Iggy Pop

For more than 40 years, rock `n’ roll has played an integral role in the cultural development of the modern world. In the past 30 years, one guy has quietly assumed an equally integral role as an innovator and icon to at least two generations of rock enthusiasts, both musicians and fans alike. No other performer has traveled along the chaotic road of success like this individual. While many have been in the trenches at the front line of rock `n’ roll, very few have been pushed back in again (and again). There have been a select number of survivors…but only one with the scars to show for it, and one with the determination to keep moving forward as an artist.
– Iggy Pop.

Born in Muskegon, Michigan on April 21, 1947 as James Newell Osterberg, Iggy Pop grew up a shy, introverted kid in a small trailer park with his parents, not far from Ann Arbor, Michigan. From the mid 1960’s, as the drummer for his high-school group, The Iguanas – to leader of the bastard-child band of the late-60’s, The Stooges – to the unpredictable solo artist who has spanned the last 20 years – Iggy Pop has consistently challenged the rock `n’ roll establishment. The Stooges, with their anarchistic blend of the Blues and uncontrollable energy, were considered banal, three-chord noise to most critics but ahead of their time to their fans. In fact, Raw Power (1973) was in the delete bins at most record stores less than a year after its release. Ironically, in 1987, that infamous album was chosen as one of Rolling Stone’s Top 100 albums – calling it “…an out of control classic.” When his solo career debuted in 1977 with The Idiot and Lust For Life (the David Bowie collaboration albums), critics and fans were surprised by the abrupt change in his musical direction. Iggy did say that The Idiot was more of a cross between James Brown and Kraftwerk. Throughout the late `70s and into the `80s, his solo albums continued to defy any stereotypical expectations. By experimenting with new styles and sounds, along with an ever-changing lineup of musicians in both his recording and touring ensembles, Iggy’s image was constantly changing. Even the change of his hairstyle or hair color seemed to accentuate his artistic expression in that period.

Iggy’s career moved into the 1990s when he signed with Virgin Records and released Brick By Brick (1990), an album that found some mainstream success with his first Top 40 hit, “Candy.” The two albums following Brick By Brick were American Caesar (1993) and Naughty Little Doggie (1996). Nude & Rude – The Best Of Iggy Pop (1997), a true compilation featuring select material from Iggy’s various recordings, reflected on Iggy1s influential musical career. There have been previous attempts to encapsulate his best work, but Nude & Rude is the first to feature songs both from The Stooges and Iggy’s various solo works.

In retrospect, despite his seemingly elusive commercial success over the years, the music of Iggy Pop has persistently and subliminally infiltrated the mainstream musical core, as well as a powerful inspiration for countless musicians. Iggy’s music has been covered by many international artists, pivotal to the music scene themselves – Sex Pistols’ “No Fun” (1977), David Bowie’s “China Girl” (1981), Siouxsie & The Banshees’ “The Passenger” (1987), Guns `N’ Roses “Raw Power” (1993). Most recently, his songs were featured in a global sports ad campaign by Nike (“Search & Destroy”) and as the lead off track for the box-office hit `Trainspotting’ (“Lust For Life”). Iggy Pop is now, genuinely, being discovered by a whole new generation.