Velvet Goldmine and Iggy Pop
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
The other night the missus and I watched the glam rock flick “Velvet Goldmine” for the first time. Have you heard of it? I missed out on the movie when it first hit theatres nearly 10 years ago, so I was happy I finally discovered it. The story is a bit convoluted, telling the tale of a singer played by Jonathan Rhys Myers clearly patterned on David Bowie,. In fact, some would consider the flick “anti-Bowie”, including the Thin White Duke who wouldn’t allow any of this songs into the film.
One guys whose songs are featured is Iggy Pop. Iggy’s a character as well, though his name is changed to Curt Wild. Wild is played by Ewen McGregor, who is absolutely amazing. I’d post a clip in here, but the best one is WAY to risque and revealing and I’d really like to keep my job. But Ewen totally captures Iggy in his performance, especially his manic mannerisms on stage.
However, the movie is good, not great. The director is Todd Haynes, who was also behind the Dylan flick “I’m Not There” and is clearly not a fan of linear storytelling. That being said, the performance are all solid, the in-concert scenes are electric, and if you’re a fan of the glam you’ll probably get a real buzz from the movie. On that note, you might be interested to know that Iggy and the Stooges are coming to town August 6th to play Massey Hall. I’m assuming it will be pretty mind-blowing.
Use Iggy for today’s bonus code, and let me know if you’ve got any favourite glam rock artists or songs.
