Opinion
10 things I hate about summer
by Anika Schulz
Lust for Life
18.7.2019
Translation: machine translated
Iggy Pop is 72. Seventy-two fucking years old. And he rocks the Lörrach Voices Festival like a young dog, as if there were no tomorrow. I'm gobsmacked.
Last Sunday. I went to a concert again after a long time. Because I find concerts difficult these days. Sometimes the acoustics are bad, sometimes the band is in a bad mood, sometimes it's me. Often everything together. My expectations are too high. And then this: Stimmen-Festival in Lörrach. Iggy Pop, the godfather of punk, is on stage and starts the show with "I Wanna Be Your Dog".
The acoustics are great, the band is brilliant and Iggy Pop is a volcano. It's pouring with rain and it's arse cold. No matter. My mood couldn't be better. I dance pogo and sing along to the chorus of "The Passenger". After ten minutes, the rain seeps through my jacket, two hours later I'm soaked to the skin and completely exhausted, but happy. I got lust for life.
Courage to be ugly
Iggy Pop is a phenomenon. At a young age, he does everything he can to destroy himself. Drugs, alcohol - the full programme. He also likes to vomit into the audience during a concert or defecate behind the amplifiers. The motto? Live fast, love hard, die young. But unlike many musicians of his time, he survived the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll lifestyle. And today? Iggy is 72 years old. With his broken hip, he hobbles and hops across the stage. The audience, his audience, under his spell at all times.
He is topless. Of course he is. He's always topless on stage. His upper body, tanned by the Florida sun, has the texture of worn-out cowboy boots. The man has the courage to be ugly. Two women behind me are blown away by the sight of him. "The guy is 72," says one excitedly. "72 and still so damn sexy." Her colleague next to her grunts with pleasure.
How on earth does he do it?
After two hours of Voice Festival with Iggy, I go home. I can't take any more. The next morning I have a cold, my back aches, my knees hurt and I feel like I've spit out chewing gum. If you were to scan my brain right now, you'd probably see the texture of worn-out cowboy boots wobbling around in my skull. I don't know how Iggy is feeling, but on Friday he'll be back on stage at a festival in France, followed by a concert in Budapest. And then more shows. How does he do it? Yoga, meditation, fitness training, low-carb diet, no-carb diet? I haven't the faintest idea. Maybe the man just has a lust for life.
I definitely feel like going to concerts again. But only one every few months. Otherwise I won't be 72.
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Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
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