Listen To A Young Iggy Pop In His High School Band ‘The Iguanas’

At the helm of The Stooges, a band whose crude rock sound was a stunning forerunner to the ‘70s punk movement, Iggy Pop first gained worldwide notoriety in the late ‘60s. Wild antics such as indecent exposure, self-mutilation, property destruction, assault, and even the occasional donning of Nazi uniforms became staples of The Stooges’ live performances. Yep, controversial as ever.

James Newell Osterberg Jr., better known as Iggy Pop, started off as a drummer in a middle school marching band in Michigan before becoming famous in The Stooges. Jim McLaughlin, a classmate of Iggy’s and a fellow member of the marching band, got his first guitar about the same time Iggy got his first drum set, and the two sets on a journey in music. Eventually, in 1965, Iggy and McLaughlin joined forces with a more aspirational musical collective called The Iguanas. These high school kids played opening sets for established acts like The Four Tops, The Guess Who, and the Shangri-Las, earning an average of $55 a show.

Not many original recordings were made by the Iguanas, although they did cover Bo Diddley’s 1957 single “Mona” and The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie,” the latter of which featured Iggy on vocals for the first time. They also recorded a version of Iggy’s song “Again and Again,” which was their first original single.

Listen to “Again and Again” here.