Iggy Pop performs ‘Superman’ soundtrack song ‘Punkrocker’ live for the first time
Iggy Pop has performed his obscure song ‘Punkrocker’, which recently gained popularity due to its use in the new Superman movie, live for the very first time.
The 2006 song, which had never been heard on stage before, closed out the punk godfather’s set at the Project Pabst Festival in Portland, Oregon, on July 26th, after it saw a huge boost in streaming since the superhero movie was released earlier this month.
In the film, ‘Punkrocker’ is heard during a scene in which Superman (David Corenswet) tells Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) that “kindness is the new punk rock,” the sentiment of which Pop followed up himself by recently telling audiences: “Superman is the best friend you could have.”
Indeed, these joint principals are the driving forces of the movie, according to director James Gunn. On his choice of song for the pivotal moment, the filmmaker recently told Rolling Stone: “When I wrote that line, I think I thought back to that song and knew that would really work well.”
He added: “And I just liked how the ending juggled all these different pieces of the movie in a way where we showed that the real punk rock was him [Superman], his dad, all the way to the shot of the dad making the baby fly. He flies because of his parents.”
Gunn has previously been clear on the fact that the latest Superman instalment was rooted in the stories of immigrants and “basic human kindness.” He also claimed that the movie’s stunted international profits were due to an “anti-American sentiment around the world.”
The song ‘Punkrocker’ was originally performed by the Swedish electronic group Teddybears in 2000, before Pop collaborated with them on a reimagined version six years later.
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