Iggy Pop

James Jewell Osterberg, Jr, better known as Iggy Pop (born April 21, 1947) is an American singer, famous as the frontman of The Stooges and as a solo artist. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential musicians in punk rock.

Born in Muskegon, Michigan, he began his musical career as a drummer in different high school bands. One band was The Iguanas, where he acquired the name Iggy. After exploring local blues-style bands he eventually dropped out of the University of Michigan and moved to Chicago to learn more about blues. Inspired by Chicago blues, as well as bands like The Doors, he formed The Stooges and adapted his name to Iggy Stooge. The band was composed of Pop on vocals, Ron Asheton on guitar, Ron's brother Scotty Asheton on drums, and Dave Alexander on bass. After almost two years they made their debut in Ann Arbor, Michigan (where Pop grew up).

One year after their debut, The Stooges were signed to Elektra Records in 1968. The band recorded their first two albums and picked up three new members. The Stooges first two albums, The Stooges and Fun House, sold poorly, although they had a lasting influence on the burgeoning punk rock movement. Shortly after the new members joined the band broke up because of Pop's growing heroin addiction.

David Bowie salvaged Pop's career by producing an album with The Stooges' original lineup, the punk rock landmark Raw Power, in 1973. After the release of the album a new member was added to the band and Bowie continued his support, but Pop's drug problem persisted. The Stooges' last show ended in a fight between the band and a group of bikers, documented on the album Metallic KO. Drug abuse put his career on hold for a couple of years. Former members of The Stooges either died of drug and alcohol abuse or moved on to other bands.

Despite Pop's lingering drug problems, Bowie continued his support. Bowie and Pop relocated to Berlin. Pop signed to RCA and Bowie helped write and produce The Idiot and Lust For Life, Pop's two most acclaimed albums as a solo artist. Among songs they wrote together were "China Girl" and "Tonight", both of which Bowie performed on his own albums. Bowie also played keyboards in Pop's live performances, some of which are featured on the album TV Eye, and helped Pop focus on his career. Another live album featuring Bowie on keyboards is 1977's Sister Midnight. Pop was signed to Arista Records and released more solo albums, such as New Values, Soldier, and Party. His drug habit varied in intensity, but remained, during this period.

In 1983 Pop took a three year break, during which he overcame his heroin addiction and got married. He returned to music in 1986 with the new wave-influenced Blah Blah Blah, featuring the single "Real Wild Child". Along with his new solo career, he also became interested in acting, in which he had dabbled before but never pursued seriously. To date, Pop has been in fifteen movies, including Sid and Nancy, The Color of Money,Hardware (1990), The Rugrats Movie, Snow Day, Coffee and Cigarettes—Somewhere in California, and Dead Man. He has been featured in five television series, including Miami Vice, Tales from the Crypt, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Although Pop had nothing to do with the movie, Ewan McGregor's sexually ambiguous, drug-fueled character in Velvet Goldmine is considered by most critics to be modeled on him.

Pop has been profiled in four rockumentaries and composed songs for eighteen soundtracks, including Crocodile Dundee and Trainspotting.

In 1995 he remixed Raw Power to give it a rougher, more hard-edged sound; fans had complained for years that Bowie's production was too slick and generic. He co-produced 1999's Avenue B with Don Was, and produced 2001's Beat 'Em Up, with members of Guns n' Roses and The B-52's. Pop's latest album, 2003's Skull Ring, features collaborations with Sum 41 and Green Day, as well as the Asheton brothers. He also made a guest appearance in electroclash artist Peaches's song ""Kick It."

Pop earned a place in punk rock history by popularizing many of the stage routines that are now commonplace among musicians: He was among the first to stage dive and crowd walk, for example. Some of his stage antics have yet to have been topped by even the most "outrageous" of contemporary bands: among other things, in his prime he was known to cut himself and roll around in peanut butter on stage, and is rumored to have once had sex with a fan in front of an audience.

Although Pop has never had a Top 10 album or best-selling single, his impact on rock music is immense; musicians who have claimed him as an influence include The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Nirvana and The Misfits.

Contents

1 Discography 1.1 With The Stooges 1.2 Solo 2 External links

Discography

With The Stooges

• The Stooges (1969)
• Fun House (1970)
• Raw Power (1973)
• Metallic KO (1976)
• Skull Ring (2003)

Solo

• Kill City (1976)
• The Idiot (1977)
• Lust for Life (1977)
• Sister Midnight (1977)
• New Values (1979)
• Soldier (1980)
• Party (1981)
• Zombie Birdhouse (1982)
• Blah Blah Blah (1986)
• Instinct (1988)
• Brick by Brick (1990)
• American Caesar (1993)
• Naughty Little Doggie (1995)
• Avenue B (1999)
• Beat 'Em Up (2001)

External links

• Iggy Pop homepage (http://www.iggypop.com/)
• IMDB page for Iggy Pop (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006563/)
• Iggy Pop Biography on Allmusic (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:6247gjwrj6im~T1)de:Iggy Pop

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