Iggy POP / David Bowie connection

I am living proof that people do not grow older... some just decide to MAKE themselves old. I am not one of those. I must be the world's most funky granny! I have just received IGGY POP 'LIVE AT THE AVENUE B' plus DAVID BOWIE 'SERIOUS MOONLIGHT' plus IGGY's 'The Anthology' and can't wait to get home to watch the DVDs and listen to the CD.

Will let you know what I have discovered about IGGY and his persona as well as the Bowie/Pop connection. I needed to have the media mentioned above to have a good look at the meta communication. I want to see the REAL people under the image... Wonder if that is possible this way???

What can you tell me about this connection?

Testing the new Avatar for my profile

The Bowie / Iggy connections are many and varied.
A potted history -
Bowie first became aware of the Stooges back in 1970, and first met Iggy in the autumn of 1971. He persuaded his manager to sign Iggy.
Pop and James Williamson travelled to London in March 1972 to make a record, but after auditioning various English musicians decided to call up the Ashetons instead. And that gave us Raw Power and the new version of the Stooges.
Bowie and Iggy remixed Raw Power before it was allowed to be released, but DB saw little of Iggy after that until 1975 when he visited Iggy who was incarcerated in the UCLA Neuropsychiatric ward. Not long afterwards they attempted some recordings togther, which came to nothing.
Some time later Iggy travelled with Bowie on the 1976 Station To Station tour and wound up with DB in Paris in the summer of 1976 to record The Idiot. This led to the duo moving to West Berlin in the autumn of 1976 where they rented apartments in the same block.
March 1977 saw the release of The Idiot and the accompanying tour on which Bowie polayed keyboards. Tour over and the duo and the live band recorded Lust For Life.
They drift apart though Iggy spends time with the Bowie entourage during the UK leg of the 1978 tour and Bowie attends a few Iggy concerts between 1977 and 1981, and spends a controversial day at the Soldier sessions in 1979.
They gradually lose touch but hook up again in 1984 after Bowie's version of China Girl earns Iggy enough to retire for three years. Iggy spends time with DB and family on holidays and trips around the world and appears on DB's 1984 album Tonight.
In 1985 Iggy and Bowie start work on a new collaboration - Blah-Blah-Blah, after Bowie is very impressed with Iggy's demos made with Steve Jones. The Jones tracks are almost all discarded as DB comes up with a load more tunes for the album. Iggy's career is reinvigorated hugely.
Since then, however, they have drifted apart. Iggy has been in much more control of his career and Bowie's work doesn't feature in Iggy's vision.
They are apparently still in sporadic contact, but no longer the great friends that they were.
Cheers,
Richard

VERY WELL PUT ! I couldn't have put it any better

Cheers

It's worth pointing out that Iggy and David actually lived in the same apt in Berlin, at 155 Hauptsrasse in Schoneberg. They had moved there earlier than most people think, I don't have the dates on me, but they were already living in the flat when Bowie went off to record Low, around the summer of 1976.

This was perhaps the closest either of them had been to another human being - altho of course Iggy had lived with all the Stooges at the Funhouse back in 1968-1971. The two of them, together with Bowie's PA Coco Schwab were inseparable, and would walk around Berlin together, going to galleries, bars, or lunching down at the Wannsee.

Iggy finally got his own apartment in the Hinterhof - the servants quarters behind Bowie;s block - in June 1977, once he got money from RCA for Lust For Life. David finally moved out of Berlin in late 78 - if memory serves, there was a last gathering for Christmas dinner in Christmas that year. Iggy stayed on in Berlin for another year, living with Esther Friedmann.

Both of them have cited that period as one of the happiest in their lives - Bowie felt "a joy of life and a real feeling of release nad healing", while Iggy describes him as "the happiest creature in the world at that time."


Since that time, there were actually many moments when David would drop in on Iggy or offer him help. His assistance and respect for Iggy was more sincere, and more enduring than most people recognise. But I reckon it would be fair to say that David's respect for Iggy is ultimately greater and more enduring than Iggy's respect for David. Of course, it was genuinely traumatic for Iggy, putting out great albums like Lust For Life, which had only modest success, while David was filling stadiums worldwide...

Thank you for all that information. I have been wanting to sort the situation out in my own mind and you have thrown plenty of light on it for me.

I get that DB could tend to patronise IP and maybe even imasculate the person of IP who to me is the most masculine stage image I have seen in someone who wants to regularly give the impression of being gay or bi.

I am glad IP is breaking away from DB.

A reason for DB filling stadiums more effectively than IP seems to me that DB cuts an image acceptable to a greater public sample. By that I mean DB is more conventional in his appearance and his themes appeal to 'most' people. My one nerdy computer boffin brother is crazy about the DB 'Never Ending Story' video ........ (Can't say I didn't enjoy watching it ) and IP will appeal to a rather avant garde, experimentally brave and broadminded sample of public.

Now for my final comment:

I could NOT switch the Iggy DVD off - I was rivetted to the screen, so to speak - ie, Iggy is exciting! Yet I looked at a bit of DB, decided his hands were too small and iffeminate and that his eyes were cold and the stage just a bit too orderly.... His frontline of fans was almost entirely female and they adored him..... BUT I had no trouble switching off and putting the DVD away.

I am entitled to my opinion ......... and I do have my preferred taste in both men and music. Must admit though that a lot of IP's lyrics are hair raising, but I admire his artistic bravery and have decided that he is MUCH warmer and more genuine than DB.

Ashtari




PS - The word avatar, to me, means "that which represents someone" (in this case, myself) Not so? Well, the avatar is a pic of myself taken on Friday the 13th this year at our offices, I am representing the 'Fairy of Good fortune' So.... how many of you thought it was Ron in drag? I do look a bit like him, don't I? Perhaps it is the glasses

I notice you all have pictures of Iggy as your avatar - If you want me to conform... just drop me a note and I will put in my favourite Iggy pic

Quote :

I notice you all have pictures of Iggy as your avatar

ALL?


Yeah, I'm the outlaw here. But hell, the rest of the bend deserves some recognition too.

Many girls thought Rock Action was the sexiest stooge... his drumming's under-rated, too. Only thing I would criticise is his van-driving skills...

http://www.trynka.net/Site/Open_Up_Blog/CBA9B6F8-E276-47BD-BD51-6D15E8DABDA3.html

Is that the same story that is in Please Kill Me?!?! Or is that a different one?!?!

Excellent excert Paul.

heavy liquid wrote:

Is that the same story that is in Please Kill Me?!?! Or is that a different one?!?!

Do you mean the van crash? I think Please Kill Me might have mentioned the same incident (the interview is mine, I didn't use anyone else's interviews in the book except where specifically credited). It's been reported before, including in my MOJO story from 1996. But I couldn't leave it out, of course - in OU&B you also get a hilarious story from Steve Mackay, who ended up playing drums that night in place of Rock Action...

We used to drive under the bridge in Ann Arbor that the Stooges smacked into all the time. There's a big dent in the bottom which local legend attributes to them.

jneilnyc wrote:

We used to drive under the bridge in Ann Arbor that the Stooges smacked into all the time. There's a big dent in the bottom which local legend attributes to them.

there's a pic in the link above. Looks like its been smacked into a few times...

gotta love the way you all banter.

BTW - I didn't have time to search the whole site once I went into the Iggy/Dale Carnegie-esque interview page.... where is it exactly, I can relate totally to Iggy's ability to charm everyones pants off..... it's not propitiation in any way, but rather a survival technique/tool. It is a way of relating to that person and getting onto their wave-length - in Scientology it is called ARC (Affinity, Reality, communication) How to communicate with affinity to another terminal about their reality.



Ashtari


PS So many blank avatars today... You are allowed to put in some THING which represents you.... sortof like a Self Portrait... Horses, Motor bikes, Beer, Sunsets... But I would prefer to see the real you(s)... wink wink nudge nudge

Paul T wrote:

Many girls thought Rock Action was the sexiest stooge... his drumming's under-rated, too. Only thing I would criticise is his van-driving skills...

http://www.trynka.net/Site/Open_Up_Blog/CBA9B6F8-E276-47BD-BD51-6D15E8DABDA3.html

I'd be honored to have Scott play drums in my band, but I'd hire someone else to transport the gear.

Man sure can beat the skins though. Underrated is absolutely right!

Just read this in Trynka's boo:
Here's Mick Ronson (via Trynka) on the switch to a lower register in Bowie's voice between 1974-and 1976:"Well, you know why that was,don't you?"[Trynka mentions Iggy to Ronson]
Ronson:"Sound like Iggy? He wanted to be Iggy!"

Don't know why this never occured to me, considering how high Bowie's singing was in the Hunky Dory/early Ziggy days, compared to later on...