.jpeg "Graffiti of David Bowie in Berlin") |
| The building where David Bowie and Iggy Pop lived. |
Burnt out and lost in his own revolving cast of identities, David Bowie left for Berlin, well, West Berlin.
He didn't go alone. He brought a friend, James Newell Osterberg Jr., or Iggy Pop, as most of us know him. Berlin would have seemed the perfect place for them. A city living on the edge, walled in, surrounded by Soviet tanks, and still a rough ruin. But still free.
They shared a flat (in my neighbourhood). They collaborated, went to local shows, worked with Brian Eno, jammed with Kraftwerk, and made a musical hash of rock, punk, and electronic. And they've both gone back, again and again. Those Belin roots went deep.
So, it was a treat to find this audio treat: Iggy Pop's Berlin Bound radio special.
Mixed up in Pop's playlist is some Nico, the lady from the Velvet Underground. She's German, by the way. Some Kraftwerk, which has become a household favourite here. Some Anton Karas, who you might remember from The Third Man soundtrack. And, of course, some Rammstein and some Bowie.
Pop's playlist is perfectly Berlin. It defies genre, from Krautrock to electronic, to 1920s oldies. It's all ear candy, if you give it a shot. And it captures some of this city's musical awesome-ness.
The show is up for about 3 weeks, so I hope you give it a listen.