.” Just sayin’.
Cultural Impact: Kool Keith had so many aliases that none of them get name-checked as much as Kool Keith himself

Garth Brooks
Alter Ego: Chris Gaines
Once Brooks got bored with singing about his friends in low places, he decided to flesh out his first starring role in a production that was to be called “The Lamb” by creating a greatest hits album by a fictional tortured rocker named Chris Gaines. The album bombed so badly that plans for the film were scrapped, as was this short-lived nom de farce.  
Cultural Impact: Minimal, aside from providing inspiration for the swarmy image of magician Criss Angel.

Miley Cyrus
Alter Ego: Hannah Montana
Given that Hannah was created by a major corporation, and not by Cyrus herself (whose given name is Destiny Hope Cyrus, by the way), there aren’t many differ-ences between the two besides a blonde wig.
Cultural Impact: She is the first alter-ego star to have her own 3-D movie.

Beyoncé
Alter Ego: Sasha Fierce
Knowles says she created this persona to protect “who she really is” when she’s performing onstage. Coming out with an album that divides into two discs, one dedicated to “I am” and the other to “Sasha Fierce,” we are finding the difference between the two boils down to a difference in tempo.
Cultural Impact: We’ll see, but it’s doubtful there will be much, as there’s no difference between the Fierce look and Beyoncé’s (at least kids can buy Hannah wigs). Maybe if she dressed up when she sang “If I Were a Boy” it would be different. Bending genders worked for Bowie.