Iggy Pop

James Newell Osterberg, Jr. (born on April 21, 1947 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA), better known by his stage name Iggy Pop, is an American rock singer, songwriter, and occasional a

James Newell Osterberg, Jr. (born on April 21, 1947 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA), better known by his stage name Iggy Pop, is an American rock singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. Although he has had only limited commercial success, Iggy Pop is considered one of the most important innovators of punk rock and related styles. He is sometimes referred to by the nicknames "the Godfather of Punk" (A title he often shares with Lou Reed, who predated him by a few years, but was not as directly influential on the development of punk) and "the Rock Iguana", and is widely acknowledged as one of the most dynamic stage performers of rock. His direct influence extends to the present day: a Cadillac ad in rotation in February, 2007 features his vocal performance on the song "Punkrocker", recorded in 2006 with the Swedish band The Teddybears.

Iggy Pop was the lead singer of The Stooges, a late 1960s/early 1970s garage rock band who were highly influential in the development of the nascent heavy metal and punk rock. The Stooges became infamous for their live performances, during which it was not uncommon for Iggy Pop to leap off the stage (thus inventing the "stage dive"), flash his genitals, smear raw meat (and on one occasion peanut butter) over his chest and/or cut himself with broken bottles. Many subsequent performers have imitated Pop’s antics.