Watch Iggy Pop play an unhinged ‘Lust for Life’ in 1977
In essence, Iggy Pop was trying to get away from being Iggy Pop. When the legendary and controversial singer uprooted to Berlin in the mid-1970s, he was dangerously strung out on heroin and suffering from an incredibly low ebb in his life. The Stooges had broken up twice at this point, and Pop was so dependent on drugs that he eventually checked himself into a psych ward to try and clean up.
Then came one of Pop’s newest friends, David Bowie. Bowie was a major fan of Pop’s style and lent him comfort (and allegedly snuck in drugs) to Pop during his stay at the mental institution. It was through Bowie that Pop got out (or was broken out) of the psyche ward when he took refuge with Bowie on his ‘Isolar Tour’. Bowie insisted that Pop return to the studio and the pair recorded The Idiot together in 1976.
After utilising the Château d’Hérouville and Elton John’s famous “Honky Chateau” for The Idiot, Pop and Bowie moved to Berlin for their next albums. Pop wanted a stronger hand in writing his own material, seeing as how Bowie had composed most of the material on The Idiot. Pop also struggled to stay clean during this period, often alternating between long stretches of abstaining from drugs and relapses.
Lust for Life was recorded in a short burst, only taking one month to write, record, mix, and release. Pop looked healthier and happier than he ever had before on the album’s cover, but his substance abuse issues continued. At the same time, the punk movement gave Pop’s notorious live performances a new rapt audience that was more than willing to egg on Pop’s worst habits. By the time Pop arrived in Manchester to perform at the Apollo, he was a god among men.
That didn’t stop him from being out of his mind during the show. By the show’s second song, Pop is already being dragged out to his microphone. It’s not entirely clear whether Pop is doing an act or is actually strung out, but by the song’s first chorus, his chest is already bleeding profusely. That was usually a sign that Pop was off his head, but his insatiable energy causes him to keep burning through ‘Lust for Life’, even though he needs to sit down in a chair at one point to get through it.
Despite nearly flying off the rails on just the concert’s second song, Pop finished his 12-track set that night. He even found some time to cover Bowie’s ‘Fame’ and The Stooges’ classic track ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’. Some nights, it seemed like a marvel that Pop got through any of his shows alive, and his performance at the Manchester Apollo is now permanently preserved as one of those nights.
Check out Pop’s wild performance of ‘Lust for Life’ down below.
