Since his heartbreaking death in 2016, there has been a tendency in some quarters to exaggerate the sincerity of David Bowie. But depicting him as a sober, profound intellect distorts reality, disguising the fact that, in truth, Bowie was a very, very funny man.
There’s lots of evidence for the claim, whether it’s one of his many myth-deflating 1990s interviews, his hilarious appearance on Ricky Gervais’ Extras or that oft-shared pre-fame appearance as president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men at age 17. Bowie’s keen sense of humour was rarely far from the surface.
