IGGY POP LIVE SAN FRAN 1981
It hasn’t been all sunshine and lollipops for Iggy Pop. Sure he basically invented punk rock with The
Stooges, created a proto-goth record with David Bowie called The Idiot, and earned fat royalty checks
for “China Girl” and the ubiquitous ad jingle, “Lust For Life” He even scored a chart hit with “Candy.”
Currently at a healthy 58 years old, he now lives a comfortable life in Florida between tours with his
band and the reunited Stooges. But there were many down times for Iggy. Years when he was flat
broke, abusing drugs, and out of ideas. One of these moments has been preserved on the recently
released DVD, Live San Fran 1981.
After the collapse the Stooges, Bowie helped him revive his life and career, playing a major role on his
first two solo records (both released in 1977). But then Iggy began to slide once again, drinking tons
of booze and making albums that sounded like he was out of juice, artistically. He made a fine new
wave inspired LP with New Values (1979), but his next two albums, Soldier (1980), and Party (1981)
signaled that the godfather of punk was on a downward spiral, each release lamer than the last. And
even though he was coerced into making a very commercial record with Party (the label even brought
in ‘60s bubblegum figure, Tommy Boyce), the album was a flop—both creatively and in the
marketplace.
This DVD was recorded at the tail end of promoting Party, and Iggy, who at this point had plenty of
time to think about the album’s lack of success, appears rather glum, half-heartedly working his way
through the set. But since Mr. Pop had taken to wearing lingerie on stage, and he’s missing some
teeth, he’s quite a sight to see. The Ig did put together somewhat of an all-star unit for this tour,
recruiting Bowie’s guitarist Carlos Alomar, plus Blondie members Gary Valentine and Clem Burke, but
the group comes off as nothing more than an average bar band. They can’t seem to “feel” the songs,
so they just play them really fast. The show itself is an intimate one, having been recorded at the Old
Waldorf bar in San Francisco, and professionally videotaped by the cable-access company, Target
Video (their omnipresent logo—still visible on the DVD—is familiar to anyone having seen this or any
other of their tapings on bootleg videos), who had the foresight to document much of the key punk
happening around San Francisco in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Unfortunately, this didn’t turn out to
be a shining moment for Iggy Pop (the man would continue his free fall for a couple of more years,
until Bowie’s smash version of their composition, “China Girl”) or punk rock, but is still essential for
those that need to see any and all footage related to one James Osterberg. Or just like car wrecks.
Bart Bealmear
Drastic Plastic Press
