Iggy Pop on The Grammys: “I hate those people”
Some punk rock ethos never die. Corporations will always be corporate. Sell-outs will always be sell-outs. And awards will always be anathema to creativity. Just ask the original godfather of punk, Iggy Pop.
The legendary singer has a wonderful new album out in Every Loser. Technically, the album will be eligible for a Grammy nomination for next year’s ceremony, but back in 2020, the Recording Academy wanted to honour Pop with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Pop originally wasn’t having any of it.
“The Grammys kept wanting to talk to me on the phone and I kept telling my manager: ‘I don’t want to talk to them. I hate those people. They want me to be an exhibit in their museum or something,’” Pop observed during a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine.
“Then when I finally spoke to the lady from the Grammys a couple of months later she said: ‘We’re giving you the Lifetime Achievement. Without you, there’s no Lil Nas X and there’s no Billie Eilish,’” Pop recalled.
“According to her, ‘You’re a direct link to the artists that are at the top of our awards list this year,’” Pop claimed. He didn’t seem all that put off by the praise, either. “So that’s what one person had to say, and I’ll take that for what it’s worth.”
Pop was eventually persuaded to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award, but that remains his only statue from The Recording Academy. His 1988 single ‘Cold Metal’ was nominated for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, while his 2016 album Post Pop Depression was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album. Pop has no competitive Grammys to his name, but it doesn’t seem to be something that Pop has any interest or concern about.
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