Pop, Iggy

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IGGY POP

Born: James Newell Osterberg; Muskegon, Michigan, 21 April 1947

Genre: Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Brick by Brick (1990)

Singer Iggy Pop's "no holds barred" performing style in the late 1960s with his band Iggy and the Stooges was a precursor to punk rock; most critics credit him with originating the genre, which arrived over a half decade later. It is remarkable that Iggy survived the rowdy ferocity of his early days. Sometimes forgotten in the zaniness surrounding his persona is that Iggy is a witty, intelligent songwriter and a skillful manipulator of live audiences. He has also acted in a variety of film and television roles.

Iggy Pop grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was named after his father, James Osterberg. Both of his parents were schoolteachers. He aspired to be a blues drummer and moved to Chicago as a teenager to be closer to the blues scene. In 1967 he returned to Ann Arbor and tracked down his high school classmates, bassist Dave Alexander, guitarist Ron Asheton, and his brother, drummer Scott Asheton. Osterberg changed his name to Iggy Pop and became the lead singer. They named the band the Psychedelic Stooges, later shortened to the Stooges. While other 1960s groups were singing about love, peace, and harmony, the Stooges quickly made a name for themselves by disharmoniously blasting songs about violence, death, destruction, drugs, and life's malaise. Their stage anarchy included ear-splittingly loud guitars and Iggy's thrashing around on stage while smearing raw meat or peanut butter (some rock observers claim feces) over his body. The thin and emaciated singer showed no hesitancy in diving headfirst into the audience, hurling himself on to shattered glass, or fist fighting with audience members.

After recording two albums, rampant drug use forced the Stooges to disband in 1970. In an effort to beat his own addiction to heroin, Iggy moved to London where he met rocker David Bowie. Bowie produced the Stooges' third and last release, Raw Power (1973). All three albums are considered rock classics by critics, and another release, Metallic K.O. (1976), a recording of their last concert appearance, was released after the band was already in the annals of rock history. The Stooges disbanded in 1974 and Iggy moved to Los Angeles, California, where his mother discovered him wandering the streets in search of a drug fix. She helped place him in a mental institution. Bowie, who was having his own drug struggles, found Iggy and the two musical malcontents decided to move to Germany in an effort to help each other get clean of drugs.

Bowie produced and wrote material for Iggy's next album. He replaced Iggy's earlier grunge with a more refined synthesized rock sound for Iggy's next two releases, The Idiot (1977) and Lust for Life (1977). Despite recurring drug and alcohol problems, this kick-started Iggy's career and he went on to achieve recording success throughout the 1980s. In light of the vile punk rock and heavy metal that came after the Stooges, Iggy, for the first time in his career, began to sound closer to the mainstream.

He built on that trend into the 1990s with the successful album Brick by Brick (1990), which showcases Iggy as a straightforward song interpreter. The album turns introspective and reflects on issues within Iggy's control instead of his characteristic helpless rage. He sings about a determination to do better in "I Won't Crap Out" and is undoubtedly influenced by his own history of homeless wandering when he sings "Home." In moments when he is not screaming, Iggy's voice possesses a clear and appealing sound.

After the raw, edgy releases, American Caesar (1993) and Naughty Little Doggy (1996), Iggy collaborated with the jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood on Avenue B (1999). The album is the farthest departure in Iggy's career. Four of the thirteen songs are meditatively spoken monologues over classical orchestration and the rest are ballads such as the wistful title track or the straight-faced humor in "Nazi Girlfriend."

Fans who attend Iggy's concerts to see him wriggle, writhe, and scream might be surprised to know that his songs have been used in both beer and athletic shoe advertisements. Iggy has also forged a career as an actor and has appeared in numerous films, including The Color of Money (1986), The Crow (1993), Dead Man (1995), City of Angels (1998), and roles on television shows such as The Adventures of Pete and Pete and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also wrote the score to the cult movie favorite Repo Man (1983). His album Beat 'Em Up (2001) made longtime fans happy by returning to the seminal sound of his pre-punk days. Iggy reunited with the Stooges for a concert in California in the spring of 2003.

It is doubtful that many rock superstars anticipate growing old while in the throes of fame, and it is interesting to witness the variety of ways that superstars from the 1960s and 1970s have dealt with middle age and beyond. Iggy Pop, whose physical shape and size have changed little through the years, continues growing to new musical heights.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

The Idiot (RCA, 1977); Lust for Life (RCA, 1977); TV Eye (RCA, 1978); New Values (Arista, 1979); Soldier (Arista, 1980); Zombie Birdhouse (Animal, 1982); Blah Blah Blah (A&M, 1986); Instinct (A&M, 1988); Brick by Brick (Virgin, 1990); American Caesar (Virgin, 1993); Naughty Little Doggie (Virgin, 1996); Avenue B (Virgin, 1999); Beat 'Em Up (Virgin, 2001). With the Stooges: The Stooges (Elektra, 1969); Fun House (Elektra, 1970); Raw Power (Columbia, 1973); Metallic K.O. (Skydog, 1976).