“Iggy Pop is one of my heroes”: How punk inspired Mitski
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Mitski is arguably the most interesting songwriter to tackle the indie rock realm in the last decade. Pulling in synths and orchestral swells to bolster her aching tales of identity and love, she has managed to win over almost every subsection of music fans, from TikTok users to the harshest critics in the game. She’s even earned the admiration of one of her personal heroes, the Stooges frontman and all-around punk icon Iggy Pop.
On first listen, it might be challenging to find the influence of punk on Mitski’s music. Particularly in her recent work, her sound has been characterised by swirling strings and choirs, 1980s-inspired synths, and Americana influences. Her lyrical style is occasionally violent but largely vulnerable. It seems a lot softer than the stylings of Iggy and his contemporaries, but the Godfather of Punk has had a fundamental influence on her approach to music.
During a conversation with Fact, Mitski spoke about the importance of Iggy to her, describing him as “one of [her] heroes”. She detailed how she returns to his performances and studio recordings as a way to remind herself of her goals in the medium, suggesting that he reminds her of “what I want out of music and what I want out of a live show”.
If we take the latter of these comments and investigate the influence of Iggy on Mitski’s live presence, the punk ethos in her work becomes a little clearer. Whether he’s fronting the Stooges or performing alone, Iggy has always given his all to live performances, captivating audiences with his chaotic movements and shirtless on-stage antics, throwing himself into microphone stands and glass-covered floors at will.
Mitski seems to have borrowed from Iggy’s intensity on-stage, channelling it into an equally spirited performance style slightly more suited to her softer style. She falls to the ground when her words require it, pulling chairs around the stage with her as if she’s orchestrating performance art piece while she sings. There’s rarely the punk gusto of a Stooges show, but the feeling of spectacle is there all the same.
Mitski has certainly taken from the intensity that Iggy affords his live show, putting as much emotion into her songs on-stage as she does while she’s writing. The latter practice has even earned Mitski the praise of her punk hero, who once described her as the “most advanced American songwriter that I know” during an appearance on his BBC 6 show.
Though they exist within entirely different genres and generations, it’s easy to see why Iggy admires Mitski’s talent for composition and lyricism. Just like him, she’s an all-encompassing artist pioneering a new world of music. “She writes and sings, and she plays too,” Iggy gushed, “her name’s Mitski.”
Most budding punk bands would lust after the same praise from Iggy, but Mitski earned it with a style far from his own. The vulnerability and love she puts into her lyrics, the life she breathes into them with her vocals, and the soundscapes she adorns them with have won over the masses and undoubtedly proven Iggy’s statement correct. Mitski is one of the defining songwriters of her generation, as well as a disciple of punk and Iggy Pop.
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