David Bowie: Funk to Funky

He glams it up on 1973’s Aladdin Sane and tackles a complete album of covers with the follow-up Pin-Ups.

Kurt Cobain thought enough of Bowie and 1970’s The Man Who Sold the World to include its title track in his Swan Song MTV Unplugged performance:

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Bowie has conquered the concept album (1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars) and played the part of the ego-obsessed rock star. But he also has written enough catchy pop songs to fill an Ipod Nano. Who wouldn’t put Let’s Dance, Heroes or Golden Years on their playlist?

Beyond the music, Bowie has appeared in everything from the mystical flick Labyrinth to a cameo as “Walk Off” judge in Zoolander and even wrote a special song for Ricky Gervais’ Andy character on the HBO show Extras:

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Maybe he hung out with Trent Reznor, who has said Bowie’s album Low is one of his all-time favorites, a little bit too much in the late ’90s. But with all the attention going to classic rock reunions – the Police, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd – what about the guy who never went anywhere?