Book Description

“Fellow rock stars, casual members of the public, lords and media magnates, countless thousands of people will talk of their encounters with this driven, talented, indomitable creature, a man who has plumbed the depths of depravity, yet emerged with an indisputable nobility. Each of them will share an admiration and appreciation of the contradictions and ironies of his incredible life. Even so, they are unlikely to fully comprehend both the heights and the depths of his experience, for the extremes are simply beyond the realms of most people’s understanding.”

—from the Prologue

The first full biography of one of rock ’n’ roll’s greatest pioneers and legendary wild men

Born James Newell Osterberg Jr., Iggy Pop transcended life in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to become a member of the punk band the Stooges, thereby earning the nickname “the Godfather of Punk.” He is one of the most riveting and reckless performers in music history, with a commitment to his art that is perilously total. But his personal life was often a shambles, as he struggled with drug addiction, mental illness, and the ever-problematic question of commercial success in the music world. That he is even alive today, let alone performing with undiminished energy, is a wonder. The musical genres of punk, glam, and New Wave were all anticipated and profoundly influenced by his work.

Paul Trynka, former editor of Mojo magazine, has spent much time with Iggy’s childhood friends, lovers, and fellow musicians, gaining a profound understanding of the particular artistic culture of Ann Arbor, where Iggy and the Stooges were formed in the mid to late sixties. Trynka has conducted over 250 interviews, has traveled to Michigan, New York, California, London, and Berlin, and, in the course of the last decade or so at Mojo, has spoken to dozens of musicians who count Iggy as an influence. This has allowed him to depict, via real-life stories from members of bands like New Order and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy’s huge influence on the music scene of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, as well as to portray in unprecedented detail Iggy’s relationship with his enigmatic friend and mentor David Bowie. Trynka has also interviewed Iggy Pop himself at his home in Miami for this book. What emerges is a fascinating psychological study of a Jekyll/Hyde personality: the quietly charismatic, thoughtful, well-read Jim Osterberg hitched to the banshee creation and alter ego that is Iggy Pop.

Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed is a truly definitive work—not just about Iggy Pop’s life and music but also about the death of the hippie dream, the influence of drugs on human creativity, the nature of comradeship, and the depredations of fame.

Customer Reviews (13)

Where there's one GLARING ERROR ...
For the most part, I am very impressed by the seeming double checking of facts by the author. He often provides quotes that give differing viewpoints from people who were actually there or who were participants in a situation or event. WHAT WORRIES ME, however, is his quote from the bass player for New Order stating that "Metallic K.O." was playing on the turntable when Ian Curtis hanged himself in his parents home. WRONG IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE!!!!!!!!!!!

Where you been, Paul Trynka? New Order admitted 2 decades ago that Curtis most likely died from an accidental overdose of prescribed medication (for, I believe, diabetes). It may have been a suicide, but it is unlikely.And he certainly did NOT hang himself!!!!! That is the fantasy/legend out of which New Order claimed its fame, which is why they didn't dispel the rumor until they had become quite successful without Curtis.They fessed up in a video has been internationally released (documentary called, I believe, "Ceremony" -- I taped it from TV in the 1980s) and admitted to some extent they should be ashamed of the way they exploited Curtis' death.

Such a glaring error makes me question the validity of other "facts" in the book. I like to think this is the only one, but who knows?

Sex, blood, drugs, rock'n'roll
Some rock stars fade away. Some self-destruct at a young age. Some kept on chugging away despite it all, and are still going today (see: David Bowie and Mick Jagger).

But a few seem to be truly indestructible -- they bounce back from anything, whether it's drugs, madness, or their own genius. And in Paul Trynka's "Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed" is a pretty brilliant look into the chaotic life, influence, and constant ups and downs of one such rocker.

Pop was born Jim Osterberg, to some slightly quirky parents in 1950s Michigan. And Ann Arbor turned out to be the perfect place for him to bloom into a musician -- he became part of the Stooges, a fledgling band that gained and lost contracts like underwear. And they soon developed a reputation for two things: raw, wild, powerful punk, and a tendency to have really wild'n'violent concerts.

And Iggy's own life was just as volatile -- a cocktail of drugs, sex, creative eruptions, and extremely volatile personal life. But as the Stooges fragmented over time, Iggy's own life began seesawing between order and chaos, the bottom of the barrel with the rock'n'roll heights. And even now, as the godfather of punk rock, he spills over with wild energy and creativity.

The core of "Open Up and Bleed" is that Jim Osterberg and Iggy Pop are almost like two different people, like a demon possessing someone's body and making him wreck his life. As Trynka -- and many people he interviewed -- put it, Osterberg is intellectual, polite, clever man, while Pop is a force of self-mutilating destructive chaos.

It actually makes a lot of sense. And Trynka's detailed, intricate recountings get a lot of information from many people who knew Pop -- some fondly, some angrily, and thankfully there's no whitewashing of his personal flaws. But the authorreally makes you feel and see why Pop/Osterberg is such a powerful presence in rock'n'roll, since he poured his body and soul into his work.

And Trynka strikes a nice balance between his work and personal life, outlining marriages, drug problems, possible mental issues (is he or is he not bipolar?), and his repeated rises from the ashes. Despite all the chaos, he also focuses on the quieter parts of Pop's life, such as domestic bliss with Wife No. 2. And occasionally we even get a funny story, such as the "peanut butter sandwich on Iggy's chest anecdote.

One of the best parts of the book is his ongoing friendship with David Bowie. The past bond between these two men is the sweetest part of the book, especially when Bowie and Pop joined forces musically. It's a bit sad when they drift apart.

Trynka also paints a dark, gritty portrait the burgeoning punk scene of the time, as well as the proto-punk ferocity of the Stooges -- they were SO groundbreaking and raw that the record companies didn't know what to do with them. It took decades for them to be appreciated for what they truly were, and for Iggy Pop to be appreciated as a musical pioneer.

"Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed" is not just a biography of a brilliant musician, but a portrait of the rapidly-changing music scene that he first bloomed in. Definitely a must-read for rock'n'roll fans.

Finally: Appreciation for the World's Forgotten Boy
Bowie was obsessed with him. Martin Scorsese tries to insert his unique ambience in to his films. The entire punk and grunge subcultures universally credit him with their progenesis, an honor the man himself openly mocks and disdains. The first time I saw him he appeared on stage like a tornado of flailing arms, legs and other appendages (like the cartoon Tasmanian Devil). The fourth time I saw him, during the second song (a hard, fast, heavy 'Loose') I was absolutely mesmerized by the amount of energy emanating from the stage, and fully understood what he meant by 'Raw Power'...he was practically levitating, hydroplaning on that loud, tight riff as he sneered out the lyric. Later during that same show he went in to the shadows by the side of the stage while his band jammed 'Street Crazies' up to a frenzied enough level that he could step in with the vocal. I will NEVER forget the look in his eyes as he watched them from the wings... unseen by most of the audience. He looked possessed...frightening...very much like the 1982 picture, the same year I saw this concert, of him in the Haiti jungle that appears in Trynka's book, only more like a stalking lion (a closer likeness is the cover of the 'Run Like a Villain' single, which also appears in the booklet with the deluxe re-release of 'Zombie Birdhouse').

Iggy Pop is both the Van Gogh and the Mary Shelly's Frankenstein of rock as an art form. Beyond the obvious allusion to Van Gogh's one-off self mutilation, Iggy has been tormented by (probably more than one) mental and emotional disorders and ailments intermittently throughout his life. This has not only been given regular expression in his work, but is a byproduct of his often dark, hyper-Freudian / apocalyptic view of both himself and the world. Anyone even remotely interested in Iggy cannot help but be intrigued (as Trynka clearly is) by the dichotomy of his feral intelligence, articulation, and vast learnedness/'literateness' when contrasted with his bizarre, inexplicable drug or mental illness (or both) induced behaviour, which is so self defeating and destructive. In that way he is not unlike Jim Morrison, whose theatrics and performance innovations (as Rolling Stone put it) Iggy long ago "eclipsed". And Iggy survived himself.

I make the illusion to Frankenstein because, unlike a split personality where neither one is cognizant of the other, Jim Osterberg's created alter ego Iggy Pop was a very deliberate device or tool he fashioned as a vehicle through which he could give expression to a side of his nature and creative vision that is present in every true artist, but repressed by society and the fear of insanity. I considered 'Jekyll and Hyde', particularly given how the transformative 'drug' of choice (music) caused Jim to lose control over Iggy's emergence in other arenas of his life, but Frankenstein is better because the story includes that dynamic as well as the more distinct autonomy between the two beings that is evidenced by Osterberg's intellect and refinement...even gentleness...versus Iggy's malevolent, insolent, out of control monster let loose on an unsuspecting audience in the form of music and antics (I saw him several times in his hay day). Iggy Pop is, in fact, James Osterberg's ultimate artistic expression and...like another literary character I can't quite put a finger on (perhaps Chekov's protagonist in "The Duel")...the two have learned to live with each other's diametrically opposite 'weaknesses'. In fact one's weakness is the other's strength, and vice versa. Like a creative 'thorn in the side' for each half of the complete being.

On a superficial level, there is no-one with better instincts for a great riff, and in terms of artistic integrity in rock no rival except perhaps Neil Young or John Lydon. For undiscernible but unmistakably resonantmystical sound bytes in a lyric he has no rival except Dylan. As a symbolof rock music's essence he has only one superior...Keith Richards and possibly the 50's era Little Richard.

I go in to this detail because Paul Trynka 'gets' Iggy. His clear design of presenting 'two' protagonists who are concurrently each other's antagonists is brilliantly appropriate. Some critics have called it a hook, device, gimmick, and in so doing betray their ignorance of the subject matter because Trynka instinctively knew (or came to realize in his research) that there is no other way to tell the story.

The only criticisms/disappointments I have (more musical detail of recording sessions and tours, and spotty chronological arrangement) can be completely withheld in light of a.) the concurrent release of Richard Adams' more technical review of Iggy's career via 'The Complete Iggy Pop', and b.) the fact that this would've diluted Trynka's fascinating portrait of the man and his monster. Together these two books give as complete an overview of both the artist and his output that anyone could possibly need.

Very well done Mr.Trynka. I wish you'd been the chosen co-writer of Keith Richards upcoming (2010) autobiography.

well researched
This is a well researched biography of Iggy's life from young childhood to today.I have followed his music since 1969 and his life makes a great story.It is clear that the author is not from Detroit, as there are a few misakes, like referring to Hudson's as a record store, but all in all, it is well worth a read, and includes some awesome pictures.

More than a rock and roll biography
In many respects, this isn't simply a history of a rock and roll star, but far more... the tale of perhaps one of the most interesting characters to have ever walked the Earth. Certainly, the majority of purchasers will be familiar with the career of Iggy Pop and/or The Stooges and they will be left almost fully satisfied. There is more information on their careers here than in any other book.

That said, I would recommend this book to anyone, even those not familiar with Mr. Osterberg's work.

This is one of the rare books that is hard to put down. You just keep going to see what happens next. As would be expected with such a "stranger than fiction" personality, his life and times are the stuff of excellent reading. Additionally, the book is expertly researched and virtually no stone is left unturned.

I have one minor quibble however, and that is the brief documentation of last 10 years (up to the point in time the book was written). While large portions of the book are devoted to The Stooges and collaborations with David Bowie, the late 1990s and early 2000s are only briefly covered. Indeed, the reunion of The Stooges is only given a few pages. If ever there were a "full-circle" moment to a career, this is it and was deserving of more depth than was given here.

That said, the book remains the best ever written on the subject of The Stooges and Iggy Pop's solo career and can be heartily recommended to both fans and non-fans alike. ... Read more

Book Description
The first definitive biography of a veteran performer. A perceptive portrait of the real Iggy according to those who know him best. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

A critical but honest look at Iggy
Joe Ambrose pulls no punches in his biography of Iggy Pop but also gives the man his due as one of the greatest rock artists of all time.Any good biography - of Iggy, Hillary Clinton, Einstein, JFK, etc. - takes the most objective look possible at its subject.Ambrose accomplishes this task as he rightly shows the darker side of Iggy, including his large ego, drug use, and easy ability to discard people in his life (including his original Stooges).However, while Ambrose is critical of the artist he also recognizes the greatness of the art and he clearly respects Iggy's body of work (which is damn impressive!).One aspect of the book I found especially interesting was Iggy's wary relationship with the punk movement (e.g. Sex Pistols, Ramones) that was so clearly inspired and influenced by him.This is a good read and, just as important, a fair acccount of Iggy's life.

classic rock'n'roll writing for intelligent fans
this book is wild, right up there with victor bockris's books on lou reed and patti smith. joe ambrose has taken the bull by the horns and made a serious effort to understand iggy pop, career druf fiend, enthusiastic pro-Regagan Republican, and the maker of some of the finest ever punk rock records. as a lifelong fan of the Igster i was taken aback by some of the less acceptable facts in this elegantly written book but i was still glad to know those facts. i know joe ambrose and regard him as being a generally good and reliable writer with three great novels out. this stuf the drainpipe guy is saying is just sour grapes because joe has some negative things to say about iggy. disfunctional middle aged men like to idolise people like iggy or keith richards but gimmer danger is aimed at the more intelligent readers, interested in culture as much as they're interested in apocryphal tales of on the road excess and "important" ten minute guitar solos.

Not "The Story of Iggy" but a critical take...
...and a rather sad one at that.The other reviewers with low rankings have it pretty much correct.Nothing wrong with a critical view on a subject at book length, but to mix a lot of interesting history with comments like Patti Smith and Iggy Pop throwing away songs that were better than Kurt Cobain's best is almost enough to make one stop reading (but that's 25 pages from the end, so let's perserve on, shall we?).Somebody needs to do this right, but ya know?Just listen to first three Stooges records and ignore books like this or the "autobiography".

Joey can't write! Blah-Blah-Blah!
Generally, the best rock music biographies are written by fans: writers who display an obvious enthusiasm and respect for their subjects, while pointing out their shortcomings. Well, Joe Ambrose admits in his foreword to "Gimme Danger" that he is not an Iggy Pop fan, before laying out his claim that, for most of his career, Iggy has gone corporate and betrayed some kind of authentic (and ill-defined) rock ideal, and that he is really not the relevant and legendary figure he appears to be: an assessment that taints this smug, self-satisfied "biography" for several hundred pages. Ambrose is hell-bent on depicting Iggy Pop as a poseur and as a disloyal, misogynist, fascist, sell-out jerk: a drug-addicted sleazeball first, and a mildly influential singer second. Along the way, Ambrose takes so many cheap and nasty shots at David Bowie that you can't help but wonder when his anti-Thin White Duke tome is due for release (anyone who thinks Bowie's reputation is now "a shadow of its former self" and that Bowie "never strayed far from British pop" shouldn't be allowed to write books about rock music, period). For a writer who purports to be operating from a position of informed rock purism, Ambrose has staggeringly little to say about Iggy Pop's music: He rates highly the albums Iggy made with James Williamson, and several other albums since, but dismisses the majority of Iggy's efforts as either "mediocre" or "overestimated" (the latter is the word he uses to describe masterpieces like "Fun House" and "The Idiot"). Ambrose's opinion would probably mean something if he at least created the ILLUSION that he's listened to Iggy's stuff. Seriously, folks: Ambrose spends an average of a few sentences, and occasionally a lean paragraph, on most of Iggy's albums, and says borderline nil about Iggy's music/lyrics - preferring instead to pore luridly over Iggy's sexual escapades and drug misadventures, like a tabloid writer in heat. Yeah, Iggy's a fabulous lyricist and people love his music, but why bother writing about THAT when you've got pages to fill with Iggy being hoisted up by Elton John in a gorilla costume? Or compressing the entire 1990-2001 period of Iggy's career into one skimpy chapter, including pages of unnecessary attention to the movie "Velvet Goldmine"? Ambrose pompously chastises Iggy without adequate explanation; he says practically nothing about Iggy's relationship with his son Eric; he doesn't think it's important to mention that Iggy was the valedictorian of his class at school; and he conveniently leaves out any material that contradicts his one-eyed take on Iggy (he claims Iggy was disdainful of the bands that emerged from the Punk Rock explosion, yet doesn't use anything from Iggy's famous 1977 interview on Canadian TV that shows an opinion to the contrary; he writes off Iggy's movie acting and choices of film, yet neglects to mention that Iggy starred in a Jim Jarmusch short film that won a prize at Cannes in 1993, etc). Ambrose shows no sympathy or understanding towards Iggy's addictions and genuine mental problems in the 70s; he completely downplays Iggy's boundless sense of fun and irony and self-deprecation; he takes everything Iggy's ever said at face value (his "support" for Ronald Reagan, etc) and basically has nothing to support his smugly iconoclastic claims besides half-truths and his own lame opinions. I don't object to this book because I am a fan of Iggy Pop and David Bowie, and Ambrose is not. I object to this book because it's so poorly constructed: most of the interview material from key players is lifted verbatim in huge chunks from previously published sources (other books; magazine articles; online interviews, etc) and lazily assembled with scant regard for even basic journalistic professionalism. This book reads like it was written in a week. It's also riddled with outrageous opinions and flights of fancy on Ambrose's part, as well as reams of non-truths and factual inaccuracies which expose Ambrose as a dilettante with no sense of fluidity or research ("Real Wild Child" was originally a hit by Johnny O'Keefe, NOT Jerry Allison of The Crickets; Kurt Cobain didn't die in 1993; David Bowie NEVER duetted live with Iggy in 1977, etc...Ambrose even gets Iggy's real name wrong in the first chapter!). This is an amateur book and it's baffling how it got published; unfortunately, since there's a distinct lack of Iggy Pop material in bookstores, people wanting to know more about the Ig will gravitate towards this dreck. Joe Ambrose helpfully, and perhaps naïvely, provides his e-mail address in this book. I don't see the point in airing my grievances with him in private; I think I'd be of more use here, advising everyone to keep their money away from this odious, slapdash exposé. Ironically, Joe Ambrose continually accuses Iggy of whoring himself out for cash - yet "Gimme Danger" is a shoddy, mediocre attempt to blatantly denigrate a popular name and make money for an abrasive "writer" with delusions of self-importance and an obvious lack of aesthetics and literary skill. Thankfully, "Gimme Danger" undermines itself by its appalling wrong-headedness and sheer mediocrity. This book should be junked - it is an insult to Iggy Pop, Iggy's fans, and the entire biographical profession, and Joe Ambrose is a vile, unprofessional hack who should lower himself to dirt.

An expertly researched account
Gimme Danger: The Story Of Iggy Pop is the definitive biography of the "Godfather of Punk" Iggy Pop, perhaps best known for his outrageous stunts on stage, including self-mutilation. Scrutinizing closely a life that swung the pendulum from self-deprevation to extreme hedonism, Gimme Danger unfolds a potrait of a complex musician and artist whose career has left a permanent mark upon popular culture entertainment to this day. An expertly researched account, detailed to the verge of lurid, and recommended for anyone keenly interested in learning more about this charismatic yet unpredictable figure.
... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Alvin Gibbs' account of playing bass on a world tour with Iggy Pop.Two hundred and thirty nights of Iggy Pop performance in major towns and cities across six continents contain the usual drugs and booze and bizarre rock behavior. Follow Iggy around the globe as he • gets stage fright in front of David Bowie • provokes professional Japanese groupies • attends a Guns N Roses party worthy of de Sade

Hanoi Rocks guitarist Andy McCoy got Alvin Gibbs this dream gig with the rock legend, and he kept a thorough scrapbook, including • previously unpublished photos • tour memorabilia ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Genius at Work
Iggy is a genius. This is confirmed by the late Lester Bangs, so no doubts are accepted. (And I agree.) This book covers some two hundred dates in the period 1988-89 his then current band worked. Gibbs, a survivor of the UK Subs, is asked to join the band by Andy McCoy, a Johnny Thunders-inspired fellow from Hanoi Rocks, and then begins a tour that covers small clubs in the hinterland to Texas Stadium to Brazil, Japan, and even parts of the wilds of Canada to New Zealand and Australia. Iggy is married at the time and civilized, and so is merely a ticking time-bomb (as opposed to the usual exploding one), and thus quits cigarettes and hard drinking. (But check out his Miami temptations.) We hear of the life suffered by those forced to live in 5-Star hotels. the horrors of having to say no to groupies, the pain of Iggy taking the author's last bottle of cognac--yet it all adds up to a pleasant and literate read; the work of man who knows what of he speaks and does it well. While all readers with a knowledge of Iggy would await a book by, say, Ron Asheton, this one will do.

Great inside look at Iggy!
In the sleazy, fly-by-night world of rock'n'roll there are many pretenders to the throne, but few true legends. And in that select group of larger than life icons, few can lay claim to having made a deeper impact than one Iggy Pop (a.k.a. James Osterberg). His groundbreaking work as frontman for the explosive Stooges from the late 1960s through the mid-'70s, as well as his later solo albums (including collaborations with David Bowie) challenged the established ideas of how a rock band could look, sound and behave.

By the time Iggy recorded "Instinct" in the late '80s, the L.A. glam metal scene had taken the music biz by storm, and the album's sound perhaps reflected Iggy's desire to fit in commercially after a series of poorly received albums. For the subsequent tour, Iggy assembled a band of seasoned pro's--including former UK Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs and the eccentric ex-Hanoi Rocks guitarist, Andy McCoy. Many months of touring followed in the U.S. and abroad--and while Gibbs indulged in the offstage debauchery, he obviously also observed the goings on around him with a keen eye and ear. The result was "Neighborhood Threat: On Tour With Iggy Pop" a compulsively readable first-hand account of a major rock tour with none of the dirt excised for the faint of heart.

"Neighborhood Threat" unflinchingly captures Iggy at his best and at his worst: onstage, backstage and out on the town. Gibbs also took care to document the real life "Jim Osterberg" side of Iggy, providing a more fully-fleshed portrait of this rock immortal than any other writer. In addition, Gibbs delves into the excesses of ex-bandmate Andy McCoy whose personal demons may have cost him opportunities at greater glory. ... Read more

Amazon.com
With his collection of personal vignettes, I Want More, Iggy Pop gives us a highly charged and stylized view into one of rock music's more colorful and important characters. Ranging from a few terse paragraphs to several pages, the book's sections chronicle the patchwork of Iggy's early life, following Jimmy Osterberg as he makes the complete transformation into Iggy Pop.

While detailing the escapades in his life and career up to the 80s, Iggy's nakedly autobiographical style bridges the public view of the rock innovator (first famous for rolling in glass onstage) with the private man from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who swore that "I will not let myself disappear." We see Iggy high on coke, stabbing himself with drumsticks, and living through what most people can only read about. But by the end of the book, Iggy has become more than a punk rock icon; he has become a real person with a tangible history.

The anecdotes and philosophical musings in I Need More are surrounded by a wide variety of black-and-white photographs as well as lyrics from songs written throughout Iggy's rise to international stardom. The photos are diverse, with baby photos of Jimmy Osterberg and Iggy's first bands, The Iguanas and The Prime Movers, set next to ones taken during Stooges years and during Pop's collaborations with David Bowie. Many of the photos are live and candid, though there are also a number of professional rock portraits familiar to Rolling Stone readers.

I Need More provides an open, honest view into one musician's life at the beginning of the punk rock movement, a musical and political period both inspired and influenced by Iggy and his best band, The Stooges. The book's raw prose manages to capture the excess and power that marked punk rock's rebellion against the establishment, drove the Stooges' sound, and propelled the man and the band to a rock-and-roll recklessness that had been lost in popular music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Iggy.........I still need more.....
It's a great book for Iggy fans, as there isn't much out there- except for lately, which is good, because he's going to retire---- and if you've read CREEM magazine over the years- the best interviews are in there.

Aside from that, you really need to see him LIVE to get the full-on Iggy.

I have the first edition of this, with the cover photo of him kissing the statue.That was worth the price of the book.He also signed it for me, which is nice too.

If you're a big Iggy fan, you'll "get it"if not, go and buy Britney's bio.lol.

:)))))))))))))

Less is not More
If you want a transcript of an interesting cat talking into a tape recorder for a few hours, check this out.Practically no information of interest or entertainment to be had here.Just an extension of style far, far better served by listening to the great music he's produced over the years.Stick to that unless you want a graphically puffed up magazine article, as presented in this "book".

THE IG ON THE IG
Good book. Iggy writes about Pre-Iggy, Iggy and The Stooges, and Post-Stooges. Also some really cool photos as well as lyrics to a few songs.
While Iggy offered some good insight into him and his band, I felt the book was a little unfocused and did not really follow any particular format and was not really in any type of chronological order. I persoanlly feel this book would have been better served with an actual author who could have done a more in depth profile on this true innovator. An author would also have given us a more chronological and more focused book.
It was also dissapointing that the book only covered up til the early 1980's. Who knows what kind of condition and state of mind Iggy was in when he wrote this book.
I still give it 4 stars and reccommend due to the fact that there are not alot of other options and it was cool to hear Iggy in his own words. There are also some cool pics as previously stated.
Hopefully we will soon see a true autobiography by a true author giving Iggy Pop the coverage he so deserves.
Perry

I need more, too
Iggy is the man.. plain and simple. No one will ever be like him. We all know about his crazy stage antics, so I won't get into that.

This autobiography is great. It tells about his life in Detroit, some of his crazy stories, including when he lost his virginity (which is hilarious). He also talks about shows with the Stooges, which is very entertaining. However, the book is short, and Iggy has a unique way of writing. It may take some getting used to, but I recommend this book to any lover of Iggy Pop, the Stooges, or just a good book.

Iggy in his own words!!!
I've got a lotta love, respect, and admiration for a man who keeps rockin' well into his 50's!!! Thank god some people never grow up! Here is the man who fronted the Stooges, pretty much the inspiration for the NY Dolls, the Dead Boys, and much of the punk movement which started during the mid 1970's. Unfortunately the music industry didn't know what to do with the Stooges in 1969, when they released their first album. If you're a Stooges fan, of course you already know that. Iggy is the godfather of punk. If you haven't already read this book, GET IT NOW. It's a must have for any Stooges/Iggy fan. Iggy starts with his life in the trailor park, becoming a crazy rock'n'roller, gigging with the MC5, working with Bowie. Hey, I didn't know Iggy had Nico living with him! The best thing about this book is it's Iggy in his own words. He's a funny guy! His life with and without the Stooges is definitely entertaining, to say the least! Great read! ... Read more

Product Description
In 1972 Iggy Pop & The Stooges flew into London to record a new LP Raw Power. With David Bowie as executive producer, Raw Power proved to be an instant classic. During this time The Stooges, perpetually wasted, performed a single concert in London s Kings Cross. This whole crazed period of Iggy s phenomenal career was captured on camera by one man Mick Rock. An unparalled document of Iggy at the height of both his musical powers and his legendary excesses. Raw Power also serves as a unique visual diary of the heady times which produced one of rock music s most enduring recordings whose famous cover shot captured by Mick Rock is now indelibly established in modern pop iconography. SELLING POINTS: Contains over 200 amazing photographs as well as interviews, conducted between Mick Rock and Iggy Pop in 1972. Originally published by Creation Books in 1999, this new edition with a foreword by Mick Rock and Iggy Pop contains extra previously unseen images and entirely new textual and photo layout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A vividly striking, no-holds-barred look at a 70's rock legend
Raw Power: Iggy & The Stooges showcases the legendary Iggy Pop concert at the Scala Theatre where more than thirty years ago this famous (or infamous) punk rock group were captured by Mick Rock's visceral photography. A minimum of text is interspersed among the full-page black-and-white and color images. More than 200 images, with a foreword by Iggy himself and an interview conducted by the photographer in 1972 comprise is this vividly striking, no-holds-barred look at a 70's rock legend.
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Book Description
When Time Out commissioned renowned photographer Gavin Evans to snap Iggy Pop, he first met with Iggy's stylist, Judy Blame, and explained his ideas about a simple shoot focusing on the man himself. Judy replied instantly, "Sure, we'll just use a feather and a fishnet T-shirt." And that, quite literally, is what happened. The result is a collection of arresting and sometimes risque shots that are more powerful and less constrained, more beautiful and less deliberate than anything you will ever have viewed of Iggy previously. For the thousands of music fans across four generations who worship Iggy — his music, face, body, and attitude — this series of images, gathered in just ninety minutes, provides a startling revelation of the many moods and facets of the man who is Iggy Pop. It is far more revealing, in fact, than many painstakingly researched biographies, revealing the good of rock in all of his multifaceted, transgressive, and energetic splendor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

IggyPop+nearly nude photos of an old dude= Why?
Im not too thrilled with the idea of sitting down and looking through a book of almost nude photos of a dude who is one of my personal heroes. Don't get me wrong, the Stooges are, in my opinion, the greastest rock band of all time. However, I don't know who they were trying to appeal to when they published this book and maybe it doesnt matter, but I guess i'll continue speculating.A star for Iggy

Iggy kicks tushy even after all these yers!
This book, when I initially saw it, was a surprise for me. But the photography is wonderful, as is, of course, the subject.It has rekindled the crush I had on Iggy when I was but a girl, and he was a BAD BOY.

Evans has taken pictures that are unforgiving and harsh and at the same time, show the subjects humor and rawness.Warnings for those who have never seen Iggy up close and personal, there are many shots of Iggy's "little man" and if you are not warned, it might be a shock.

I thoroughly enjoyed the artist and the photographer, and this book is proudly displayed on my coffee table!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Whether you love Iggy or not, this is one great bio!
I'm a die-hard fan and I read everything about Iggy that I can get my hands on.This, by far, is the best bio of him.It's hard to find, but it's worth the search!

the best iggy bio around
this one is a real iggy bio. a nice and careful collection of interviews and scrap book work to assembly a close portrait of james osterberg, aka iggy pop...life, friendships, music, misdemeanours and adventures from muskegon to LA, from berlin to NY...lots and lots of news and anedoctes, beautiful b/w pics and a WONDERFUL close-up over iggy's official and unofficial discography until 1987...something to give you a real thrill...if u get to put your hands on it, you're lucky. ... Read more

Product Description
Iggy Pop cover feature, Detroit music scene ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Thrasher, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 864 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Iggy Pop: "that has nothing at all to do with a major record label in the 21st century and their demographics and marketing schemes and their velveeta schemes and Janet Jackson's boob.".(Interview)
Author: Jennifer Maerz
Publication: Thrasher (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 298Page: 186(2)

Article Type: Interview

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Book Description
This digital document is an article from Sojourners, published by Sojourners on July 1, 2004. The length of the article is 748 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Plagiarize this: copyright laws choke the commingling streams of King Lear, Iggy Pop, and "Louie Louie".(Culture)(Book Review)
Author: Danny Duncan Collum
Publication: Sojourners (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2004
Publisher: Sojourners
Volume: 33Issue: 7Page: 40(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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Book Description
This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on May 13, 2007. The length of the article is 689 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Enjoyable look at Iggy Pop transcends rock-bio genre.(Books)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 13, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: 6

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