By: Greg MilnerAll you really need to know about the way music affected a youngIggy Pop is that he had the same reaction to both Link Wray andJohn Coltrane: “What the fuck is this?” He’s been inspiring thesame response in rock fans for more than three decades, first withlate-’60s/early-’70s punk legends the Stooges and later with hisinfluential solo albums. During a break in the recording of hislatest, Skull Ring, the indomitable Ig called from his MiamiBeach home raring to talk records: “Can I just take a deep breathand start going?”
A. THE CHIFFONS “He’s So Fine” (Laurie, 1963) “During my formativeyears (’64-’66), I was into the American-daydream ’emotionalistic’ approach to youth music, as exemplified by the girl groups. ‘He’s So Fine’ is basically ghetto music–this guy she’s talking about is not a Ph.D. He’s not even nine-to-five–he’s just five. [The Ronettes’] ‘Be My Baby’ was another one. I remember being down in the basement in the 11th grade, having more of a sexual encounter than I’d ever had in my life, and I kept jumping up to put that single on again!”
