Details of the two rock stars' relationship

Iggy Pop и David Bowie - true icons of their era, about whom legends never cease to be written! They met in 1971 year and subsequently developed into a strong friendship, which was attributed to both a "slavish" and sexual nature. For Iggy, however, it became momentousand for David, who learnt a lot from his new mate. And it was he who pulled Pop out of the pit of addiction: it's not for nothing that he's called King Midasthat turns everything it touches into gold.

Their relationship has seen many things: both moments of joy and rage. But it is impossible to dispute that there was a special magic between these two, which even today is beyond the comprehension of outsider viewers.

How magic came to be: a story of familiarity

David Bowie was gone in January 2016 of the year. Then. Iggy Pop wrote in his tweet:

"My friendship with David has been the light of my life..."

Pop and Bowie's paths crossed quite by accident. It was in 1971 year in a nightclub "Max's Kansas City". Iggy was lazing on the sofa at home that day. Suddenly he got a phone call that a London musician was in town. And that musician turned out to be David. The fact that Pop got up and went to the meeting, contributed only to the fact that Bowie repeatedly spoke of his admiration and love for the "The Stooges". And this, in turn, aroused the curiosity of the leader of the group about his person.

The mid-'70s and the madness

Alas, in just four years there will be a split "The Stooges"shortly after which Pop would go downhill. His addictions became very serious. In his own words, at some point he lost the thread between reality and illusion.

"I woke up one day in an abandoned building. I felt like hell..." - recalled the artiste.

He soon settled for a month in psychiatric hospitaland the experience made a lifelong impression on him:

"I spent a whole month in the same cell with some real lunatics! One was always muttering to himself, another was burning toilet paper for some reason, another was telling incredible stories... Then I realised that there was nothing wrong with my head. I went outside once during that time. It was crazy..."

In the same interview, Pop recalled walking past a movie theatre that very day and seeing the poster that inspired him to write "The Passenger".

Regarding David Bowiethen in mid-70s his situation was no better: he was also suffering from severe addiction.

В 1976-м the friends were even arrested for possession of illegal substances. At some point, Bowie realised that things couldn't go on like this. He was the one who suggested that Pop move to Berlin. And he agreed. Bowie realised that Iggy, of all people, needed saving. And he was the only one who could give him a helping hand.

Co-creation

Given that David admired "The Stooges"It's no surprise that he offered Iggy a collaboration. It resulted in two great albums - "The Idiot" и "Lust for Life.".

It cannot be denied that throughout their friendship between the Pop и Bowie There was rivalry, especially on the part of the former. Gradually, however, a mutual love - light and friendly - began to dawn between them. And David was guiding hand in this strange and incomprehensible relationship. He helped Pop in many ways, and together they wrote great music. Although there were some conflicts.

For example, David wrote the melody for the track "Success."but it wasn't to Iggy's taste. The musician characterised it as. "overly cloying.". Then he decided to act on his own: together with his brothers. Sayles Iggy came to the studio before Bowie and reworked everything in his own way! David adopted Iggy's spontaneous approach to lyrics. In his own words, this was reflected in the track "Heroes.".

In addition to studio sessions, the two have also travelled the world on tour, the most notable of which has been the "Station To Station".

Station To Station

It's worth noting that for Bowie, the tour "Station To Station" was not just entertainment, but also hard work. In between performances, alcoholic parties and clubbing, David found time to analyse each show, lay everything out and even prepare for questions from the hated press. In addition to Pop and Bowie, the tour was accompanied by Coco Schwab, Barbara de Witt. with my husband Timas well as a concert manager Pat Gibbons and photographer Andrew Kent.

The tour kicked off in Vancouver 2 February 1976.. And on his first day, it was clear to everyone: David was serious about getting Iggy out of the hole.

"He's not that tough, he's not a know-it-all, he's not a hypocrite. He doesn't always rule... although there are epiphanies," Bowie once said during a rehearsal.

It seemed to a lot of people The exhausted White Duke looking down on his mate. From here, rumours spread that Iggy is a kind of slave to David, and Bowie plays a role in their complicated relationship manipulator. But it was not at all.

Bowie genuinely admired Jim (Popa's real name) and wanted only the best for his friend. They communicated as simply as possible, in a friendly, equal way. This eventually led to their friendship being attributed to romantic character.

One way or another, the friendship between the two icons brought rich creative fruits, including albums that marked radical changes for popular music. And if Pop proved to the world that he could produce quality material without "The Stooges"then Bowie has secured the title of world icon!

A trip to the USSR

Perhaps the most interesting page in the whole story is Bowie and Pop's secret trip to the USSR! It happened in 1976 yearat a time when David was chasing dystopias. From Iggy's memoirs:

"It's an amazing experience... We were approaching the border of the Soviet Union, as a man in a bowler hat and round glasses appeared from nowhere! He came up to us, and he said: "Hello! I'm Sergei, and I'm your guide!" And we didn't even have visas!"

According to Iggy's story. Bowie took away a book and some magazines "Playboy." and ripped them to shreds. Later, the stars were accosted by several men who persistently demanded 20 cents.

All these events had slightly frightened the musicians, but on arriving at the to MoscowThey were quickly forgotten. The friends went for a walk around the capital, having fun and laughing like happy schoolchildren! By the end of the day, the travellers jumped on the train and went to Helsinki. It is safe to say that this trip finally brought them closer together.