Iggy Pop says he won’t stage dive ever again
Iggy Pop has said that he won’t ever stage dive again owing to now being “too rickety”.
The music icon told NME in the current Big Read cover interview that the practice he popularised as a young punk rocker fronting The Stooges is no longer viable as a 75-year-old man.
Speaking about a gig at London’s Crystal Palace Park dubbed ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ next summer, Pop confirmed that he won’t be launching himself from the stage.
“I’ve left the proscenium a few times if the crowds were too dull just to whip ’em up, but mostly I didn’t have to,” he told NME. “I won’t do the dives again, I’ve managed to survive it mostly and I’m too rickety for that now.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Pop paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins by praising the “incredible style” and “colour” that the late Foo Fighters drummer brought to his forthcoming album, ‘Every Loser’.
Pop praised the numerous musicians who contributed to the new record, which is out January 6, 2023, including Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers and former guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Blink 182‘s Travis Barker, Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard and Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro and Eric Avery.
He also spoke in detail about what Hawkins, who died while on tour in Bogotá, Colombia in March, brought to tracks ‘Comments’ and ‘The Regency’.
“Taylor came in with incredible style,” the artist recalled.
“I’m very fortunate to have that colour on the record. I was really sad and shocked to hear about him. I happened to know that hotel where he was. I’ve stayed in that town. The whole thing was something else. He did have a wonderful career doing what he wanted to do, and by all accounts, a good life.”
“He drums up a storm on those tracks, and you can really hear it,” he continued. “He has this sort of bubbling quality, it’s really percolating.”
Pop also praised Italian rock provocateurs Måneskin, whom he leant vocals to on a new version of their track ‘I Wanna Be Your Slave’, in the NME interview.
“That’s a really strong band,” he said of the four-piece who’ve often cited him as their inspiration for starting a band.
“Damiano [David] is an amazing singer and the bass player, Victoria [de Angelis] really handles that position well and doesn’t overplay, but on stage and in their videos, she really stays with the message. Wooo, she’s a firecracker.”
Additionally, he likened their guitarist Thomas Raggi’s playing to “somewhere north of Joe Perry”, calling their drummer, Ethan Torchio, “clever”.
“I read an interview that said they started out busking on the street in Rome and had to fight other groups for good positions,” he continued. “You can tell they have that background, that they’ve done something together where they got a little taste of poverty and obscurity, and I think that gives them a really nice edge.”
In other news, tickets for the aforementioned outdoor headline concert in London next summer are on sale now – find any remaining tickets here.
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Charlotte Krol
NME
