Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop married Wendy Weissberg in 1968 but the marriage was annulled in November 1969.

His second marriage to Suchi Asano in 1984 lasted for almost fourteen years before ending in a divorce in 1998.

He married Nina Alu in November 2008 and is presently living in Florida with her. He also has a son with Paulette Benson.

Iggy Pop was born in Muskegon, Michigan, on April 21, 1947 to James Newell Osterberg, Sr. and Louella. His father was a former high school English teacher and baseball coach at Fordson High School.

He was raised by supportive parents who encouraged him to explore his interests. On realizing that he was musically inclined, they motivated him to pursue his dreams. He grew up in a trailer park in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and his parents let him use the master bedroom, as it was the only room in that trailer that was big enough to accommodate his drum kit.

As a student, he didn’t let go of any opportunity to perform and played with various high school bands in Ann Arbor, Michigan. During this time he came in touch with ‘The Iguanas’, an American garage rock band formed in Ann Arbor, with whom he performed for several years. Inspired by the band, he took the stage name of Iggy Pop.

He studied at the University of Michigan for a short while before dropping out to pursue a career in music. He moved to Chicago where he played drums in blues clubs and came in touch with musician Sam Lay who connected him with many other like-minded musicians. Iggy Pop was heavily inspired by the likes of ‘Chicago blues’, ‘The Doors’, and ‘MC5’.

In 1967, Iggy Pop became the lead vocalist of the newly formed band ‘The Stooges’ with Ron Asheton on guitar, Dave Alexander on bass, and Scott Asheton (Ron Asheton’s brother) on drums, alongside him. They first played at a Halloween party with the members of MC5 in attendance.

Iggy Pop was deeply influenced by the stage presence of Jim Morrison which drove him to build his own outrageous stage persona. He would perform bare-chested and often throw himself off the stage, rolling over peanut butter and broken glass, exposing himself to the audience and even insulting them. This was the beginning of a new ‘Iggy culture’ that would be remembered in the coming decades.

’The Stooges’ followed in the footsteps of ‘The Doors’ and signed with Elektra Records and released their eponymous debut album under John Cale’s production in New York in 1969. The album didn’t do well commercially and the members of the band drifted apart.

Some of the members, including Iggy, continued to perform together even after the disbanding. They became associated with David Bowie who helped them gather pace. Thus, they decided to bring back ‘The Stooges’. They released their studio album ‘Raw Power’ in 1973 and it received a cult following in the coming years.

Around this time, Iggy Pop was struggling with the persistent problem of drug addiction. He made the headlines for all the wrong reasons after he became involved in a brawl with a group of bikers. The Stooges disbanded once again.

Iggy Pop’s work in the punk rock genre has been regarded as revolutionary; however, it took him a long time to taste commercial success. His tenth studio album ‘Brick by Brick’ earned him the commercial success that had been eluding him for long. The album received a ‘four and a half’ star rating from ‘AllMusic’ and a four-star rating from Rolling Stone. It had several hit songs including the popular ‘Candy’ with Kate Pierson of ‘The B-52’ fame.

His eighteenth studio album ‘Post-Pop Depression’ was a major success, with the critics and audience from all over the world giving it positive reviews. It received four-star ratings from ‘Rolling Stone’, ‘Mojo’, and ‘AllMusic’ as well as a four-and-half star rating from ‘GIGsoup’. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and also charted in many other nations.