Iggy Pop - The Idiot poll

Very surprised as well that there is no thread, still.

Well until now that is.

The first four songs are all-time. Whenever I'm told Bowie couldn't play, I direct him to all his keyboard, sax, and guitar parts here: I love their amateurish enthusiasm.

I was just thinking about this record as a precursor to postpunk's fascination with dub; heard echoes of it in the music of Holy Tongue, who I wrote about this week.

Probably gonna vote for "Funtime," because very few songs have ever made fun sound less fun.

and it sounds like shit -- lovei t

Probably gonna vote for "Funtime," because very few songs have ever made fun sound less fun.

― but also fuck you (unperson)

Yeah, "Funtime" but especially "Nightclubbing" sound like 2:30 a.m. let's-find-a-bar-please trawling, which many of us have done.

Mass Production is immense.

absolutely no clue what to go for here. it's all so delicious.

Mass Production

No wrong answers here. I'd be shocked if any one song ran away with this. I mean for decades there have been times when "Nightclubbing" is exactly the song you need to have on. Or was "Mass Production" the one?

impossible

might vote for "dum dum boys" tho

dum dum boys is my go to but they’re all great

"Nightclubbing" is the one for me

I love the out of tune Bowie sax on "Tiny Girls."

I was most impressed
No one else was impressed
Not at all

what a great album, prob "Dum Dum Boys" for me

this is one of my favorite albums of all time ... also very thrilled to see other ilxors rep for Mass Production, as I feel like that's the "slept on" one

i like to drive along the freeways, listening to this song, and thinking about the Joan Didion essay about driving on freeways and CalTrans

this is one of my favorite albums of all time ... also very thrilled to see other ilxors rep for Mass Production, as I feel like that's the "slept on" one

― sarahell, Thursday, May 11, 2023 1

yeah! I've imagined a Yo La Tengo cover that drones on for 28 minutes.

He played Mass Production when I saw him here a couple months ago.

xp - i don't think i have ever heard Yo La Tengo lol

"Sister Midnight" needs "Red Money" to be complete, and "Mass Production" is great but is spread a little thin. So "China Girl", which makes me think this record has as much in common with Station to Station as it does with Low. Great guitar from Ricky Gardiner.

Twenty years ago I preferred Lust For Life. I don't anymore.

'Nightclubbing' but 'Funtime' is a close second, for the reasons stated upthread by Alfred. Although the gradual speed-up and desperate clamouring to have FUN!!! in 'Funtime' is probably the best part of both songs.

"No wrong answers" is right. Mass Production for me, but really could be anything. This is actually my favorite of the extended Berlin albums.

is it

"china girl" is kind of a wrong answer, but iggy's version is far superior to bowie's

"china girl" is kind of a wrong answer, but iggy's version is far superior to bowie's

I've always felt the opposite way, like Iggy's version was the demo and Bowie's was the final, fully realized product. I think the song needs gloss.

Nah, Iggy's version is light years better.

how bout the song should never have been released?

I like Iggy's version but so used to Bowie's that's hard not to think it's his and not Pop's. Radio did that to me.

You are all correct.

Mass Production would have been my second vote.

I heard Bowie’s “China Girl” first but when I heard Iggy’s version it made so much more sense and sounded so much more soulful, so I’m with Ig on this

I wanted to explain a bit more about this. I have heard David Bowie's "China Girl" probably around 100 times and have also seen the video countless times. I have heard,The Idiot for the first time in 2023. It's just so hard for me to wrap my head around the notion that there is an earlier version of that song.

Iggy's take may be the 'demo' and Bowie's the polished 'studio' version, but it loses a lot of the interesting ideas of the 'rdemo.

of the 'demo'

iggy sounds deranged in a way that suits the material more, bowie’s ultra smoothness makes it creepy (not in a good way)

Great point and starting to get that as I hear it more.

They all look so fucked up, they were probably a blast seeing him and the boys back in the day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxvC8g4hQpI

https://i.imgur.com/4dNaq04.gif

I only heard the idiot a few years ago, after growing up with bowie's china girl. I did it at karaoke not long after and tried to channel iggy not bowie. (voted for dum dum boys.)

I love this album. "Sister Midnight" is possibly one of the funkiest things Bowie had a hand in while still sounding like it was played by zombies. That's my vote!

Was there an inspiration for Iggy and Bowie's posing for this cover and Heroes? Or did they just both decide it would be funny/cool.

I think both Egon Schiele and/or Oskar Kokoschka were influences on this, Heroes and Lodger. Artwork-wise that is.

Erich Heckel was art inspiration for both.

Also, noone’s mentioned Baby yet? Always been a second side fave.

And by second I mean first!

dum dum boys

I guess it was Phil Palmer and not Carlos Alomar who did that cool menacing guitar line on “Dumb Dumb Boys”. That part is really ace.

“Funtime” is one of the most krautock sounding tunes of the Iggy/Bowie Germany sets.

I guess it was Phil Palmer and not Carlos Alomar who did that cool menacing guitar line on “Dumb Dumb Boys”. That part is really ace.

“Funtime” is one of the most krautock sounding tunes of the Iggy/Bowie Germany sets.

I guess it was Phil Palmer and not Carlos Alomar who did that cool menacing guitar line on “Dumb Dumb Boys”. That part is really ace.

“Funtime” is one of the most krautock sounding tunes of the Iggy/Bowie Germany sets.

That was weird.

Bowie played the original guitar, came with the line; Palmer may have imitated it

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I'll probably vote Funtime for this line alone: Down in the basement just the other day / Talking to Dracula and his crew

Any answer other than "Dum Dum Boys" is laughably wrong.

Ended up voting for "Nightclubbing" but yeah "Dum Dum Boys" is right there.

Never forget. I can't believe no one's posted this. Drunk housewives watched this shit..

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=189455796552905

Or better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2eB8f020Pc

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

haha I love these kinds of results

indeed. great turnout!

Oh man, only one vote for "Tiny Girls"... not that I voted for it.

I voted 'Funtime' but that live clip of 'Dum Dum Boys' Bee OK posted upthread is incredible - I can't stop watching it, so much queasy energy.

Results like this are one of my fave things on ILX.

And shout out to Alex In NYC who's apparently returned!

I voted for "Dum Dum Boys" from memory; gave it a listen last night and found it just as moving as I used to.

This thread eventually led me to this youtube channel from Dennis Davis's young son, who made a series of documentaries about his late dad talking to Tony Visconti, Carlos Alomar, etc. It's sweet and sad and illuminating, with lots of great studio footage, Visconti bringing up the original session files, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gCUBRFkvvU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBn5PjGICL0