The first show the Stooges played in New York City, opening for the MC5 at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Queens, is better remembered as the first time Iggy Pop cut himself onstage with the edge of a drumstick. “I was definitely upping the ante,” he said, “It was New York! … I remember wearing a little pair of Levis short-shorts and Minnetonka moccasins and I was doing these long, dangerous stage dives. And the audience was just … [makes a wide-eyed face] … it was uncomfortable, so there was some self-mutilation,” he laughed.
While defining his rock star look, Pop found it all in one place: Kmart. “I was walking around [Kmart] and saw this silver glove on one of the female mannequins and thought ‘this would make me look cool’ … so I’d send people to get boxes and boxes of these Kmart silver gloves I’d wear every night.” The rest of his look was in a different aisle. “I would take a little glass bottle of Johnson & Johnson baby oil, pour it all over my body and face, then cover myself in gold and silver glitter. There was a product called Nestle’s Streaks ‘n Tips that came in black, gold or silver … I don’t see it around anymore.” He laughed.
