Damon Albarn - Monkey / Dr. Dee
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Classical Music Rocks! 20 of the best rock and classical crossovers

15. Damon Albarn - Monkey / Dr. Dee
As bandmate to Classic FM's Alex James, Damon Albarn blazed a trail through the 90s Britpop landscape. Who would've thought he would later end up staging a full-blown opera based on a 16th-century Chinese novel, called Monkey: Journey To The West? It clearly wasn't a flash in the pan either, because Abarn also masterminded another opera based on the life of philosopher and scientist John Dee (pictured).