When asked by Bill Flanagan if he had heard any good records lately, Bob Dylan mentioned Après. [6]

Every Loser’ has few subdued moments, like the slow-burning ‘Morning Show’, which hits on Iggy’s “disappointed areas where I don’t feel 100 per cent wunderbar”. There’s also the poetic ‘Atlantis’, a tribute to the miscreants and sinking land of the “shitty, shady, paradise” Pop calls home. Even with those fleeting serenades in tow, the album is begging to be played loud and live. “That’s what I like about it,” Iggy says When I started out, I didn’t know what publishing was,” Iggy says. “I didn’t understand you were paid money on the basis of intellectual property. Nobody told me, and I didn’t ask. When I was doing the first Stooges album, I thought that writing credits were just about glory. Now, these guys have lawyers, realtors, investment advisors, you name it.” The album has been described as containing ″crooning vocals, Cole Porter covers, soft melodies, and an all-around sense of everything suave″. [5]

Contributions

Not that Iggy shies away from all commercial plugs. He’s taken part in Gucci campaigns, lending his svelte aesthetic to the brand’s bright tailored suits. There was also his appearance in Swiftcover insurance ads in the ‘00s, which were called “misleading” by the Advertising Standards Authority and “embarrassing” by Pop. Ouch.

It really surprises me. I always assumed there would be an arc and things would quiet down after I hit 65,” he says. “That hasn’t been the case.”

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Despite the downsides, however, it seems to be his winning formula. When asked what advice he’d offer to up-and-coming punks seeking longevity in their careers, he answers succinctly: “do two for yourself and one for the man.” Some really prosaic things lent themselves to that,” he says of the tide turning for his work. “Society and music in general went in a direction that made it easier for people to realise the virtues of the music I’m involved in,” he says, pointing to the popularity of hip-hop’s simple riffs and recent technological advances.

Has the grandfather of punk mellowed with age? While it may appear that way, it really isn’t. How so? While it is true that Iggy achieved such legendary status as a Wildman from his early Stooges days in the late 1960’s. He’d threaten the audience. Cut himself with broken bottles hurled at him by the audience. Basically, he’d appear out of control. He was. But as the 70’s wore on, he started to change musically. He experimented with more somber music; Especially on his classic album, “The Idiot”. Teaming up with Bowie on that particular album, Iggy showcased his darker, more melancholy side. Songs like “Night clubbing” and even “Sister Midnight” came off like neo-modern cabaret songs. lyrics: Vito Pallavicini, Pierre Delanoë, Claude Lemesle; music: Pasquale Losito, Salvatore Cutugno With his influence present in everything from designer jewellery to the music of up-and-coming acts, is he able to wrap his mind around his level of impact? “No, I’m not fully aware,” he responds. “I suppose if I was another person, I could sit down and graph all that out and come up with some sort of a schematic plan to capitalise a little bit more, but I’m not. I have noticed life has become a little easier and more rewarding in certain areas than it used to be and seems to continue that way, which really surprises me. Mostly I’m grateful there are people who’ve listened to the music and enjoy it.” Today he adds: “There’s also a bit of the punkier people who’ve made serious fortunes. Even Justin Bieber gets punk points for egging his neighbour’s house a few years ago,” he laughs, referencing the Canadian’s 2014 controversy. “That’s not something teenage heartthrobs used to do.”The Stooges records were inappropriately mastered. They sounded wimpy, but digital streaming and CDs has fixed that” The cover photo is referring to the figure La Conscience played by Iggy Pop in the French movie L'Étoile du jour ( Morning Star) by Sophie Blondy. Every Loser’ also delves into how punk has leaked into the greater pop culture subconscious since artists like Iggy incited the genre half a century ago. In ‘Neo Punk’, Pop rattles off the lines, “ I don’t have to sing, I’ve got publishing/ I’m a neo punk” and “ my hair is blue and my prescription too / I never have enough to do.”

In March 2016, Pop released ‘Post Pop Depression’, a career highlight, and his first record to reach the Top 20 on the US Album charts in the United States. Co-written and produced by Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age and featuring Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and LA multi-instrumentalist Dean Fertita, the album went on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. To those who thought Preliminaires was fun - and I think it's one of the most enjoyable albums Iggy has done post 70s - there are elements to enjoy here particularly Iggy's take on 'La Vie En Rose'. And it's the songs in French that work best probably because they're less familiar to English speaking ears. But I don't think any one of them would have made the cut on his previous album and you can't help but think 'out-takes'.

The original Stooges [records], they were all inappropriately mastered. They sounded wimpier than they really were. Then later, as CDs came in and then, especially in the digital age with streaming, suddenly the same records sound the way they should have.”