Gimme Danger: The Story Of Iggy Pop (Paperback)

~ Joe Ambrose (Author) "IF you take Iggy's explanation seriously, Jim Osterberg from Ann Arbor and Iggy Pop from Hell share one body but multiple personalities, much like Superman/Clark..." (more)
Key Phrases: little leather boy, dum boys, acoustic demo, New York, Ann Arbor, Ron Asheton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...a more sophisticated deconstruction of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, in which Joe Ambrose maintains a critical, if not completely disapproving, distance from his subject. But still manages to cram more depravity into one book than anyone since Motley Crue.' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

James Jewel Osterburg, also known as Iggy Stooge and more famously as Iggy Pop and The Godfather of Punk, was never going to be an easy subject for a biographer. Author Joe Ambrose does full justice to the original spirit of Iggy Pop, through a rich and revealing selection of interviews. Features black and white photos.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Omnibus Press; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844493288
• ISBN-13: 978-1844493289
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,270,410 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Joey can't write! Blah-Blah-Blah!, September 7, 2005

By	The Drainpipe (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gimme Danger: The Story of Iggy Pop (Hardcover)

Generally, the best rock music biographies are written by fans: writers who display an obvious enthusiasm and respect for their subjects, while pointing out their shortcomings. Well, Joe Ambrose admits in his foreword to "Gimme Danger" that he is not an Iggy Pop fan, before laying out his claim that, for most of his career, Iggy has gone corporate and betrayed some kind of authentic (and ill-defined) rock ideal, and that he is really not the relevant and legendary figure he appears to be: an assessment that taints this smug, self-satisfied "biography" for several hundred pages. Ambrose is hell-bent on depicting Iggy Pop as a poseur and as a disloyal, misogynist, fascist, sell-out jerk: a drug-addicted sleazeball first, and a mildly influential singer second. Along the way, Ambrose takes so many cheap and nasty shots at David Bowie that you can't help but wonder when his anti-Thin White Duke tome is due for release (anyone who thinks Bowie's reputation is now "a shadow of its former self" and that Bowie "never strayed far from British pop" shouldn't be allowed to write books about rock music, period). For a writer who purports to be operating from a position of informed rock purism, Ambrose has staggeringly little to say about Iggy Pop's music: He rates highly the albums Iggy made with James Williamson, and several other albums since, but dismisses the majority of Iggy's efforts as either "mediocre" or "overestimated" (the latter is the word he uses to describe masterpieces like "Fun House" and "The Idiot"). Ambrose's opinion would probably mean something if he at least created the ILLUSION that he's listened to Iggy's stuff. Seriously, folks: Ambrose spends an average of a few sentences, and occasionally a lean paragraph, on most of Iggy's albums, and says borderline nil about Iggy's music/lyrics - preferring instead to pore luridly over Iggy's sexual escapades and drug misadventures, like a tabloid writer in heat. Yeah, Iggy's a fabulous lyricist and people love his music, but why bother writing about THAT when you've got pages to fill with Iggy being hoisted up by Elton John in a gorilla costume? Or compressing the entire 1990-2001 period of Iggy's career into one skimpy chapter, including pages of unnecessary attention to the movie "Velvet Goldmine"? Ambrose pompously chastises Iggy without adequate explanation; he says practically nothing about Iggy's relationship with his son Eric; he doesn't think it's important to mention that Iggy was the valedictorian of his class at school; and he conveniently leaves out any material that contradicts his one-eyed take on Iggy (he claims Iggy was disdainful of the bands that emerged from the Punk Rock explosion, yet doesn't use anything from Iggy's famous 1977 interview on Canadian TV that shows an opinion to the contrary; he writes off Iggy's movie acting and choices of film, yet neglects to mention that Iggy starred in a Jim Jarmusch short film that won a prize at Cannes in 1993, etc). Ambrose shows no sympathy or understanding towards Iggy's addictions and genuine mental problems in the 70s; he completely downplays Iggy's boundless sense of fun and irony and self-deprecation; he takes everything Iggy's ever said at face value (his "support" for Ronald Reagan, etc) and basically has nothing to support his smugly iconoclastic claims besides half-truths and his own lame opinions. I don't object to this book because I am a fan of Iggy Pop and David Bowie, and Ambrose is not. I object to this book because it's so poorly constructed: most of the interview material from key players is lifted verbatim in huge chunks from previously published sources (other books; magazine articles; online interviews, etc) and lazily assembled with scant regard for even basic journalistic professionalism. This book reads like it was written in a week. It's also riddled with outrageous opinions and flights of fancy on Ambrose's part, as well as reams of non-truths and factual inaccuracies which expose Ambrose as a dilettante with no sense of fluidity or research ("Real Wild Child" was originally a hit by Johnny O'Keefe, NOT Jerry Allison of The Crickets; Kurt Cobain didn't die in 1993; David Bowie NEVER duetted live with Iggy in 1977, etc...Ambrose even gets Iggy's real name wrong in the first chapter!). This is an amateur book and it's baffling how it got published; unfortunately, since there's a distinct lack of Iggy Pop material in bookstores, people wanting to know more about the Ig will gravitate towards this dreck. Joe Ambrose helpfully, and perhaps naïvely, provides his e-mail address in this book. I don't see the point in airing my grievances with him in private; I think I'd be of more use here, advising everyone to keep their money away from this odious, slapdash exposé. Ironically, Joe Ambrose continually accuses Iggy of whoring himself out for cash - yet "Gimme Danger" is a shoddy, mediocre attempt to blatantly denigrate a popular name and make money for an abrasive "writer" with delusions of self-importance and an obvious lack of aesthetics and literary skill. Thankfully, "Gimme Danger" undermines itself by its appalling wrong-headedness and sheer mediocrity. This book should be junked - it is an insult to Iggy Pop, Iggy's fans, and the entire biographical profession, and Joe Ambrose is a vile, unprofessional hack who should lower himself to dirt.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Less than definitive., July 15, 2003

By	Juana Moore-overmyer (Ferndale, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Gimme Danger: The Story of Iggy Pop (Hardcover)

This book looks like a thorough biography which might offer some new information, but is actually a sloppy rehash of previously published sources with a nasty, petty overtone. It is difficult to understand what motivated the author apart from money, which is ironic considering his obsession with labeling Iggy as a sellout at every turn. The book is not without entertainment value, but I feel sad and even a little guilty at having purchased it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Gimmie a Gas Mask: I Smell Garbage, May 29, 2003

By	D. Orbach (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Gimme Danger: The Story of Iggy Pop (Hardcover)

What a disappointment. The Iggy Pop story is one of the most interesting in the history of rock and roll, and a serious look at this life and work would surely be a fascinating read. Unfortunately, instead of an intelligent look at a unique artist, Ambrose has instead served up a petty, highly critical, yet often contradictory shambles of a book. The focus here is on the tawdry anecdotes that those familiar with the Pop saga already know all too well, rather than the rise, fall, and rise of one of rock's most enduring provocateurs. Additionally, Ambrose seems to have real problems with Iggy's licensing his music for use in commercials, and for his decision to stay clean enough to get from city to city and play music for his fans. Evidently he subscribes to the rather juvenile notion that striving for success and enjoying it's rewards means selling out. I suggest helping Joe Ambrose keep his own art pure by not buying this book.