Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode Microphone

Gahan has long been inspired by the work of David Bowie; in fact, he was asked to join Depeche Mode after Vince Clarke heard him perform Bowie’s “Heroes” at a jam session performance. “…Diamond Dogs and Ziggy Stardust were to me, those albums where you sit in your bedroom wondering why you don’t fit in with the rest of the world,” Gahan says. “That’s what I was doing with David Bowie at that age. I had found somebody in him that I could understand, where I felt I was part of his world, when I felt alienated. And I think that’s why Depeche Mode appeals to a lot of people. Somehow it’s comforting, like, ‘You’re not alone.’ You’re not, of course. None of us are. But music is the thing that crosses all boundaries and brings odd people together.”