January 8th marks the birthday of one of the most creative, free-thinking, and boundary-pushing artists in music history - David Bowie. Through multiple personas and genres, Bowie opened the floodgates of creativity for future generations to come and has made an everlasting impact since his death in 2016.
Here are 15 facts about the cultural icon you might not know:
1. David played almost every instrument on his eighth studio album, 1974’s Diamond Dogs, including the iconic riff to “Rebel Rebel.”
2. His alter-ego Ziggy Stardust was inspired by eccentric British rock star Vince Taylor. “I met him a few times in the mid-Sixties, and I went to a few parties with him,” Bowie told The Independent in 1996. “He was out of his gourd. Totally flipped. The guy was not playing with a full deck at all. He used to carry maps of Europe around with him, and I remember him opening a map outside Charing Cross tube station, putting it on the pavement and kneeling down with a magnifying glass. He pointed out all the sites where UFOs were going to land.”
3. Bowie kept his 2013 album The Next Day so secret that even his own PR team didn’t know he was creating it. He had only two people with him in the studios and made them all sign non-disclosure agreements.
4. David refused to drink tea after having a ‘horrible’ incident when he was 5 years old. The full story has never been revealed.
5. He was supposed to star in a film alongside Michael Caine called, “The Eagle Has Landed,” about a plot to assassinate Hitler. The film was canceled due to scheduling conflicts.
6. The classic collaboration between Bowie and Queen, 1982’s “Under Pressure,” originated from a jam session at Bowie’s studio in Switzerland. Bowie was originally intended to appear on the Queen song, “Cool Cat.”
7. His right pupil was permanently dilated after musician and friend George Underwood punched him in the eye in a fight over a girl while the two were in school together.
8. Despite popular belief, Bowie's eyes were not actually different colors. One appears that way because of his fight with George Underwood.
9. Bowie’s real name was David Robert Jones but changed his performance name to not be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees, who were at the height of their popularity at the time.
10. A young Luther Vandross contributed the backing vocals to the 1975 soul album Young Americans.
11. David Bowie was 5 feet, 10 inches tall.
12. Bowie shared the same birthday, January 8th, with another music legend: Elvis Presley.
13. John Lennon co-wrote and sang backing vocals on his 1975 hit “Fame,” which was featured on the album Young Americans.
14. Although the two would eventually be songwriting collaborators, Chic founder and guitarist Nile Rogers auditioned to play in Bowie's band but didn’t get the part.
15. "Space Oddity" was his first breakout record after it was used by the BBC in its coverage of the moon landing in 1969.
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