Iggy Pop: the ultimate survivor

The rock & roll game is very simple. You strive for a certain level of success, and you hang onto that success for as long as you can. Sooner rather than later, the success fades away into the distance, and the fan mail ceases to arrive.

Some don't even achieve any level of success [or receive any fan mail]...

Iggy Pop operates via his own set of rules!!!

This is a man who regularly mutilated himself and took off all of his clothes whilst performing on stage, after all.

Iggy Pop [real name: James Osterberg] surfaced from the Detroit music scene in the late 1960's, being the driving force of the seminal rock outfit Iggy & The Stooges. The nucleus of this group was essentially destroyed by a combination of poor album sales [the group was dropped by Electra Records] & serious drug problems, to the extent that Iggy was a free agent by 1971. In a career-changing event, Iggy Pop was introduced to David Bowie [a long-term admirer of his music], who used his influence to arrange a management deal for Iggy & new recording contract with CBS Records.

When "Raw Power" was released in 1973, it was a commercial failure. Self-produced by Iggy [who freely admits that he had no idea about technical music production concepts], the album has been widely praised as the prototype for the international punk rock explosion in 1976. The songs of "Raw Power" were a deliberate backlash against the commercial music trends of the time. Iggy lead the way in showing the world that you didn't need to be a music virtuoso in order to find an audience. If you had a message, and you had the energy to deliver that message in an innovative style, then being anti-establishment was the new trend!

Iggy & The Stooges imploded on the back of "Raw Power", and Iggy has been in and out of the public eye ever since. Ongoing substance abuse problems during the late 1970's and all of the 1980's saw some very patchy solo releases. There has been the occasional hit record [Bowie had a worldwide smash in 1983 with "China Girl" - a co-write with Pop] and some sporadic film work, however Iggy Pop has never been a consistent commercial success.

So, how has Iggy Pop remained an iconic figure in rock music for more than 40 years?

Answer: Originality

It doesn't really matter if Iggy's recent releases are not critically or commercially accepted; it's all about the aura & reputation.

1. The Stage Presence: nobody else moves on stage as does Iggy.
2. The Famous Friends: it helps to have been associated with one of the most famous men in history. David Bowie's 1973 hit single "The Jean Genie" is a tribute to Iggy Pop.
3. The Lifestyle: it remains a miracle of science that Iggy continues to live & breathe, based upon the level of physical & physiological abuse extolled upon himself, by himself.
4. The Influence: artists such as Kurt Cobain, Johnny Rotten, Mick Jones [The Clash] & Jack White [White Stripes] have all publicly acknowledged Iggy's craft. The critically-acclaimed 1999 movie "Velvet Goldmine" is assumed to have been based upon the relationship between Iggy Pop and David Bowie. How many non-commercially successful artists have had major motion pictures released about their life?

Despite being branded a "loser" for much of the 1970's & 1980's for repeatedly throwing away opportunities to secure "rock & roll riches", Iggy Pop is now a wealthy man with a reputation to die for.

Many musicians have come & gone over the past 40 years, however Iggy Pop has outdone [and outlasted] them all.

A HUGE name in the history of alternative rock...

Kate Nash - why the hype??

"My Best Friend Is You" Kate Nash [Polydor]

This is a career-ending CD.

Kate Nash burst onto the music scene with 2007's "Made Of Bricks", however the dreaded curse of sophomore slump has reared it's ugly head again!!

The media have made a star of Ms Nash, grouping her with the new breed of British female artists who "tell it like it is". Tracks such as "Do-Wah-Doo" and "Kiss That Grrrl" deal with female jealousy, however both songs end up being a giant whinge-fest. "Don't You Want To Share The Guilt?" & "Mansion Song" feature lyrics of incoherent babble. Some pundits might think that Kate Nash is a witty wordsmith, however after listening to 13 tracks it all becomes very monotonous.

From a musical perspective, there is some sort of vague 1960's pop thing going on, however it doesn't really work at all. "My Best Friend Is You" doesn't contain any standout hit songs or memorable riffs, and in general is a very messy affair.

2 marks out of 10, and both of those marks are awared to Kate Nash for convincing Polydor to release this CD!!