James Newell Osterberg, Jr, or Iggy Pop as virtually the whole world knows him, has been in the public eye since the late sixties, first as the outrageous front man for Detroit rock band The Stooges and also as a solo artist in his own right. He first acquired the name Iggy back in high school when he was a member of the band The Iguanas.
It was, however, The Stooges that really sealed Iggy’s reputation and moved him just that little bit closer to the title of legend. Alongside brothers Scott and Ron Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander Iggy led The Stooges through two albums for Elektra records and one album for Columbia. The first two albums, Fun House and the self-titled Stooges, set the template for punk rock, which at the time of their release in 1969 and 1970 respectively, was some seven years away.
The band's final album before disintegrating amidst drug-related problems in early 1974 was the album Raw Power, which was recorded in London in 1973 and produced by David Bowie. Following the recording of Raw Power the band embarked on a series of gigs, which ground to a halt as the band split and Iggy entered rehab.
Following rehab Iggy embarked on a solo career with the initial help of David Bowie who not only produced two albums (The Idiot and Lust For Life), but also played keyboards in Iggy’s live band. Numerous albums and concert appearances followed over the next thirty years before Iggy reunited with the Asheton brothers and re-formed The Stooges. As bassist Dave Alexander had died in the intervening years, former Minuteman bassist Mike Watt filled the gap.
This DVD was filmed in 1986 when Iggy was enjoying a successful period with the release of the Blah Blah Blah album and the hit single Real Wild Child.The film captures Iggy on the tour and away from the stage for a series of interviews that cover his career up to that moment in time. Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton is also interviewed and like Iggy, goes into detail concerning The Stooges and their perception of why the band split.
Filled with archive footage and exclusive interview footage alongside other archive interview footage, some of which is previously unseen, this film paints a full picture of one of rock music’s enduring talents. In light of the recent Stooges reunion this DVD will certainly be of interest to newer Stooges fans.
