Lust For Life

Is anyone more of a rock and roll pioneer than Iggy Pop? From fronting the seminal ‘punk’ band the Stooges to cavorting with and writing hits for David Bowie to a strange and varied solo career, the dervish that is Iggy has survived, recently reforming the Stooges (until the untimely death of guitarist Ron Asheton) and earning his rightful place as one of the archetypes of rock, punk, what have you. There really is only one Iggy Pop, as we learn on Lust For Life, an excellent documentary recently released on DVD.

Filmed by a German company back in 1986, the DVD intersperses a then current interview with Pop in New York City, with some live footage of him performing in Germany, interviews with Ashton, and even some silent archival Stooges footage from when they first started in Michigan. There’s even a clip of Pop and Bowie performing together and a really fun interview with the singer trying to explain himself and his music to a stuffy talk-show host. The Asheton interview is especially appealing, as he walks the interviewer through old Michigan haunts where the Stooges played, lived and practiced. The unassuming guy plays some loud solo guitar in his mom’s basement (the first place the Stooges rehearsed) as he tells us about the genesis of some of the Stooges’ tunes.

The live footage relies heavily on material from Blah Blah Blah, the album Pop was supporting at the time the documentary was made. We see him writhing, dancing and singing through “Lust For Life,” “Real Wild Child,” “China Girl,” and a few other solo numbers. But it’s the interview with Pop on that New York City rooftop and the chats with Asheton that makes this DVD worth owning. Whenever I see a DVD like this, with killer archival footage, I always find myself asking why the full concert isn't available and on the market? Still, I’m happy with what we get on Lust For Life, a great little peak into the life and times of a unique, iconic American rock and roller.