Born James Newell Osterberg, Jr., Iggy Pop transcended life in Detroit-area Michigan to become a member of the innovative punk band the Stooges, thereby earning the nickname "the Godfather of Punk." But his personal life was often a shambles, as he struggled with drug addiction, mental illness, and the ever-problematic question of commercial success in the music world. That he is even alive today, let alone performing with undiminished energy and recklessness, is a wonder. The musical genres of punk, glam, and New Wave were all anticipated and profoundly influenced by his work.

Paul Trynka, former editor of Mojo magazine, has spent much time with Iggy's childhood friends, lovers, and fellow musicians and gained a profound understanding of the unique atmosphere in Iggy's home state of Michigan. He has conducted over 250 interviews, traveled to Michigan, New York, California, London, and Berlin, and, in the course of the last decade or so at Mojo, has spoken to dozens of musicians who count Iggy as an influence. This has allowed him to depict, via real-life stories from members of bands like New Order and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy's huge influence on the music scene of the '70s, '80s and '90s, as well as portraying in unprecedented detail Iggy's relationship with his enigmatic friend and mentor David Bowie. And Trynka has interviewed Iggy Pop himself at his home in Miami for this project.

Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed is a truly definitive work—not just of Iggy Pop's life and music, but of the death of the hippie dream, the influence of drugs on human creativity, the nature of comradeship, and the depredations of fame.</p>