#83

Iggy and The Stooges

Raw Power (1973)

"NSFW" -- Iggy Pop, half naked on some shitty stage somewhere

Nobody does it better. Rock 'n Roll, I mean. Iggy hit the first heavy motherlode of elemental Rock, was the first to tap into the main vein of Roll ley lines. His sillhouette on the cover of this album is the epitome of rock sillhouettes. A writhing androgynous space shaman wracked with the, excuse me, Raw Power of the cosmos juice he had discovered.

A truly undersung explorer. For Christgau'ssakes, When Raw Power came out in 1973, Iggy and the Stooges had already released Fun House in 1970 and Iggy had a raging heroin addiction. 1970! I love the Stones but Jagger is Edison to Iggy's Nikola Tesla.

Of course, I never really got into him until Guitar Hero came out and I played "Search and Destroy" over and over and over again.

I was aware of Iggy, sure. Pop culture references sprinkled about my development. "Lust for Life". Some still photo from some tv show sometime. After Guitar Hero though, I sat down and really listened to Iggy and Stooges.

And I still could never really get all that into them, not in a personal way. I still can't.

It is really hard for me to sit down, strap on my headphones, and jam out to "Fun House" or "Death Trip" or "Penetration" or any of the other more grimey Stooges tracks without feeling like the biggest goddamned poseur. It's messy. Really messy. Another world messy. I am not outside far enough to appreciate this. I do not have enough problems with myself to fully understand the world espoused by Iggy and the Stooges.

I think of myself as a scientist, so I observe that world with curiousity and fascination, but I do not venture to Iggy's world often. It is a world spoken of in hushed tones and with deference amongst my team as we sit around the messroom table of the Stephen Dylan, my transdimensional cultural exploration ship, telling stories and planning our next escapade.

"So where did the Garciaphant finally send Dr. Profit when his commodification lazer backfired on him?" I ask, laughing at the rememberance of a recent adventure in the dark heart of the 60's.

My first mate, Brendan Granite, swordfighter extraordinaire, drops his smile. His eyepatch droops as his brow furrows.

"Calculations show he was transported ta th' Iggy Zone," he says somberly, in a thick Irish brogue. "To th' Iggy Zone."

A hush falls across the crew.

"Then there is no hope for him," I say. "He'll be devoured alive by street walking cheetahs, or at the very least incinerated by nuclear A-bowms."

Little Billy Infinite, ever the optimist, looks up at us hopefully with his immortal, childlike features.

"Maybe he caught a break and one of the little strangers made him their dog."

None of the team speak. A moment of silence punctuated only by a series of mournful beeps and clicks from Jehosaphat, who can't find a sarcastic quip in all his memory banks.

"Maybe he did Billy. Maybe he did."

And scene.

Summary: I love what Iggy represents, and I thus I love this music, but it is a very situational music. Every party into which you inject the Stooges suddenly seems waaaaay more apocalyptic than you would have intended. Dirty ashtrays and lives lost to heroin even though you don't know anyone who has ever done any heroin. Listen for science and for pleasure, but entirely a personal pleasure. I respect but keep my distance.

BUT! Here are some songs! You bet they are good!

MIX IT UP

This is the song from Guitar Hero. Put it on a mix? I dunno if I like your friends. Oh, ok, of course I like your friends, but it going to be hard to talk to or dance with them with this thing going on.

Actually, this one will probably be better for a mix. I have done it. But maybe only for Halloween.

I was all bummed at a party one time and this song came on and suddenly I thought we were all about to die horribly. I almost but not quite wrote a short story about it.

Great dirty rocking sex machines!

NEXT:

#82

George Harrison
All Things Must Pass (1970)

No video, but My Sweet Lord is good and I am not looking forward to reviewing this. This is such a long album, one with which I am quite familiar, yet not overly fond of. Oh well. Tomorrow!