The moment Iggy Pop was asked to join AC/DC
Few can claim to have had such fascinating careers as Iggy Pop. He first burst onto the scene with proto-punk pioneers The Stooges before charting a course as a solo artist that would see him solidify his position as a heavyweight of popular culture. Since then, he hasn’t looked back.
From creating artistic masterpieces with David Bowie to getting up to numerous drug-fuelled escapades alongside the British rocker and Hollywood legend Dennis Hopper, Iggy Pop’s life reads like a work of fiction. It is emblematic of the famous sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll trope. A survivor of the classic rock period, the American has an extensive list of anecdotes to tell and regularly offers them to the public, much to the delight of fans.
One of the most intriguing tales Iggy Pop has told is that he was once asked to join the most fun-loving rock ‘n’ roll group out there, AC/DC. Known for hits such as ‘TNT’, ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ and ‘Highway to Hell’, the band has two distinct periods. The first was with frontman Bon Scott, and the second with his replacement, Brian Johnson, who entered the fold in 1980 after the former’s death and has been their vocalist ever since. Notably, the Johnson chapter produced classics like ‘Black in Black’ and ‘Thunderstruck’.
During a 2023 interview with The New York Times, Pop claims that the group’s manager approached him for the role before he reformed The Stooges. However, he didn’t fully specify what went down, so we’ll have to take his word for it. Still, the thought of him fronting the ‘TNT’ band and performing alongside guitarist Angus Young is compelling.
The proto-punk pioneer also briefly recalled an anecdote involving Bon Scott. He recalled: “Yeah, Bon. I had some very wonderful encounter with Bon somewhere, and we were both drunk and stoned. I see pictures sometimes. I go, I don’t remember, but that’s me with Bon! I loved what he did. They had a manager many years ago, when I hadn’t re-formed the Stooges, I hadn’t moved to England, and this guy said, ‘Are you interested in joining AC/DC?’ They were looking for a singer.”
Asked if he considered it, Pop maintained: “No, because I listened to their record. I thought, I can’t fill that bill. I wasn’t like, ugh, I don’t like them. It was quite well made. They do careful work. But I’m not what they needed.”
Listen to AC/DC’s ‘TNT’ below.
