Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #134036 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-08
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

Barney Hoskyns, author of HOTEL CALIFORNIA
'Paul Trynka gets under Iggy Pop's skin to reveal the real Jim
Osterberg. OPEN UP AND BLEED is a hugely impressive feat of research and
insights, packed full of yarns that'll make your hair stand on end'

Q
'[An] entertaining and insightful study of one of rock's most
enduringly remarkable characters'

DAILY TELEGRAPH
'[The] first authoritative biography of rock's extremo supremo . .
. [Trynka] drags you magnificently along on the Iggy rollercoaster'

Customer Reviews

Sex, blood, drugs and rock'n'roll

Some rock stars fade away. Some self-destruct at a young age. Some kept on chugging away despite it all, and are still going today (see: David Bowie and Mick Jagger).

But a few seem to be truly indestructible -- they bounce back from anything, whether it's drugs, madness, or their own genius. And in Paul Trynka's "Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed" is a pretty brilliant look into the chaotic life, influence, and constant ups and downs of one such rocker.

Pop was born Jim Osterberg, to some slightly quirky parents in 1950s Michigan. And Ann Arbor turned out to be the perfect place for him to bloom into a musician -- he became part of the Stooges, a fledgling band that gained and lost contracts like underwear. And they soon developed a reputation for two things: raw, wild, powerful punk, and a tendency to have really wild'n'violent concerts.

And Iggy's own life was just as volatile -- a cocktail of drugs, sex, creative eruptions, and extremely volatile personal life. But as the Stooges fragmented over time, Iggy's own life began seesawing between order and chaos, the bottom of the barrel with the rock'n'roll heights. And even now, as the godfather of punk rock, he spills over with wild energy and creativity.

The core of "Open Up and Bleed" is that Jim Osterberg and Iggy Pop are almost like two different people, like a demon possessing someone's body and making him wreck his life. As Trynka -- and many people he interviewed -- put it, Osterberg is intellectual, polite, clever man, while Pop is a force of self-mutilating destructive chaos.

It actually makes a lot of sense. And Trynka's detailed, intricate recountings get a lot of information from many people who knew Pop -- some fondly, some angrily, and thankfully there's no whitewashing of his personal flaws. But the author really makes you feel and see why Pop/Osterberg is such a powerful presence in rock'n'roll, since he poured his body and soul into his work.

And Trynka strikes a nice balance between his work and personal life, outlining marriages, drug problems, possible mental issues (is he or is he not bipolar?), and his repeated rises from the ashes. Despite all the chaos, he also focuses on the quieter parts of Pop's life, such as domestic bliss with Wife No. 2. And occasionally we even get a funny story, such as the "peanut butter sandwich on Iggy's chest anecdote.

One of the best parts of the book is his ongoing friendship with David Bowie. The past bond between these two men is the sweetest part of the book, especially when Bowie and Pop joined forces musically. It's a bit sad when they drift apart.

Trynka also paints a dark, gritty portrait the burgeoning punk scene of the time, as well as the proto-punk ferocity of the Stooges -- they were SO groundbreaking and raw that the record companies didn't know what to do with them. It took decades for them to be appreciated for what they truly were, and for Iggy Pop to be appreciated as a musical pioneer.

"Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed" is not just a biography of a brilliant musician, but a portrait of the rapidly-changing music scene that he first bloomed in. Definitely a must-read for rock'n'roll fans.

Essential for any Iggy and The Stooges fans.
A roller-coaster ride from start to finish. Starts off with Iggy's childhood and family background, and the kid who was voted "most likely to...". Then onto his early musical career before forming The Stooges with the Asheton brothers. The next several chapters are compelling, taking us on a journey with what was being tipped as the next great band, only to have self-destructed by drugs, parties, groupies, drugs, back-stabbing, on-off relationships, more drugs, cross dressing, live performances, and more are all documented and make fascinating reading. Hard to believe The Stooges reformed after all those years.
Post-stooges, we move on to concentrate on Iggy's solo career and on-off relationships with James Williamson and his relationship with David Bowie and the recording of Iggy's solo albums.
Some childhood photos of Iggy and some early photos of The Stooges, plus some solo photos, right up to modern day Iggy are in the book.
I'm a big Iggy fan, but even more of a Stooges fan and was hoping I could find some quality reading of the Stooges short-lived career. And here it is...and more.
With all the troubles that the Stooges brought upon themselves, it's remarkable how close they must have been to have produced some great music.
All in all, a great book focusing on the musical career of Iggy and the people he's worked with.
A must read for any fan of Iggy and The Stooges.
A good addition for any rock fans library.

An amazing biography
One of the finest biographies I've ever read, this puts most hack life stories to shame. Iggy had an amazing life, and the author seems to follow him at every step - whether it's his high school debates, his first public performance, his first taste of heroin, or him losing his mind in Haiti, Mr Trynka seems to find a first-hand witness. Iggy is treated sympathetically, but this is a warts and all portrait, and his selfishness and occasional stupidity, as well as his obvious intelligence, are fully documented. The book also shows David Bowie in a completely new light, going well beyond any previous books or articles on their life together in Berlin. A rollercoaster ride, that made me go back and listen to the music with a new understanding.