Hunky Dory

david bowie arrived at the Hunky Dory cover shoot with a book of photographs of Marlene Dietrich: a perfect metaphor for the album’s visionary blend of gay camp, flashy rock guitar, and saloon-piano balladry. Bowie marked the polar ends of his artistic ambitions with tribute songs to Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol. On “Life on Mars?” he sings to all the weirdos like himself, who feel like aliens on Earth.