While David Bowie will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the all time greats, whose contributions to music and art shaped and influenced the whole world, his off-beat sense of humor has largely slid under the radar.
Yeah, David Bowie made some of the most cerebral, intense, and ground-breaking stuff of all time, while secretly being really funny. Whether it’s his 2001 cameo calling the walk off in Zoolander, or his early song “The Laughing Gnome,” in which he hangs out with an obnoxious screeching gnome for four minutes, Bowie has never been afraid to express his sense of humor. In a particularly memorable and hilarious cameo, he destroyed Ricky Gervais in song during a 2006 episode of Extras.
In the episode, called “David Bowie,” Ricky Gervais plays an egocentric and minimally successful actor who complains to David Bowie about his trivial problems after catching him in the VIP section of a bar. Bowie listens politely until inspiration strikes.
With a twinkle in his eye, Bowie takes to the conveniently placed VIP section bar piano to improvise, on the spot, a song called “Little Fat Man Who Sold His Soul,” all about how pathetic Ricky Gervais is. It’s not long before everyone in the bar gathers around and begins to sing along.
Watch:
[A.V. Club] Featured image via screen grab
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