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By GINA VIVINETTO
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2001
The Pop of punk
I bet Iggy Pop in his wildest dreams never foresaw one of his crazy odes to wildness being used in a car commercial. But, there it was, the manic Lust for Life, peddling Mitsubishis. Sure, principled punk rockers groaned, but the rest of us were secretly thrilled that cool tunes had made it to TV. I mean, wouldn't you rather hear Iggy than ol' Bob Seger crooning that Like a Rock crud?
Anyway, Mr. Pop, the Godfather of Punk, is finally getting props in the mainstream. The versatile artist has done it all, from his early 1970s stint with the Stooges -- crawling around in broken glass and smearing peanut butter on his bare torso, belting out I Wanna Be Your Dog and other feel-good hits -- to his artier fare in the late 1970s, when he penned China Girl with buddy David Bowie. Pop went on to sing that catchy Candy with the lady in the B-52s and to star -- with Debbie Harry! -- in John Waters' Cry Baby. Pop just turned 54. But those of us who saw him two years ago at Jannus Landing know he's still shirtless and wild.
Iggy Pop performs with St. Pete's own bad boys, GoToHells, at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Jannus Landing, Second Street between Central Avenue and First Avenue N, St. Petersburg. $20 advance, $25 day of show. (727) 896-1244.
God bless the Go-Go's, indeed. Are there any thirtysomething chicks out there that weren't totally obsessed with the Go-Go's the first time around? Now, 17 years after their last album, America's little sweethearts -- yeah, right, we've all seen that Behind the Music -- have recorded the brand spanking new God Bless the Go-Go's, filled with the same California sun-drenched punky pop the band hooked us on before.
God Bless is the Go-Go's at midlife. All the dames are in their forties now and rockin' as hard -- and looking way more glamorous. The songs remain the same, all about boys and love and sitting in your car pouting over boys and love, but they've tossed in a provocative tune, Throw Me a Curve, about our culture's obsession with super thin ladies.
The Go-Go's perform at Starfest 2001, hosted by WSSR-FM 95.7 (Star) with Nina Gordon, Eve 6, Nelly Furtado, Semisonic, Jo Davidson and Sister Hazel. Noon-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Vinoy Park, downtown St. Petersburg. $9.57. (305) 770-2627.