The Diamond Dogs  were all little Johnny Rottens and Sid Viciouses, really , Bowie later explained. In my mind & they were these gangs of squeaking, roller-skating, vicious hoods with Bowie knives and furs on, and they were all skinny because they hadn't eaten enough, and they all had funny-coloured hair.

Diamond was, according to legend, Sir Isaac Newton's favourite dog, who, by upsetting a candle, set fire to manuscripts containing his notes on experiments conducted over the course of twenty years.