The Thin White Duke alleged to be a Nazi salute. Bowie denied this, saying that he was simply waving and the photographer captured his image mid-wave. As early as 1976, Bowie began disavowing his allegedly pro-Fascist comments and said that he was misunderstood. In an interview that year in the "Daily Express", he explained that while performing in his various characters, "I'm Pierrot. I'm Everyman. What I'm doing is theatre, and only theatre... What you see on stage isn't sinister. It's pure clown. I'm using myself as a canvas and trying to paint the truth of our time on it. The white face, the
Calgary White Hat yourself". As of 2009, white hats accounted for approximately one-quarter of Smithbilt's annual sales, with yearly sales figures of 20,000 handmade wool and fur hats and 40,000 imported straw models. A white hat is also worn by each year's Calgary Stampede Queen in place of a crown; she and her ladies in waiting decorate their hats with jewels and pins. Calgary White Hats were worn by the Canadian Olympic team at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. In 1983, the city held a contest to design a new flag. The winning entry depicts a red field