IGGY POP - BOP TILL YOU FUCKIN DROP

[Alan A Hillier]

The south Bank Show Last Night

What an interesting programme. I was fascinated watching this profile on Iggy Pop.

According to Sir Melvin Bragg, Iggy Pop was born in a trailer park in Michigan in 1947. His parents were well educated and were teachers in the local university ....(trailer trash...hardly)..... When he was just a kid Iggy met a guy who could play something on a guitar, which triggered something in his mind. He always had a slight middle class chip on his shoulder because of his parents and he always felt that the people on his trailer park appeared much nicer than he was.

He always felt that he needed more simplicity??????

In 1952 he started school and eventually in the late fifties he met some kids who knew about Elvis and Dwayne Eddy. He formed his original band the Iguanas and went on to release a cover of 'Hey Mona' it was at this point that he realised that being in a band made him very popular in High School. He also realised at that particular moment that the alternatives to being in a band were fucking boing.

Once again...... according to Sir Melvin, In 1966 Iggy got into the blues and he was a drummer who played for 5 bucks a night, anytime anywhere. He loved the atmosphere of the 'Black' clubs and revelled in the rowdy environment at these gigs and found himself wanting to be like these 'Black' people.

When he realised that he could not be 'black' he smoked his first joint and realised that he could make white delinquent suburban music in his own style.

Apparently ...He had a couple of barren years trying to articulate this new musical form and he eventually settled on a formulae that allowed him to put his 'passion' across to the people.
He then formed a band.........who were totally experimenta.......recording stuff that appeared to most people as irrelevant rubbish (Always a good sign in my book)

This band emerged as the Stooges. They were not particularly musically proficient..... which is a definite punk pre requisite and one of their first offerings.....'NO FUN' is a great example of three finger chord action driven totally by frantic stage frenzy.

Iggy's performance on stage had its own body rhythm..........nobody danced like that.......Did they?

These two songs 'No fun' and 'I wanna be your dog'. launched their whole career. Spotted by someone from Electra records in August 1969 (Same time as Woodstock) the Corperate heads of Electra were totally freaked and they hated Iggy and the Stooges

Diving into the audience frightened many a gig goer and by 1970 Iggy realised that he could never go on stage without 'engaging' with his audience and moving them in some way.........he needed to interact with them which totally freaked out his promoters at these gigs.

35 years later…. he's still the fucking same

Out of control????????Or is it the soul of someone else that drives his performance

By 1970 the John Coltrane influenced album 'fun house' came out and highlighted his drug influenced state

L.A. was the place that 'fun house' was recorded and heroin was just a natural progression from all the recreational drugs that had amused him up until then…As soon as they started using heavily.....Everything fell apart (As it always does)

The management of the stooges just couldn't cope with any of it. The Rock n roll lifestyle was taking its toll "I am you"......................................Yea whatever

Iggy quit the stooges in 1971 where upon he was introduced to David Bowie. Bowie took Iggy to London in 1971 to record his next album, the final Stooges album (James Williamson guitar..........heroin addict Like Iggy) evidently things became more complicated and the track......'Search and destroy' was a signature from this album.

In 1972 the stooges played their only gig in London at the Scala in kings X
Allegedly, a very young John Lydon was in the audience that night.

By 1972 Bowie was introducing the Ziggy thing into his live performances and by 1976 the pistols were performing 'No Fun'......................Full circle. The 'fuck you' generation was truly born and there is no doubt in my mind that Iggy was a major part of that conception (So much, much, more than the Ramones who seemed to take all the credit in the media)

Iggys personal life and his performances were peppered with self-abuse. He would cut himself and bleed for his fans.

Always on a mission to destroy the world.......his performances seemed to articulate not being able to communicate. He was at times, a drug addled mad man......(been there)

In 1974 Iggy suffered a nervous breakdown and the only person to visit him in this troubled time was David Bowie.
Eventually Iggy recovered and they eventually went on the road together and ended up in Berlin on the thin white duke tour. Bowie and Iggy were to live together in Berlin for nearly two years.

Iggy wrote his poems and no doubt Dave listened intently.......being a fan......Bowie was transfixed....and I reckon he learned a lot from the instantaneous Iggy Pop.

Bowie was never aggressive like Iggy ......who was (in My mind) the real deal..........Bowie was always the ultimate courteous professional and simply wanted to suck the essence out of Mr Pop.........(as he had done to Bryan Ferry) who, in his own way always had plenty to give. Bowie on the other hand was controlled......and chillingly controlling.....He felt Iggy's reality so intensely and felt Iggy's power in a way that those who never really live it can only ever imagine.

The Title 'Lust for life'......one of Iggy's best tracks was suggested by Bowie (Apparently)........................

"People with real enthusiasms are prone to getting fucked up"

In my opinion and perhaps with high insight after watching this programme last night , David Bowie (In the 1971 interviews)) seemed to try to accept the glory for 'inventing' the stooges simply by understanding how important they were. Bowie was obsessed by brining them into the main stream..... merely to augment and perhaps emphasise his own judgement but also to align himself with this crazy motherfucker who, but for Bowie's recent notoriety would perhaps have remained a ridiculous and crazy side show in suburban America.

One thing is for sure. Whatever would have happened to Iggy Pop........David Bowie would have remained (As he did) a wide-eyed fan of the undeniable and instinctive talent of this man.

'The passenger' first released as a B-side in 1977 (When I was just a mad 19 year old Finchley Boy) was inspired by part of a poem by Jim Morrison.......Apparently Jim Morison said that
"You can never get out of your own car, but occasionally you can wind down the passengers window"

Iggy has released 10 plus albums in subsequent years

And he openly admits that it’s been "“fucking tough"......

Like our old friends the Stranglers....(And my new mates GOLDBLADE) He's still fucking out there and he's still having fun and If he's the last man standing at the end of all of this crazy fucking journey then he will fucking do for me.....he's still there…he's a survivor.

But hey...back to tonites show

Once more, according to Lord Bragg, Iggy left New York in the nineties. Apparently Iggy was totally disillusioned with the New York scene and in 1998 he moved to a one-bedroom house in Miami Florida.

He's doing all right...........but he still wants to be your dog

It's still there in his guts at 57 years old

I hope it always will be

Al

[theraven1979]

Yeah Al I watched this as well. I thought Melvin dealt with it really well and came accross as a bit of a fan!. Iggy`s influenced so many people and looking back at those clips you can see it shine through with todays "performers". Love the Bowie/Iggy phase - Low is my fave Bowie album.

Jim

[Dom P]

Yeah Al. I love Iggy Pop and have also thougt that Bowie was a musical parasite... very few original ideas are his own. As Iggy said, in response to Bragg suggesting that Bowie was having his own breakdown... "Well (laughing) ... he was very controlled... he always was... kind of together...!" Very interesting perspective... I think Pop was trying his hardest to not blow Bowie's cover... and it was interesting that Bowie didn't comment, I thougt it would have interesting to hear what he made of that period as well, pay tribute... ???

To clarify one point Al makes, I got the impression that it was because of his first joint that he realised he wasn't gonna be able to play drums like the black dudes!

If anyone hasn't got Raw Power buy it now...(or Metallic KO, which has the funniest song of all time: Cock In My Pocket).

[Alan A Hillier]

Yeah Al. I love Iggy Pop and have also thougt that Bowie was a musical parasite... very few original ideas are his own. As Iggy said, in response to Bragg suggesting that Bowie was having his own breakdown... "Well (laughing) ... he was very controlled... he always was... kind of together...!" Very interesting perspective... I think Pop was trying his hardest to not blow Bowie's cover... and it was interesting that Bowie didn't comment, I thougt it would have interesting to hear what he made of that period as well, pay tribute... ???

To clarify one point Al makes, I got the impression that it was because of his first joint that he realised he wasn't gonna be able to play drums like the black dudes!

If anyone hasn't got Raw Power buy it now...(or Metallic KO, which has the funniest song of all time: Cock In My Pocket).

Dom I agree with you to a large extent, but it would seem almost ridiculous for either of us to suggest that David Bowie wasn't (isn't) an original artist (amongst his peers. he was totally fucking amazing), but I don't think that's what either of us is saying.

In my opinion, what Bowie has always been particularly good at is seeing the genius in others and adapting their clever 'mindset' and absorbing their originality; and by so doing, tweaking his own amazing creativity and undoubted musical talent to incorporate their rare natural genius and allowing the energy that these rare people create so easily to become a part of him. To some extent, that is a talent all on it's own.

On that note I will reiterate what I have always thought and that is that great music and fashion trends have always come from the people on the streets, fashion designers who become 'great' and 'innovative' musicians who would like to think that they have changed things, do not sit (in my estimation) for months or years researching urban fashion trends in the British library or wallow in studios in Mustique or Montserrat, they just fucking listen and ultimately .......they feel it'.........All that 'up your own arsehole' obsessiveness comes much later when the royalty cheques are rolling in.

In my opinion, to David Bowie, Iggy Pop represented something genuinely and honestly out of control and Bowie (As you so nicely explained Dom when Iggy was talking about Bowies 'break down') was always in control......a performer, an observer, someone who harnessed the madness of someone who held the wolf by his ears and to some extent your right Dom, Iggy Pop seemed reticent to blow Bowies cover, which (in my book ) is classically symptomatic of the chaotic and honest performer.

These people (Iggy Pop) are very special, they are very rare and they normally self-destruct.

Al

[Dom P]

Absolutely, as Madness once said.

Bowie is on another plane, and the 'harnessing' one is a good fit.

I think we are feeling the same thing... what came out of Berlin was Brilliant, with a capital B.

Heroes is in my Top 3 of all time tunes! played a large part in many of my own 'breakdowns'. Real and imagined.



Dom

[theraven1979]

Again well said Al. I find it amazing that these two "hooked up" - Brilliant stuff.

Jim