The World According to Iggy Pop

02/02/2012
. (Gibson) Carrying the "Godfather of Punk" torch can be a heavy burden, but Iggy Pop has proved up to the task for 40-plus years. Whether delivering an iron-fisted, metallic k.o. of a show with The Stooges, or offering up unpredictably eclectic solo albums (witness his 2009 "near-jazz" release, Preliminaires), the 64-year-old icon always has marched to a beat indecipherable to anyone but himself. In interviews, Pop has never shied from tough questions, especially when they pertain to his life and his music. In the quotes below, he waxes philosophical on his legacy, his childhood and the role that peanut butter played in his career.

On how he developed his passion for music, as told to Clash Music in 2010: In junior high, about the same year I was voted Most Likely to Succeed, I played my first gig on drums. I already loved music and was pretty nuts about doing it around the house all the time, and in the school orchestra. My dad loaned me the money to buy a [drum] kit, and I had a friend who had a guitar and an amplifier. We learned some Sandy Nelson and Ray Charles songs and we played as a two-piece in a talent show. Right away my life changed: people liked me better!

On how he became "Iggy Pop," as told to Esquire in 2007: I had a nickname [Iggy] that I couldn't escape around town, and it was torture. Then my band opened for Blood, Sweat & Tears. I think the entire band got 50 dollars total. Afterwards a huge piece was written about us in the Michigan Daily. In this story, the writer calls me "Iggy." I was like, "Oh, [expletive]. We got all this press, but they're calling me Iggy." What could I do? I knew the value of publicity. So I put a little "Pop" on the end. Took me 30 years to make what I wanted out of the name. more on this story

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