Iggy Pop Day

A moment to reflect on my new favorite Iggy Pop moment.
Dan Kennedy's Rock On includes a chapter in which Dan, in search of personal salvation, attends an Iggy Pop & The Stooges concert at the Roseland Ballroom. It was an MTV2 promotion for a new version of Headbanger's Ball, made even worse by the opening acoustic set by a trashy pop-metal band called Godsmack. All of this was very un-Iggy like, but when it came time for his set Iggy didn't disappoint (he rarely does, from what I hear), thrashing about and stage diving as normal (Iggy is said to have "invented the stage dive) while going completely insane, and ultimately getting himself into the MTV corporate VIP room to destroy everything. As told in the book:

The idle rich hispters and industry VIP crowd up there are shocked and wide-eyed with "Holy shit, the gargoyle flew up here! Hold on you your complimentary Skyy vodka and cranberry, you guys!" Iggy runs the length of the elevated former safe harbor of the privileged, turning over tables, heaving them up and over and grinning maniacally, explosions of sprayed and flun alcohol flagging his eastbound advance through them. Chairs are flying, tables are sailing over, he moves fast with almost casual fury in this ultimately harmless but overdue, inspired, urgent, and precision reonnaissance mission. And as quickly as he came, he is gone, and the well dressed and shocked stand amonst the debris looking at each other and down at their clothes covered in champagne or booze mixed with juice.

And this would have all taken place in late 2003 when he was aged 56 years, the punk that wouldn't grow up. But don't call him a punk, you'll soon find out why not.