On the eve of Iggy Pop's 69th birthday, we recall Judy Blame's ode to the music icon from the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Another Man
Having schooled himself in punk rock and nightclubbing during the late 70s and early 80s, Judy Blame turned his nocturnal penchant for extreme dressing-up into a longlasting career as an accessories designer and stylist. He has worked with his pick of the music and fashion bunch, collaborating with John Galliano, Comme des Garçons, Gareth Pugh, Björk and Boy George. But it is proto-punk legend and like-minded rebel Iggy Pop who has always remained his biggest inspiration.
“I first found out about Iggy as a 14-year-old school boy. I was already into T-Rex and Ziggy Stardust, then I met a student from Exeter University who was called Tim and he started my music education properly: The Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, MC5 and, of course, Iggy and the Stooges. I dumped the glitter of glam and embraced the darker side. I found this noise was more suited to my teenage angst. These were definitely people my parents would – and did – hate. Mum and Dad even cut off my pocket money so I couldn’t buy their records. Too late – I was hooked. I wanted a world full of art, transvestites, drug addicts, strange sex and danger. Luckily, at the same time as this discovery, punk exploded in the UK and I ran away from home...
I first saw Iggy playing live in 1977 at London’s Rainbow Theatre. He came on like some kind of demented wild animal. He was bare-chested, wearing the tightest jeans I’d ever seen and a horse’s tail. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. He performed the song Turn Blue to a girl in the audience, and held her hand throughout. God, how I wished I had been that bitch. I next saw Iggy at the Factory club up in Manchester, when it was still based in the Moss Side area. There were pipes that ran all over the ceiling of this grubby club and he sang while swinging off them like a monkey. From then on, for me, it was, ‘Fuck Bowie – Iggy is God!’
In the early 80s, I was in New York a lot, staying with a dear friend of mine John Badem. One time I flew over, dumped my bags, dressed up in a tailcoat covered in high heels and went straight out looking for John. When I found him he said, ‘Do you know Jim?’ I turned around and it was Iggy! I was so starstruck – my hero at last. We had a blast all night.”
Judy’s all-time favourite Iggy tracks: Dirt, Raw Power, Gimme Danger, China Girl, Turn Blue, Lust for Life and Wild Child.
This story first appeared in Another Man S/S10.
Check out the Another Man website here!