Customer Reviews

I Need More

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This autobiography is just amazing! Everything about it makes me want to read it over and over! From Iggy being arrested for murder, to his imaginary friend during his childhood. This book does not only capture the true meaning of Iggy's music, it reveals what Iggy is all about. Behind the pencil stabbings, the swearing, and the shirtless "idiot" from Detroit, is a simple man that believes the American Music Industry needs a Union. (Not surprised by this, he came from the capitol of UAW.) Most of the pictures take you into his childhood, his music, and his concerts. (The nude picture is the only picture I can't stand.) Many artists are considered to have "sold out" when they write autobiographies, all Iggy Pop had to do was find his diary.

I've got a lotta love, respect, and admiration for a man who keeps rockin' well into his 50's!!! Thank god some people never grow up! Here is the man who fronted the Stooges, pretty much the inspiration for the NY Dolls, the Dead Boys, and much of the punk movement which started during the mid 1970's. Unfortunately the music industry didn't know what to do with the Stooges in 1969, when they released their first album. If you're a Stooges fan, of course you already know that. Iggy is the godfather of punk. If you haven't already read this book, GET IT NOW. It's a must have for any Stooges/Iggy fan. Iggy starts with his life in the trailor park, becoming a crazy rock'n'roller, gigging with the MC5, working with Bowie. Hey, I didn't know Iggy had Nico living with him! The best thing about this book is it's Iggy in his own words. He's a funny guy! His life with and without the Stooges is definitely entertaining, to say the least! Great read!

First off, I can't think of anybody in modern music more influenial than James Jewel Osterberg, a.k.a. Iggy Pop. His hugely influential and energetic music and charismatic stage presence have made him a truly sublime entertainer. This book is presented in first person form, like an interview, and in it, Iggy discusses everything from his humble beginnings in an Ann Arbor trailer park to his days as the Stooges frontman to his infamous drug addiction in the mid-1970's to his relationship with David Bowie and his late-70s comeback as a solo artist. Fascinating stuff from one of rock music's most well-traveled characters.

This nonlinear autobiography of one of the most electrifying performers of the last thirty years is as revealing as it is unrevealing. Iggy leaves out huge gaps of his history, notably because they were horrible times (he was in an institution for awhile). For a clearer picture of his "untold" biography check out the great book "Please Kill Me." The characters in Iggy's life (like the "imaginary mexican," roadie John Adams and the girl he wishes he slept with from his neighborhood) make this book all the more interesting, as well as the tales of drug abuse and rockin' with Bowie, etc. Great photographs, too.

Four stars just because I love him so much! This book has great photos which really help capture Mr. Pop's persona. This work does seem to have been culled from transcriptions of taped interviews/musings. Anecdotes and oral history are one of the best ways to relate how the culture and times influenced the music. However, this work could benefit from commentary from other performers, aquaintances, journalists, and so on. Mr. Pop's perspective is unique and certainly worth reading. One gets the feeling there is a lot more background information and detail that could have been presented in a more comprehensive work.

Punk grandfather Iggy Pop writes! Or maybe not. Much of the book sounds as if it was transcribed from tape recordings of Iggy talking. Oh well, it's still crammed with stories about his youth, his stint in the Stooges and other misadventures, all engaging and amusing. My only (minor) disappointment is that it is perhaps too anecdotal: fleshed and expanded, this would make a killer autobiography. I need more!

Good book. Iggy writes about Pre-Iggy, Iggy and The Stooges, and Post-Stooges. Also some really cool photos as well as lyrics to a few songs.
While Iggy offered some good insight into him and his band, I felt the book was a little unfocused and did not really follow any particular format and was not really in any type of chronological order. I persoanlly feel this book would have been better served with an actual author who could have done a more in depth profile on this true innovator. An author would also have given us a more chronological and more focused book.
It was also dissapointing that the book only covered up til the early 1980's. Who knows what kind of condition and state of mind Iggy was in when he wrote this book.
I still give it 4 stars and reccommend due to the fact that there are not alot of other options and it was cool to hear Iggy in his own words. There are also some cool pics as previously stated.
Hopefully we will soon see a true autobiography by a true author giving Iggy Pop the coverage he so deserves.
Perry

Iggy is the man.. plain and simple. No one will ever be like him. We all know about his crazy stage antics, so I won't get into that.

This autobiography is great. It tells about his life in Detroit, some of his crazy stories, including when he lost his virginity (which is hilarious). He also talks about shows with the Stooges, which is very entertaining. However, the book is short, and Iggy has a unique way of writing. It may take some getting used to, but I recommend this book to any lover of Iggy Pop, the Stooges, or just a good book.

If you want a transcript of an interesting cat talking into a tape recorder for a few hours, check this out. Practically no information of interest or entertainment to be had here. Just an extension of style far, far better served by listening to the great music he's produced over the years. Stick to that unless you want a graphically puffed up magazine article, as presented in this "book".