Iggy Pop’s guide to having abs in your 70s
At 73 years old, Iggy Pop still looks like he could do a serious amount of damage. The proto-punk icon made a name for himself as the energetic frontman of The Stooges, vaulting around the stage with the boundless energy of a birthday cake-addled child while his increasingly strung-out bandmates hovered in the background, churning up a storm.
In his youth, he was only too willing to harm himself in the pursuit of artistic excellence. Self-destruction became a form of transgression, as though the frontman’s role was to make himself a plaything, a slave to Scott Asheton’s drum kit.
So many years later, Iggy still exudes the vitality that made his performances with The Stooges so mesmerising . The Detroit band may have crashed and burned, but Iggy’s strangely ripped torso remains as constant as the stars, his iconic stage outfit of ripped jeans and no shirt an undying staple of his live shows.
The best way to trace the progression of Iggy’s physique is to watch Jim Jarmusch’s Stooges documentary Gimme Danger, which includes photographs of Iggy from 1970 to 2016. There isn’t a single one in which Pop doesn’t look like he’s been plucked from the pages of a ’60s sporting magazine. Even in 2003, by which time by was well into his 50s, he is surrounded by hordes of adoring fans, all of them reaching out to grab a hunk of that trunk.
Iggy’s body, a map of his life in rock ‘n’ roll, was even the subject of a New York Academy of Art life drawing class taught by conceptual artist Jeremy Deller, who, explaining his decision to spearhead the project, said of the musician: “His body is central to an understanding of rock music and its place within American culture. His body has witnessed much and should be documented. The man looks incredible.”
Men’s health magazines have spent years debating what it is that has allowed Iggy to remain in such good shape. As is so often the case, the answer is probably good genes. Iggy has Danish and Norwegian ancestry on his mother’s side, meaning that he’s got some pretty tough Scandinavian blood running through his veins, the same that allowed the Vikings to pillage their way all the way to Constantinople.
Of course, it takes more than Berserker genes to keep oneself in fighting shape. Indeed, Pop’s physique is most likely a reflection of his relatively Spartan lifestyle. At home in his small cottage in downtown Miami and while on tour, Iggy practices Tai Chi and Chi Kung outside. He might have smoked ciggies pretty much constantly throughout the ’70s, but these days he has just one glass one red wine after live shows. He’s also vegan, which – and I’m sorry, carnivores – definitely helps.
Iggy’s enduring good health is bound to make you feel a bit lousy about yourself. But never fear – Far Out is happy to announce the launch of the Iggy Pop diet plan, making it easier than ever to stay in shape. Once you’ve cut out meat, the rest is easy. All you need to do is form a rocking band and start vaulting around the stage for two hours at a time. You’ll soon find the weight simply falls away.
