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Michael Stipe and Michael Stipe’s Enormous Beard Cover David Bowie’s ‘Man Who Sold the World’

Merry Christmas! In advance of his appearance at this week’s series of David Bowie tribute concerts, Michael Stipe visited The Tonight Show on Tuesday to perform a haunting rendition of Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World,” a song that’s seen some other notable covers over the years. The real star, though, was Stipe’s gigantic retirement beard, which gave the former R.E.M. frontman the air of a Prospero at a well-regarded regional Shakespeare festival. It must have started to grow a long, long time ago.

See Michael Stipe Cover ‘Man Who Sold the World’