The Untold Truth Of Iggy Pop

If you're only familiar with the Iggy Pop of the last couple of decades or so, you probably know him as a sinewy, old guy with an intense, piercing stare, an unpredictable move set, and a distinct lack of shirt. You know, the kind of character who basically screams "old-school rock star" with his very presence.  

The thing is, that intense man is actually the mellow version of Iggy Pop. As the New Yorker tells us, the Pop of yesteryear used to be a much more dangerous figure — and not in a metaphorical way, either. During his early days with the Stooges, the singer was a bloody, nasty performer who made sure that anything could happen when he was onstage. Apart from the obligatory stripping, Pop was known to throw up, draw blood by cutting into his own chest with broken glass, and perform dangerous stage dives. He'd deliberately provoke unsavory people. He'd smear himself with peanut butter that he'd then throw at folks. He'd walk among the crowd, and, occasionally, walk on the crowd. 

It was fearsome, irresponsible, and often unhealthy. In other words, it was pure, unadulterated early-stage Iggy Pop.