James Newell Osterberg, Jr. (born April 21, 1947), better known by his stage name Iggy Pop, is an American rock singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. Although he has had only limited commercial success, Iggy Pop is considered one of the most important innovators of punk and related styles. He is sometimes referred to by the nicknames "the Godfather of Punk" and "the Rock Iguana", and is widely acknowledged as one of the most dynamic stage performers of rock. His direct influence extends to the present day: a Cadillac ad in rotation since February, 2007 features his vocal performance on the song "Punkrocker", recorded in 2006 with the Swedish band The Teddybears.
Iggy Pop was the lead singer of The Stooges, a late 1960s/early 1970s garage rock band who were influential in the development of the nascent heavy metal and punk rock. The Stooges became infamous for their live performances, during which it was not uncommon for Iggy Pop to leap off the stage (thus inventing the "stage dive"), flash his genitals, smear raw meat (and on one occasion peanut butter) over his chest and/or cut himself with broken bottles. Many subsequent performers have imitated Pop's antics.
Although he would never revisit the primal vitality of his days with the Stooges, Iggy Pop has had varying degrees of success in his 25 years as a solo artist. His best-known songs include "Lust for Life", "I'm Bored", "Real Wild Child", "Search and Destroy", the Top 40 hit "Candy", and "The Passenger". A film about Iggy Pop's life and career titled The Passenger is currently in production.
..................... and he's motherfucking awesome!
(yay wikipedia)
