Iggy Pop Preps Jazz Album About French Literature
"I just got sick of listening to idiot thugs with guitars banging out crappy music"

Iggy Pop loves controversial French writer Michel Houellebecq. I mean, who doesn't? Right? Transgressive, satirical novels that may or may not be totally racist depending on who you ask? That's just about everybody's favorite thing, right?

Last year, Iggy recorded seven songs for Last Words, a documentary about Houellebecq's attempts to turn his book La Possibilité d'une île (The Possibility of an Island) into a film. In a few months, Pop will release those songs as Preliminaires, an album inspired by the book itself. In this video trailer for the album, Pop, sitting poolside and looking uncannily like Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, claims that he made the album especially for France and that he sings one song, "Les Feuilles Mortes", in French. (Via Ears of Panda.)

A bulletin sent out via the Stooges' MySpace page says that Preliminaires is "NOT a rock album, more jazzy stuff." In the trailer, Pop himself says "it's a quieter album with some jazz overtones."

Allow him to explain: "At one point, I just got sick of listening to idiot thugs with guitars banging out crappy music, and I was starting to listen to a lot of New Orleans-era Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton type of jazz. And I've always loved quieter ballads as well." He also enthuses at length about the book c and shows his tiny white dog off to the camera.
The video ends with a song called "King of the Dogs", which really is Iggy Pop singing about his "smelly rear" over a New Orleans jazz funeral march. Judging by that, this could easily be the best jazz album that a punk legend has ever made about a French novel.

The Stooges' MySpace page claims the album will be out in May. In that video, Iggy himself says late April, though the video also mentions a May 18 release date.
The album also has a website. Right now, though, it just asks for your email address if you want newsletter updates about the album. Which, clearly, you do.

In other overseas Iggy Pop news, the Igster is currently mired in a minor controversy in Britain over his appearance in advertisements for the insurance company Swiftcover.com As Billboard reports, British musicians have been complaining about the fact that Swiftcover.com doesn't actually insure musicians. They're too risky.

Billboard quotes a Swiftcover.com rep as saying, "Swiftcover.com chose Iggy Pop as the face of its advertising because he loves life, not because he is a musician. He is an actor demonstrating the benefits of Swiftcover.com."

Wow, some people are really dumb, huh?
Video: Stooges: Ray of Light [Madonna cover, live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]
Video: Iggy Pop: Preliminaires trailer
Posted by Tom Breihan and Amy Phillips on Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 8:00am

[www.pitchforkmedia.com]

For a better look at the article (complete with links) click on the link above.

Thanks for posting that. I enjoyed when Iggy went into another direction with AVENUE B. but he quickly reined that in, it seemed at the time.

"idiot thugs with guitars banging out crappy music"

He means the ones he played countless shows with in the 90's till he remembered the sole talented guitarist he ever played with was Ron Asheton...?

Yeah, that James Williamson was a real hack. Oh, and so were Fred Smith and Stacy Heydon and Carlos Alomar and Andy McCoy and Steve Jones.

I didn't know Stacy Heydon played with Iggy--when was that?

'77 Lust for Life tour and the band was rounded out by Scott Thurston (last incarnation of the Stooges) on guitar and keys and the Sales brothers on bass and drums. There's a great recording from a Paris show (9/23/77) of this very hot band.

thanks, andrew, I think I've heard that show, or another from the tour, but at the time didn't know who Heydon was. His guitar on Bowie's '76 tour is just terrific.

It is , isn't it ? Ever seen that video of the Bowie '76 tour rehearsals with the long feedback-laden intro to Station to Station ? Awesome.

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thanks, andrew, I think I've heard that show, or another from the tour, but at the time didn't know who Heydon was. His guitar on Bowie's '76 tour is just terrific.

When I saw Bowie in '76, Earl Slick was on guitar, I thought. I know he was replaced at some point.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-04 09:43 by BluzDude.

He played on the album but was replaced by Heydon for the tour after some kind of disagreement (pay issue ?) with Bowie's management. He was definitely in the Diamond Dogs tour line-up.

I wrote "IN THE NINETIES", Andrew...
Watch the Olympia show from 1991? and you'll see what I mean...
And yes "Cry For Love" with Steve Jones on guitar is nice...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-04 15:48 by dcba.

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BluzDude

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thanks, andrew, I think I've heard that show, or another from the tour, but at the time didn't know who Heydon was. His guitar on Bowie's '76 tour is just terrific.

When I saw Bowie in '76, Earl Slick was on guitar, I thought. I know he was replaced at some point.

Earl Slick indeed quit right before the Station to Station tour. At that point, he was being hyped as a solo performer in his own right. May have wanted more money and a warmup slot. He came back in '83 when Stevie Ray Vaughan quit right before that tour and was a member of Bowie's most recent touring band.

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andrewm
It is , isn't it ? Ever seen that video of the Bowie '76 tour rehearsals with the long feedback-laden intro to Station to Station ? Awesome.

yeah, that is a great clip--the best is that you can see that Bowie is the one most excited by his playing, when they get to "Stay" and he encourages Heydon to let loose.

dcba, you wrote the "sole talented guitarist he EVER played with", that's what I was respectfully disagreeing with. I actually love the Olympia '91 show, since you mentioned it. Yeah, my countryman Whitey Kirst (from Calgary), the axeman in that line-up, leans a bit to the hard rock side, but he rips it up pretty darn good and seems to inspire Iggy quite righteously. To each their own, anyway.

And of course I love Ron Asheton, may he rest in peace. Made the pilgrimage to Coachella in '03 for the first Stooges reunion show so I could experience his genius first-hand and the man did not disappoint.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-05 09:51 by andrewm.

Iggy Pop to me is garbage - But to each his own. i just don't get him. I'm willing to listen though.

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slew
Iggy Pop to me is garbage - But to each his own. i just don't get him. I'm willing to listen though.

is this a joke?

I don't get what is so good about Iggy Pop

Try Iggy live at Glastonbury a few years ago on You tube. Superb stuff! Raw Rock N Roll

The Stooges are the primal blueprint for just about every punk band. Funhouse is absolutely essential listening.

i love iggy solo and with the stogges but i hated avenue b and this idea seems just as bad

>I don't get what is so good about Iggy Pop

Thanks for taking the time to click on a thread you have no interest in and making such a fascinating contribution -- your input is duly noted! (make that dully noted)