Behind the Music

Episode Synopsis

Born James Jewel Osterberg in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1947, Iggy has been shocking audiences since he emerged on the Detroit music scene in 1968 as front man for his original band, The Stooges. He has been known to do just about anything on stage, including spit, strip, swear, smear himself with peanut butter, and cut himself with a knife. Iggy's off-stage life has been equally tumultuous. He conceived a son backstage at a performance in 1968 whom he has cultivated a relationship with over the years. He has struggled with drugs and almost lost his battle with heroin in 1975, when he ended up homeless on the streets of L.A.In 1983, Iggy married a fan he met at a show in Japan and soon after, kicked drugs. Just as he began straightening his life out, his son Eric took a turn for the worse in his own battle with drugs, until 1994 when Iggy intervened and got him the help he needed. Now Eric is training to be Iggy's tour manager. Iggy's career has received renewed attention during the past decade, from his late 80's hit, "Real Wild Child," to the inclusion of two songs on the popular "Trainspotting" soundtrack in 1996, to last year's duet with Lenny Kravitz on David Bowie's "Rebel, Rebel" at the "VH1 Fashion Awards."The revealing "Iggy Pop: Behind The Music" includes interviews with Iggy's son Eric and all of the surviving members of The Stooges, together for the first time ever in one program. Also included is exclusive, never-before-seen clips.