Book Review- Iggy Pop; Open Up and Bleed, by Paul Trynka

Warning; This is a rather lengthy book review. Paul Trynka wrote a lengthy, but well researched biography of Iggy Pop, a very influential performer. I had hoped to convince one of several music publications to run this review, but there were no takers. Ho hum. Anyhow, once upon a time, publications like Rolling Stone ran in-depth reviews of products associated with preferred artists. I don't want this review to sit in my hard drive forever, and the book is still rather current (summer 2007), so here is my review of Iggy Pop; Open Up and Bleed by Paul Trynka. I hope it isn't too long for a blog post.

Iggy Pop; Open Up and Bleed, By Paul Trynka. (Broadway Books)

Open Up and Bleed is the most extensive book written about the life of James Osterberg, better known as Iggy Pop. Previously, all fans had to go by were Iggy’s less than completely reliable 1983 autobiography I Need More and the excellent, but brief Per Nilsson book The Wild One. The English writer and Mojo Magazine editor Paul Trynka has, over the course of many years, managed to track down pretty much everyone from Iggy’s past who was willing to discuss their relationship with Iggy.

Indeed, the coverage of James’ Osterberg’s childhood is more thorough than that of his seventies concert tours. Former school mates and ex-girlfriends are consulted along with other people from Iggy’s Ann Arbor days.

Iggy Pop, or James Jewel Osterberg (named after his father James) was raised in a close knit, if uptight family where both parents worked and the preferred recreational father and son activity was golf. James, or Jim, as just about everybody in this book including its author calls Iggy when he’s in his “normal” persona, was an exceptional student as well as quite the social climber, while growing up. Interestingly, Iggy’s father was raised by a Jewish couple who adopted him, but Iggy would later make some rather anti-Semitic remarks on stage, as well as record most of his best music with a guitarist who had a Nazi fetish which included wearing SS outfits on stage. This incongruity is seldom addressed in Open Up and Bleed, but the author doesn’t gloss over or ignore Ron Asheton’s Nazi predilections, either. Trynka mentions Ron’s Nazi paraphernalia was still a fixture of life in his mother’s basement in Ann Arbor, where he was living in 1996 when the author stopped in for an interview.

One interesting observation that comes up early in the book is that being raised in a trailer park, Iggy’s stern school teacher father left no public misconceptions about his family’s social or economic status around affluent Ann Arbor. While trailer parks have long been associated with poverty and stereotyped as populated only by white trash, Jim lived in a solid community which was ultimately razed to make room for a highway.

Jim was apparently popular with the girls from a young age, which was presumably helped by his well built body and rather large penis which comes up, so to speak, through the course of the book. Suffice to say, even when he was a broke has-been, which happened several times in his remarkable career, Jim never had a problem finding girls, even if some of them were underage.

By the time The Stooges were formed with the thuggish Asheton brothers and the late Dave Alexander, playing Michigan clubs, their music was taken to be either avant-garde or merely bizarre. One early show was busted by the police who found a naked Iggy fronting a loud band. Thinking they had stumbled upon some illegal gay strip club, the cops had to promise not to beat up the naked singer before Iggy could be persuaded to emerge from hiding.

Various lingering debates among Iggy fans over such matters as how much input came from the respective producers of the three Stooges albums are discussed at some length in Open Up and Bleed. Over the years, Iggy and the Stooges have lamented the production on all of their records, especially the first and third releases. An early and long time champion of the band, Danny Fields (who got them signed to Elektra Records with the MC 5 in 1968) managed to get the well respected John Cale to produce the Stooges debut, and regardless of Jim’s comments about Cale and his input, it would seem the producer was indeed an active and effective producer for The Stooges. The 1973 classic record “Raw Power” was produced by David Bowie. He was later referred to as “that fucking carrot top” who destroyed a brilliant recording by Iggy and the rest of the band. The Stooges used to describe their mix as heavier, and without the yelping sound on the original record. Unfortunately for the Stooges, their preferred mixes have been well distributed among fans and sold by bootleggers over the years, and the record as produced by Bowie sounds undeniably livelier.

In any case, David Bowie would prove to be Jim Osterberg’s best friend for many years. David suggests they grew apart in the nineties after Jim was sick of discussing David Bowie in every single interview. Paul Trynka asserts the both Jim and David recorded much of their best work collaboratively over their time living and recording in Berlin in the mid-seventies, and he has a point. In fact, many long time fans probably feel the 1978 album “Lust For Life” is Iggy’s last great record.

David Bowie came to Jim’s aid several times before their retreat to Berlin. In 1972, Bowie got Jim signed to his MainMan management company and despite what became of MainMan, David was clearly looking out for Jim. He would repeat the favour a couple of years later, and even after their time in Berlin, the two would work together again in the late 1980’s.

In 1972, the original Stooges had blown apart. MainMan saw Iggy as a solo artist rather than the Stooges as a group. The afore-mentioned Danny Fields, is one of the book’s most engaging raconteurs. He described the Stooges highs and lows from that brief two year period when they looked to be poised for success. Iggy himself was a big hit with the trendy regulars at Max’s Kansas City during several visits to the New York City night spot, and Danny Fields had the presence of mind to have recorded a few of the New York Stooges performances for posterity. Whether these include the recently discovered 1970 recording from Ungano’s, a New York City club, is not mentioned, but Danny’s perspective is interesting.

Danny also introduced Jim to cocaine in Los Angeles during the “Fun House” recording sessions in 1969. Jim, or perhaps more accurately Iggy, would have problems with coke and other drugs for almost two decades. Nonetheless, this unfortunate introduction was bound to happen, as cocaine suddenly appeared all over Ann Arbor when Jim returned from L.A. Paul Trynka blames President Nixon’s 1969 crackdown on marijuana for the rise in cocaine use at this time. Apparently, Michigan stoners first had to content themselves with opium-laced hash from Canada, then cocaine made a splash, and heroin came on the scene. By the fall of 1970, the author described heroin as “flooding” Detroit. The Stooges, like many other Detroit musicians, ended up strung out on junk before long, and by 1971 they were often getting paid in cocaine or heroin. Danny Fields described a double bill featuring Alice Cooper and The Stooges, and each act was getting paid 1500$. Danny saw Alice Cooper’s band getting ready with their make up and wigs while he pulled a needle out of Iggy’s arm, squirting blood on his face. It was obvious at the moment, he said, that one of the two bands in the room was on the verge of stardom while the other was heading for the bathroom floor.

In 1971, Iggy and MC 5 guitarist Wayne Kramer even had a heroin selling business, which seemed to involve Iggy steering clients for Wayne who had a good heroin supplier in Detroit. The partnership was terminated at gunpoint by Kramer, who returned from an MC 5 tour to find no money or dope or Iggy- he had been hospitalized for an overdose.

By the time David Bowie visited Jim in rehab in 1975, the singer’s post-Stooges L.A. accommodations ran the gamut, from living off rich girls to sharing a garage floor with some male hustler to a forced stay in a mental hospital. The following year, he was invited to join Bowie’s “Station to Station” tour, and a year later the two would be recording the Iggy Pop “comeback” album, “The Idiot.”

There are a few topics which are covered all too briefly in Open Up and Bleed and Iggy’s 1970’s live career is one of them. While Paul Trynka talked to Michael Tippin, who recorded some of the Stooges Detroit concerts, including the notorious final show at Michigan Palace, the final Stooges tour is written off as a doomed waste of time. “There were no good shows” is one quote used, but there was surely more that could have been written about this period of Jim’s life. The 1977 tour is barely discussed at all; this was Jim’s triumphant come-back tour, the shows were often very well received, and the up and coming band Blondie shared the bill. Debbie Harry discusses this tour more in her book than Trynka’s scant coverage here. In fact, she describes Iggy and some of the Blondie members playing an after-show in Seattle, where Iggy sang Doors and MC 5 covers for a few lucky fans. There were also other events on this tour, like Jim jamming with old friends in Ann Arbor. Given he would later share a tour with Wayne Kramer, last seen robbing Jim for revenge in 1971, there must have been a few interesting tales left out of the book. The subsequent “Lust For Life” tour receives little coverage, and when the topic of Jim’s stage work does come up, the author suggests Jim’s constant touring from 1979-82 did more harm than good for his creativity and his career.

I have to disagree with this assessment, especially in the case of singers like Iggy Pop, who’s reputation comes from his live appearances more than his records. “New Values,” “Soldier” and “Party” are described as being mediocre to dreadful records, in descending order. Road-testing new material would have quite likely saved Jim the trouble of recording some of the turkeys he released in the early eighties. Iggy Pop was a steady live draw, and it was his concerts (and definitely not his new records) that kept his fans around during those years. Touring was also the only way for Jim to make any money; his records were expensive to record, and kept tanking. The expenses of studio bills and a cocaine habit took a lot of road work, and Jim was living night to night.

The author proposes “Lust For Life” should have been a strong seller, having made the English charts upon release, but at this time, in the summer of 1977, Elvis Presley died. This meant RCA Records virtually shelved all non-Elvis projects, and went into overdrive rush-releasing Elvis product through the rest of the year. Once the first pressing of “Lust For Life” sold out in the U.K. there were no subsequent pressings, and the l.p. disappeared from stores. This notion hasn’t been brought up before, but it would be interesting to see what other well-regarded records fell off the radar over the years due to circumstances that had nothing to do with the artist.

Paul Trynka gives the reader a stronger appreciation for Jim’s backing bands over the years. The Stooges, for all their perceived incompetence, were one of the most adventurous sounding groups to emerge from the musical hotbed of the Motor City, and later players included the famous Sales brothers (bass and guitar), Ivan Kral from Patti Smith’s band, Fred Sonic Smith, Carlos Alomar from David Bowie’s group, and many others. For all the debauchery and antics of an Iggy Pop performance, the band’s playing was usually tight, and surely helped Iggy Pop get repeat bookings when album sales might have suggested it wasn’t worth bringing Iggy Pop to one’s town.

After bottoming out again in 1983, Iggy pulled himself together and apparently quit cocaine again. Quitting such a destructive drug was obviously a sound move, but the influence cocaine on Jim’s studio work is unclear; if coke helped ruin albums like “Party”, suggests Trynka, then it must have helped during the equally coke-infused “Lust For Life” sessions, or it might not have had much effect on Jim’s recording sessions. The author also paraphrases the photographer Robert Matheu on the topic of being “clean”; “drug-free simply meant that it was not cool to share your cocaine anymore; instead, everyone snorted in private.”

Regardless, Jim’s relative good health was matched by David Bowie’s when they got together to record “Blah Blah Blah.” This was described by many fans and critics as the best 1980’s record that Bowie never made, and clearly his influence is all over the poppy album. “Blah Blah Blah” was the best selling Iggy Pop album in many years, and his cover of “Real Wild Child” was a hit in England, where Iggy records always sold better than they did Stateside. The record is described as a pristine, crisp recording, and the author seems to quite like the record. Many long-time fans certainly found it too slick and watered down, but they were waiting for him when Iggy hit the road again in 1986. This is cited as a particularly strong tour, but despite the longer sets, the energy level seemed to wane a little with all the synthesizers and sound effects that characterized these shows.

The follow-up “Instinct” record and tour is decried by Trynka as corporate rock, and lamented Iggy’s going on tour with a “hair band”, but only one “hairy” newcomer was on that tour. It was also hailed by a lot of fans as Iggy’s return to hard rock, after drifting dangerously far into Bowie-territory over the previous two years. Of course, the quality of Iggy Pop records and tours is as debatable as any esthetic argument, but almost everyone was surprised when the follow-up record, “Brick By Brick” became the best selling Iggy release to date. In fact, the nineties were Jim’s most prosperous decade ever; his old songs suddenly became hip, as one popular new artist after another insisted on singing Iggy’s praises. The smash hit movie “Trainspotting” featured a generous helping of Iggy music in the soundtrack, and “Lust For Life” enjoyed a second life as a hit song and a third life as a catchy jingle, minus the “liquor and drugs” reference (at least until the song is licensed by some private rehab-clinic). A string of increasingly predictable releases followed, but once again it was the live performances (as well as “Lust For Life” by this point) that kept Iggy in demand. One drawback with Iggy Pop recording sessions for many years now has been the steadfast desire for one record company after another to hook him up with a hot-shot producer-du-jour who was expected to get a commercial success out of the work. One would have thought this unreliable method would have lost favour by now, but perhaps the need for record company staff to cover themselves for slow sellers requires they only release the most commercial sounding music they can.

Trynka suggests Iggy’s constant touring was an attempt to make up for wasting so much time, blowing off potential work right through the early and mid-seventies. It could well be the case, as Iggy is hardly desperate for cash, as he was on those early eighties tours.

Finally, in 2003, twenty years after publishing his often petty autobiography, the impossible finally happened; the Stooges reunited. They played on some of Iggy’s c.d. “Skull Ring” and even performed a few dates together. The shows presumably went well, because The Stooges have been playing on and off ever since. Earlier this year they recorded a new c.d. together called “The Weirdness.” Open Up and Bleed is nothing if not up to date.

Overall, this huge undertaking has paid off in an enjoyable and informative read. Anyone interested in this book is presumably an Iggy fan already, but there Paul Trynka adds plenty to the already well known facts about Iggy Pop. There are a few points where the author might have dug a little deeper, most notably on Iggy Pop’s live career. There are plenty of bootlegs and other live recordings, as well as other people’s accounts of those shows. Similarly, the infamous Skydog label is barely discussed, and erroneously cited as beginning operations in 1973 with the release of a Flamin’ Groovies album. In fact, Skydog released a (terrible) performance of Jimi Hendrix with Jim Morrison in 1970, as well as the first Velvet Underground bootleg, using Brigid Polk’s Sony cassette recording that was later used for the “Live at Max’s Kansas City” set. There was a lot of controversy over the “Metallic K.O.” Skydog release in 1976; it was by all accounts a bootleg, and Iggy claimed the label’s owner Marc Zermati never had permission to release the set. “Metallic K.O.” must be one of the most influential rock albums of the seventies, and the controversy surrounding it surely contributed to its punk cache. In fact, a complete discography of The Stooges that included the bootleg and quasi-legitimate releases through the seventies and eighties would have been an excellent addition, and it has after all been almost twenty years since Per Nilsson’s book (with it’s extensive discography and listing of available recordings) book came out. More pictures would have been most welcome as well. That said, there is a decent collection of pictures featured, covering Jim’s entire life on and off stage. Open Up and Bleed is one of the more ambitious recent books about any rock star, and the research is complemented by some particularly well informed interviews.

Concert Review; Ernest Ranglin and Tabarruk; Sunday, August 5/07, Harbourfront, Toronto

The guitar player Ernest Ranglin has been touring and recording for more than fifty years. By the mid 1950's, the accomplished musician had already played the Jamaican hotel circuit and toured the Caribbean. In 1958, he led his own five piece band when one Chris Blackwell caught them playing at the Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay, and he was inspired to record the band for his new Island Records label. While there is an obvious jazz leaning in Ernest's guitar style in the mento days, Ranglin's subsequent recordings at Federal Records by Coxsone Dodd were recorded after the mento music style had waned and been replaced by American R&B. These instrumentals sounded a little like R&B records, but with the beat shifted, and some insist these Coxsone productions of Ernest Ranglin's group are the very first ska recordings. After a brief stint working as an in-house arranger for JBC radio, Ernest Ranglin was summoned by Chris Blackwell to London, England, where Ranglin quickly established himself at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. With more commercial success in mind, Chris Blackwell had Ranglin and other musicians back Millie Small for "My Boy Lollipop" which was the first Jamaican single to break out as a world wide hit.
Despite his renowned status, Ranglin has recorded only sporadically since the early seventies, including 1970's "Boss Reggae" and "Sound and Power" in 1975. He toured as a member of Jimmy Cliff's band in the mid-seventies, and he didn't release his next record "In Search of the Lost Riddim" until 2000. That release saw Ranglin recording in Africa, and returning to the stage. His appearance at Hoarbourfront that summer precipitated several successful return appearances at Hugh's Room.
The sound check took place before noon, when hardly anyone was milling about Harbourfront. Everybody seemed to be in good spirits, and Ernest's local backing band, Tabrruk, have played enough shows with him to guarantee a comfortable fit between the guitarist and Tabarruk. Local singer and fellow reggae veteran Jay Douglas joined the show for a song, but most of the concert consisted of the smooth (but not slick) instrumentals that have defined Ranglin's sound in recent years. Tabarruk was augmented by the two-man horn section of Nick "Brownman" and Marcus Ali, who have provided a fantastic addition to plenty of local concerts by various artists around town over the years.
There was another nod to the roots of reggae with "54-46 (That's My Number)" but Ernest Ranglin's sophisticated live performance arrangements lend themselves to his earlier jazz influences, such as Wes Montgomery. This daytime show got the attention it deserved from the audience, for the most part. While Harbourfront's daytime concerts bring out a high ratio of audience members just passing through, there were enough fans of both Ernest Ranglin and jazzy guitar performances (the latter group surely converted to Ranglin fans by the end of the show) to ensure an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd. Ernest and Tabarruk played for an hour, and despite the brevity of this performance, everyone on stage and off seemed to have had a great time.

Barrington Levy; August 5/07 Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

A rare local appearance from Barrington Levy seemed like the perfect end to Caribana/ Lord Simcoe weekend. The singer has been recording since his 1977 single "My Black Girl", and he was entertaining dancehall crowds since the age of 14. In the early 1980's, Barrington Levy and his producer Junjo Lawes made hit records and popular live appearances in England. Backed by the Channel One All Stars (subsequently renamed the Roots Radics), Barrington's records and performances did well enough, but in 1985 "Here I Come" gave Barrington and his new producer Jah Screw a major international reggae hit. They scored again with "Under Me Sensi", which has been resurrected more than once, and it is probably Levy's most enduring classic. Levy has also had success covering old songs himself, such as "Too Experienced".
Tonight, Barrington Levy and his reliably hot band played a pounding, solid set of old and new music occasionally punctuated by a few flashy guitar licks. He must have been pleased by the turn-out as the entire area was packed shoulder to shoulder. The heavy Jamaican presence presumably helped too, but Levy was clearly enjoying himself. Many people in the audience knew the words and sang along even to lesser known songs like the "Black Roses" and "Danger". Barrington tried a couple of new tracks out as well, and they too were well received.
Other songs like "Reggae Music" and "Dangerous Times" (about a sloppy philanderer) were stretched out by the band, but "Here I Come" got a particularly raucous response, as Barrington broke down to all the song's rude components for the delighted crowd. Levy broke into a capella singing and rhyming several times during the show, and even after 30 years in the business, he can easily belt out rapid-fire lyrics as well as the best rappers and dancehall singers. This was a high energy event that must have been one of Barrington's best North American audiences in a long time.
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No pictures, I was too far away, it was too dark outside, and shots of Barrington were too blurry.

Concert Review; Kathy Brown and Tabarruk, Sunday, August 5/07 Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

As part of Harbourfront's "Island Soul" festival this weekend, we were treated to several free performances. The first two were afternoon shows, featuring one veteran of Jamaican music and one relative newcomer. Ernest Ranglin and Kathy Brown both gave excellent performances on this sunny afternoon. They both play music that is restrained and refined, which was fitting for the mellow atmosphere around Harbourfront. All of Sunday's live performances were broadcast live on CIUT 89.5 fm.
Kathy Brown is a pianist who had a remarkable back-up plan; she is also a medical doctor in her native Kingston, Jamaica. This afternoon was her Canadian debut, and she had the compatible and versatile Jason Wilson and Tabarruk backing her up. Long time Jamaican-Canadian drummer Everton "Pablo" Paul has been playing percussion regularly with Tabarruk, and the two drummers (Paul plays hand drums in this band) gel seamlessly for a steady rhythm section that did not interfere with Kathy Brown's piano playing.
Brown opened with a tune called "Rasta Journey", which combines elements from older melodies such as "Rastaman Chant" and "Rivers of Babylon". That was followed by a cover of "Get Up Stand Up" that was introduced as a Bob Marley song, but it was barely recognizable. It was a treat to hear a cover like the well worn "Get Up Stand Up" played with significantly different arrangements from the familiar Wailers versions. This was followed by an unusual take of "The Flintstones" theme. Kathy's eclecticism shifted to the appropriately titled "Latin Groove" which, Kathy said, was inspired by Cuban rhythms which used to be very popular in Jamaica. A cover of "Afro Blue" came next. While the familiar notes trickled out from the stage, Kathy and Tabarruk got to stretch out a little. Kathy described the track as "a song of communication" which seemed fitting. The last song was another instrumental cover of a Wailers hit, "Could You Be Loved?" which featured the pianist and Jason Wilson the organist trading off keyboard licks. Kathy Brown was very well received by the surprisingly attentive crowd. Daytime Harbourfront audiences are often a finicky bunch, composed of as many tourists out for a stroll as there are fans of the artist performing. Holding this audiences attention was no small task, but Kathy Brown's piano playing provided a rare moment of an audience listening closely to a relatively unknown musician.
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Pictures at www.flickr.com/pictures/emangrooving

Various Comedians; Just For Laughs Festival, July 27/07 Massey Hall, Toronto

The Just For Laughs inaugural run in our city included free outdoor shows and other events including a couple of promising bills at Massey Hall for Friday and Saturday. When Lewis Black was added to the M.C. slot as well as his scheduled performance for Friday's show, it looked like an amusing night was coming up. Richard Lewis, a veteran comic and more recently showing up on the television series "Curb Your Enthusiasm" was also scheduled to perform, along with some lesser known stand-up comedians.
There was a brief introduction and the band at the back of the stage played a few bars from various tunes, which they would do between the other artists' sets. Lewis Black delivered two hilarious monologues which the audience loved. During his opening set, Black apologized for George Bush and launched into a classic Black style tirade about a trip to Salt Lake City, Mormons, a trip to a local Jesus museum, complete with a 14 foot high pop-up Jesus model, before he continued to suggest those who can't get to Salt Lake City check out Las Vegas on Christmas Eve. Despite being Jewish, Black explained, he knew there must be something wrong with a casino's giant games rooms, packed with angry slot machine gamblers, cursing to a background of Christmas carols. Lewis Black left the stage to uproarious applause, promising to come back later.
Bob Marley and Ardal O'Hanlon were the next two artists. The Irish O'Hanlon described Irish immigration as a recent reversal to the historic emigration that defined the Emerald Isle, but neither comic was stunningly funny. An MTV host delivered a few jokes as well, with some recurring gag about her wet vagina, but the next truly funny monologue came from Richard Lewis.
Lewis came out dressed in black, with his hair slicked back, "looking like Captain Kirk's Rabbi", because, he explained, he is now sixty years old and "doesn't give a fuck" - about anything. His balls hang below his penis, his parents are now dead and therefore he now forgives them, he stopped caring about seeing a shrink, because he doesn't give a fuck anymore. On a happier note, he said he felt honoured to share the Massey Hall stage with Neil Young (albeit 36 years apart), which was an honour compared to his 1977 debut at the O'Keefe Centre opening for Sonny and Cher. Richard Lewis described Bill Clinton as a possible sex addict, but at least he didn't speak English as a second language. Given how many comics quit drugs and alcohol, as Richard Lewis did, and emerge from the clean-up palpably less funny, Richard Lewis must have been pleased with his well received set.
Lewis Black returned for another monologue which went over as well as his earlier appearance. He talked about health care briefly before asking why old stem cell samples, which used to be tossed out unceremoniously, are now reclassified as sacred babies-in-waiting. Black then recalled how America has had illegal immigrants for as long as anyone can remember, yet suddenly, in 2007, it became a new hot-button issue, complete with a resulting border fence built, at least in part (and Black did not make this up), by labourers working illegally in the United States.
Jeremy Hotz is an African-born, Canadian-raised, and America-residing comedian. He made a few funny observations, comparing integration in Canada, South Africa, and in the United States, citing the de facto segregation that exists across the States. Hotz said he was awaiting a green Card, which would define him as an "African American" although he is white and grew up in Canada.
For much of the audience, the surprise of the evening must have been the night's final act, Filipino-American Jo Joy. His act bounced between discussing Asians in North America and comparing male and female organs. Koy called Chinese people "the rudest Asian people" and imitated an impatient waiter in a Chinese restaurant. He then described the vagina as a loving, intricate and detailed work of art from God, while the penis must have been an afterthought. Jo then said His afterthought, the penis, looks awful; "like a drunk falling out of the back of a car". That joke alone got a round of applause, but most of Koy's act was strong enough to keep the crowd laughing. If Lewis Black and Richard Lewis were the dependable comedic draws for this evening, Jo Koy was definitely the biggest surprise. He greeted a few fans outside Massey Hall after the show, (as did Lewis Black) and many outside seemed to agree he was one of the funniest artists of the evening.
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Lewis Black picture can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/emangrooving.