IGGY AND THE STOOGES: Bring the Weirdness

“But sometimes people do look at me the wrong way, and I’ll admit, I don’t like it,” he explains. “Especially when I’m being invisible. If you don’t know who I am, I am one weird motherfucker. I lurk around. And people who spot me…just as me…are like, ‘Who is that fucking guy? What the fuck is wrong with him?'”

Despite the fact that people used to leave him alone a lot more in Miami than they do now, Iggy explains, “It’s usually very benign if I don’t go to idiotic places like South Beach. I had to get out of Miami Beach because of that. When I moved in, it was sort of this wonderfully underdeveloped paradise. It was really, really nice physically, and was still leftover with a lot of Hasids and old mom and pop type people. And they all sort of minded their own business and left me the fuck alone. And now it’s all Canyon Ranch Spa and P. Diddy’s entourage and fucking Sammy Sosa [laughs]. I actually have Sammy Sosa’s Pink Twisted cockatoo. Apparently he didn’t want her so we got her from some cockatoo dealer.”

From cockatoos to dogs, Iggy says that aside from The Stooges cover by The Sex Pistols (“No Fun”), he’s particularly fond of Parisian Emilie Simon’s cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. “I loved that one,” he says.

As for his lucrative licensing arrangements, he says he rarely says no to offers, “But I have a standing verboten to all of my publishers to say no to anything related to food. The worst would be Olive Garden. However, if Taco Bell asked…I’d do it. I seriously like Taco Bell. You know, my first ad was in 1970, when the Detroit Dragway looped one of our songs. “Tonight at The Detroit Dragway see Big Don Solomon driving the amazing, brooding funny car!” And I was so excited I never really thought to get paid. I always liked advertising, and I thought a lot about jingle writing when I started songwriting because I think so much of it is so well done.”

For Iggy, who turns 60 on April 21, life as an icon is something he’s learned to live with. “I’m not comfortable or uncomfortable with it. I’ve heard Godfather of Punk, Fashion icon…whatever. It used to be junkie, creep, ‘Watch out…he’ll steal your clothes.’ Mental illness. So I guess that sounds OK after all.” The Weirdness drops March 20, 2007.