WHO IS HE? The streetwalkin’ cheetah with a heart full of napalm. The runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb. The king of The Stooges. The godfather of punk. The idiot with a lust for life. The world’s first stagediver and crowdsurfer. And the man whose closet apparently contains infinite pairs of black jeans — and no shirts.
WHAT IS THIS? His 24th studio release (counting Stooges albums) and the followup to his 2016 Josh Homme collaboration Post Pop Depression — which Pop famously claimed would be his swan song as a recording artist.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? Not like Post Pop Depression, that’s for sure. Nor any of his other rock releases. This left-field half-hour collection of jazzy crooning, oddball rockers and spoken-word pieces has more in common with his other eccentric releases like 1999’s Avenue B, 2009’s Prelimiaires and 2012’s Apres. Consider yourself warned.
WHAT WOULD BE A BETTER TITLE FOR THIS ALBUM? The Weirdness — if he hadn’t already wasted it on The Stooges’ disappointing 2013 comeback album.
HOW SHOULD I LISTEN TO IT? Alone. In the dark. And definitely shirtless.
WHAT 10 WORDS DESCRIBE IT? Experimental, subdued, poetic, reflective, lewd, nocturnal, literate, brooding, eccentric, freewheeling.
WHAT ARE THE BEST SONGS? Love’s Missing, James Bond and the NSFW call-and-response Dirty Sanchez are as close as you get to the rock.
WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY SAY? ‘Do we really have to take off our shirts?’
HOW OFTEN WILL I LISTEN TO THIS? If you’re into idiosyncratic Iggy, there’s more than enough here to prompt some return trips. If you’re not, this will very likely be a one-time thing.
IF THIS ALBUM WERE A LIVE EVENT, WHAT KIND OF EVENT WOULD IT BE? Talent night at the senior centre.
SHOULD I BUY, STREAM OR STEAL IT? Unless you’re a dedicated fan, take a hint from that title.
