Iggy Pop - Lust for Life

Short, sharp 1986 doc, elevated by Iggy on top form

In 1986 Iggy was on a career surge, having been rescued again by Bowie producing the Blah Blah Blah album, which gave him his first UK hit with Real Wild Child. This Dutch documentary from that year is a cut above, boasting interviews with a vibrant Iggy on a New York rooftop and Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton whamming killer licks in the Ann Arbor basement that hosted early Stooges rehearsals. There are priceless moments, such as Iggy reacting to the interviewer’s No Fun tape like he’s hearing it for the first time, then revealing it was inspired by Johnny Cash’s I Walk The Line.

The Dutch narrative means the Sex Pistols suddenly belting through Anarchy comes as a shock amid the recurring footage from Iggy’s 1986 Utrecht show, though Asheton heralds a Hendrix collage by describing the impact on the Stooges of Are You Experienced. Other rare clips packed into the too-brief 41 minutes include early Stooges, and Iggy performing Funtime with Bowie in 1977 before running rings around a bemused Canadian TV presenter. It’s also poignant seeing Asheton so rueful about the self-inflicted demise of the band he saw as an American Stones, never dreaming that 20 years later he’d be napalming stages again with his old basement buddy.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

ABC/Voiceprint | ABCVP 124 DVD

Reviewed by Kris Needs
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