Response 2 - Ava Solina
April 04, 2018, by Ava
Chapter 6 of Please Kill Me focused on discussing James Newell Osterberg Jr., who is better known as Iggy Pop. Iggy is known as the “Godfather of Punk,” and was the vocalist the punk band the Stooges. He is described as being an over the top, anything goes performer, which was a new theme among musicians in the 60s. He created his image and branded himself on being different, weird, and eccentric. Alan Vega stated that when Iggy came on stage, “he had on torn dungarees and these ridiculous looking loafers. He was just wild looking- staring at the crowd and going ‘Fuck you! Fuck you!’” (McNeil & McCain, 73). I couldn’t help but think about modern performers, who seem to embrace this similar attitude while performing. Rather than respecting the people who pay hundreds of dollars to see them perform, they disrespect them, throw bottles at them and compromise their safety. Modern artists often engage in fights or altercations with their fans, for example Rihanna and Justin Bieber have been known to flip off their fans, which is essentially the same thing as Iggy saying “fuck you” to his fans. Even when we know these artists don’t care about us as much as the money we give them, we continue to support them even after they disrespect us.
McNeil and McCain also discuss Iggy going over the top to establish an image, which is a trend that has taken modern performers by storm. Rappers such as 6ix9ine, Lil Pump, Lil Xan, and any of the other Lils’ have forged their careers by trying to be the newest, craziest, “most different” in the business. They tattoo their faces and dye their hair every color possible and embrace a sound called “mumble rap” where no one actually knows what they’re saying, but people still rally behind them. But why? How different can they actually be if every new rapper is embracing the exact same vision and persona? Iggy embraced a similar tactic by coming on stage with his ripped jeans, red bikini underwear, and balls hanging out of his pants. He would be throwing up on stage and making a fool of himself, and people loved it. People thought this was the coolest thing. Looking back, Alan Vega questions who would want to see that? Which is a rational question anyone would have. People would never hear the same set twice and every performance something different. Today performances are rehearsed and practiced to be almost identical with the same hit songs in hopes of pleasing everyone else. In the 60s and 70s, it seems that artists were performing for themselves, making for more authentic performances.
Now, we literally buy into watching these new mumble rappers, like Lil Peep, support a dangerous and unrealistic lifestyle which leads to them continuing this lifestyle to gain support. In his circumstance, this lead to him overdosing and dying. Why do we think this is so cool and why do/did we buy into it? Iggy apparently brought on stage two jars of peanut butter and a pack of burgers and covered himself in this food, which reminded me of how Lady Gaga wore a meat dress to an awards ceremony a few years ago. It’s mentioned how people were so supportive of Iggy and everything he did because he was rock and roll, he was authentic. I guess Lady Gaga and her meat dress, and mumble rappers and their obsessions with prescription drugs are the new “authentic.” In the beginning of chapter 6, Alan Vega states that the audience was throwing bottles and roses at Iggy and that it was beautiful. I guess that in the entertainment industry, this chaos is beauty.