Iggy Pop. Biography.

1947
Born James Jewell Osterberg on April 21, at Muskegon (MI), his father Newell Sr. an english teacher and his mother Louella an employee (who, by the way, died in 1996). Young Jimmy lived his childhood in a trailer camp in Yipsilanti, near Ann Arbor. Smart at school in the lower grades, began to find interest in music.

1962
Formed a highschool band called the Iguanas, where he played the drums.

1965
He made his vinyl debut with Iguanas' single "Mona"/"I don't know why." Attended form a semester the University of Michigan (Anthropolgy) then started playing drums in the Prime Movers Blues Band.

1966-67
Spent 8 months in Chicago, playing drums in blues bands. This period made him realize that - after all- he had no chance to imitate successfully black musician playing the blues, so he returned to Ann Arbor. In 1966 rumors have Iggy meets for the first time Andy Warhol, John Cale (you understand why he'll play the producer part later on) and - especially - Nico, at a party thrown by mutual friend Anne Wehrer (you understand why she'll play the biographer part later on).

1967
Formed the Stooges with his old friends the Asheton Brothers, Ron and Scott. Then recuited the bassist Dave Alexander, who had played the bass for the Dirty Shames. The first gig was held on Halloween, Oct. 31.

1968
In October, the Psychedelic Stooges signed the Elektra Records, whose publicity director Danny Fields had seen them at a benefit concert in September, in Ann Arbor, with the MC 5 and the Up. Short after they got signed, Iggy gets married with Wendy Weisberg. The marriage, anyway, won't last but a short while, breaking up after only one month.

1969
They chose John Cale (ex Velvet Underground) for their producer. In June, they recorded their debut album at Hit Factory, NYC. They only had five songs to record when they come to NYC. So Ron composed "not right" & "little doll" in an hour. Since Cale's mix disappointed Iggy, Jac Holzman remixed it. They released their self-titled debut THE STOOGES at the end of August. (They removed Psychedelic from their name at the same time.) In New York they pay a visit to Andy Warhol's Factory, where Iggy meets again Nico, who'll follow him back to Michigan and who'll live with him for a while. (about his first meeting with Andy Warhol, Iggy says: "Andy Warhol, Paul Morrissey and the whole cast of Heat or Light were also staying there. And so I met Andy Warhol. I was swimming at the pool at the Tropicana.... He said, "My you swim well." The exact words-"My you swim well." So we had a little chat, you know. He was very nice and said, "Come to see me sometime." I was very nervous...So anyway, he'd always leave his door ajar, just to see if I'd come in. I was very shy. I finally did come over one time, and we managed to talk a lot.")

1970
They recorded their 2nd album in Elektra Studio, L.A. with the producer, Don Galucci. Recorded almost live with Iggy's voice coming through a PA, it captured their rawness and power. Just after the recording, they played in the Cincinnati Pop Festival on June 13, where Iggy's shocking performance was seen ewerywhere (even by David Bowie, as it will turn up later) thanks to a major TV broadcasting. In 1970 Paulette Benson gives birth in Los Angeles to Iggy's son, Eric.

1971
Between the end of 1970 and the summer of 1971, The Stooges undertook - for various reasons - a lot of personnell changes. Menawhile, Elektra in June had fired them, and Iggy decided to quit the band. In the fall of 1971, anyway, it happened to old Stooges manager Danny Fields to run into a RCA manager who casually introduced him to David Bowie, in the States for some concerts, and Bowie said he wanted to meet the long admired Iggy. This happens at a RCA party at Max's Kansas City.

1972
Introduced by Bowie, Tony DeFries (Bowie's own manager) from MainMan takes an interest in Iggy, who gets this way a new management and signs to Columbia in March, setting then off to England with long time friend James Williamson, to form the "new" Stooges.
Due to the fact that Iggy and Williamson couldn't find musicians with the right style to put the "new" Stooges together, they summoned back the Asheton brothers, who arrived in London in June, and the reformed "old" Stooges started reharshaling. They also did their only European gig on July 15, at London King Cross Cinema.

1973
With the management and help of Tony DeFries the reformed group goes on reharshaling and recording, and after a year, in April 1973, "RAW POWER" is finally released, with a Bowie-mix that will make discuss a lot. The Stooges start playing gigs in the USA and in Canada, and they will spend the rest of 1973 touring.

1974
In February 1974 Iggy abruptly decides to quit. He starts to play with James Williamson and has a bunch of solo appearances, sahring the stage with people like Ray Manzarek (in a rumoured but soon aborted project to reform "the doors") and the New York Dolls, while his yet bad problems with alcohol and drugs seem to grow worse and worse.

1975
At the start of 1975 Iggy records with Williamson the material that will show up only in 1977 as "Kill City". Then Iggy spends some time in the Neuopsychiatric Institute in Los Angeles (instead of having time for a series of little misdemeanours), to recover from too long lasting self-abuse. David Bowie visits him there, and then they even play some session together in a Hollywood studio. This raw material will see the light later on, on the two first Iggy solo albums.

1976
Iggy sees Bowie again during the USA "Station to Station" tour, and at the end of it in May, he goes with Bowie to Switzerland, where - at the Cahteau d'Heourville Studios - they record the material for "The Idiot". They will end the mixing later on in Berlin. Bowie gets for Iggy a contract for three albums with RCA.

1977
In March "The Idiot" is released, and Bowie stars in the following promo tour alongside with Iggy. They then return to Berlin together and in only 13 days they record "Lust for Life", which is released in September. A new well greeted tour follows.

1978
Iggy is in Berlin again, preparing new material. He gets a contract with ARISTA.

1979
Iggy gets back in the States and back with James Williamson to record "New Values", but this time the union doesn't work, and Iggy fires Williamson after 2 weeks. In October the record is released and a tour follows.

1980
In early 1980 Iggy presents his new album "Soldier", and undertakes a new exhausting tour.

1981
In June releases "Party" and keeps on touring nearly till the end of the year.

1982
Left without a contract once again (Arista label being not satisfied with commercial results of "Party"), Iggy signs up with Animal Records, the newly formed label by Chris Stein (Blondie).
The results is "Zombie Birdhouse", completed in June.

1983
1983 sees Iggy in bad shape again, obliged to tour to raise money, with his records selling less and less. Fortunately, one of the hits of the summer is the Bowie's version of "China Girl": money from royalties allows Iggy to take finally a rest (someone calculates over 750.000 bucks!). He goes to Bali with his future wife, Suchi, who had met at one of his Tokio concerts in June, and Bowie.

1984
The new work from Bowie ("Tonight") features Iggy (and Iggy songs) again, so royalties keep coming. Iggy moves to Manhattan with his wife. He takes an interest in acting, and gets small roles in "The color of Money", "Sid & Nancy" and an episode of "Miami Vice".

1985
Iggy starts a new record project with ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones. Meanwhile he runs once again into Bowie who, listening to Iggy's new material, decides to help with the production.

1986
The result is "Blah, blah, blah", released in October, 1986, after getting a contract with A&M. The album is well praised by critics and well rewarded by public. After 3 years, Iggy starts a new tour.

1987
The "Blah, blah, blah" tour lasts until June 1987, then Iggy starts writing new songs.

1988
New album "Instinct" (June) and new world tour.

1989/90
Iggy stars in "Cry Baby", a movie by John Waters, gets a contract with Virgin and releases "Brick by brick".

1991/92
Iggy undertakes another lucky tour (documented by a vhs video titled "Kiss my blood" recorded at the Olympia, Paris) and stars with Tom Waits in the movie "Coffee & Cigarette" by Jim Jarmusch and performs some TV shows appearances.

1993/94
New album "American Caesar" and new tour. Stars in three other movies, "Tank Girl" by Rachel Talalay, "Atolladero" by spanish director Oscar Aibar and in a short part in Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man".

1995/96
Iggy gets along with his new movie star career and plays the villain part in "The Crow 2". Then releases his new album "Naughty little doggie" and starts another welcomed, long lasting tour.

1997
Iggy alternates his rock star career with his work in movie showbiz. He presents his soundtrack for friend Johnny Depp's debut movie "The Brave" at Cannes Festival, in spring '97. He starts then a short summer USA tour (the ROAR tour), abruptely interrupted when in july, during a gig in Ohio, he falls from the stage and messes up a shoulder ... ouch! On new year's eve, by the way, he's reported to be playing in Australia.


1998
A new single "We have all the time" is released on Jan, 28. and a new one "Monster Men" soundtrack for "Space Goofs" cartoon tv series is out now.. meanwhile Iggy keeps on playing in gigs in australia and europe!

THE END, by now.