We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about David Bowie, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the singer and performer that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: One of His Album Covers Features Twiggy. Bowie fits right in next to Twiggy in overexaggerated make up for his cover for Pinups, which came out in 1973.
Number Seven: He Turned Down Nile Rodgers. Rodgers auditioned to play guitar in Bowie’s band in 1975; however, he did not get the part. Rodgers did, however, go on to produce Bowie’s biggest-selling album of all time, Let’s Dance.
Number Six: He Has Some Interesting Alter Egos. Perhaps the most interesting and notable of these alter egos is Ziggy Stardust, but some other identities he has assumed include Aladdin Sane, Major Tom, Halloween Jack, and John Merrick.
Number Five: He Worked With Luther Vandross. Bowie hired Vandross to create vocal arrangements for 1975’s Young Americans. He also sang backup on the album.
Number Four: Bowie Hated “Little Drummer Boy.” Though Bowie is part of one of the most popular duets involving “Little Drummer Boy,” he actually is not a fan of the original song. The duet he ended up singing with Bing Crosby is called “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy,” and Bowie reportedly would only agree to do the duet if Crosby sang another song.
Number Three: He Was a Gurgling Baby. In the now cult classic movie Labyrinth, Bowie provided the voice of the gurgling baby in the song “Magic Dance.” Bowie also played the character of Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988.
Number Two: He Did Not Perform “Under Pressure” Live Until 1992. It’s true! Bowie first performed “Under Pressure” in front of a live audience at Freddie Mercury’s tribute in 1992. He performed the song as a duet with Annie Lennox and backed by the surviving members of Queen.
Number One: He Released the First Downloadable Single. In 1996, Bowie exclusively released “Telling Lies” on his website. It became the very first single from a major artist that was downloadable.