Some rock and roll television appearances can fall flat, in fact, the vast majority of them do. But there’s one moment that will live long in the memory as Iggy Pop was joined by David Bowie and smashed through a set onThe Dinah! Show.
The dynamic duo had been living in Berlin when they were invited on to the show to not only perform some songs from Iggy’s Bowie-produced record, The Idiot, but to also Lust For Life by answering some questions.
Day time royalty Dinah Shore must have been a little worried when she looked at the call sheet on April 15th, 1977. The show host would have scanned down the list of guests and seen two names at the height of rock and roll notoriety; Iggy Pop and David Bowie.
The clip below begins: “Iggy Pop is considered to be the originator of what is called punk rock today,” as the host introduces the former Stooges singer. While it may feel a bit churlish to us in 2020, back in ’77 the introduction was certainly needed.
Much of Shore’s audience, a large chunk of middle America, was still unaware of what constituted punk rock. She even follows her introduction with the caveat that she’s not being mean by referring to the music as ‘punk’. The studio audience would soon get an up-close and personal example of what it was all about.
Iggy Pop alongside bassist Tony Sales, Hunt Sales on drums and with Bowie on keys would slam through new tracks ‘Sister Midnight’ and ‘Fun Time’ for a stunned audience. Iggy is in unstoppable mood and thrashes through the performance shirtless and without a care in the world.
It’s the kind of quintessential performance that saw Iggy Pop become one of the most adored lead singers of a generation. As willing to kiss you as he is cut himself, the punk’s onstage antics provided the daytime host with one of her stranger questions as she asks about his tendency to slice himself on stage.
With all the concern of a fretting mother, Shore says: “You cut yourself with a bottle.” The audience laughs, Bowie laughs and Iggy Pop offered a vision of his most charming self and replies: “I’ve had treatment for that sort of thing.”
It’s a moment in time which saw Iggy Pop and David Bowie at their creative peak, during a fruitful partnership, which saw the pair become ever more ingrained in one another’s legacy. It remains a cherishable moment between two friends and two icons.
Article from Far Out Magazine by Jack Whately