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Iggy Pop Honored David Bowie’s Memory and Music With 2-Hour Radio Show

Larry Busacca Archive
Photo: L. Busacca/2009 Larry Busacca

During his BBC Radio 6 program “Iggy Confidential,†Iggy Pop dedicated his two hours of airtime to his revered friend, the late, great David Bowie. Iggy bounced his way through Bowie’s discography, choosing songs that casual fans of Bowie would likely be unfamiliar with. “The way I chose them was from memory,†the rock-star DJ explained. “I kind of took out a piece of paper and pen and I just closed my eyes and I remembered what I liked at the time, but I tried to avoid very, very well known songs or the hits.†Between tracks like “John, I’m Only Dancing†and “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps),†Iggy revealed insider knowledge about influences and the back-up musicians on the tracks, all while sharing his own memories about Bowie, which spanned decades and continents. Though none of the anecdotes were particularly long or juicy — fleeting stories about Indonesia, eating hamburgers in Berlin with Frank Zappa and Bowie, a cab driver going the wrong way down Fifth Avenue after a Saturday Night Live performance, time spent in a not-so-fancy French chateau, all told in Iggy’s low gravel — they certainly paint a picture of relationship we all wish we could have had with Ziggy Stardust. Listen to the full show, and gain a new appreciation of “Moonage Daydream,†here.

Iggy Pop Honored David Bowie With Radio Show