25 Years: Iggy Pop – Stuff

Iggy Pop | Stuff Magazine | 05.31.01

Seriously—one of the best shoots of my career!  This was my third time shooting the legendary Iggy Pop, this time for Stuff Magazine in New York City.  The concept was simple: grab a convertible, cruise through Times Square at night, and have some fun.  He brought his girlfriend along for the ride (I think they’re married now), which made it even better.

We timed it perfectly so the neon lights of Times Square lit up the background.  We pulled over a few times to grab street shots, and the energy of the city mixed perfectly with Iggy’s wild spirit.  The magazine’s stylist nailed it too—everything Iggy wore just worked.  Shooting him is always the best—he just knows how to bring it.

But the moment I’ll never forget came after the shoot, while we were still cruising through Times Square talking about life.  I mentioned I had just photographed Burt Bacharach in L.A. Iggy was blown away, though his girlfriend had no idea who Burt was.  So we started naming songs—Walk On By, Close to You, I Say a Little Prayer, Alfie—but she didn’t recognize any of them.  Then, out of nowhere, Iggy started singing Alfie as we drove through Times Square.  HOLY FUCK.  It was pure magic.  One of those moments burned into my memory forever.