No Fun

How a bunch of talented rock stars and one indie label managed to make Iggy Pop seem lame.

I regret to inform you that the most interesting aspect of We Will Fall: The Iggy Pop Tribute is Joan Jett's new hairdo. It made its debut before the CD itself, at a Spy Bar party celebrating its upcoming release. She played, along with Nada Surf, on September 3rd, the opening night of New York's CMJ New Music Marathon. That evening's show, while more interesting than the average industry gatherings at Spy Bar, was conspicuously tame for an evening designed to celebrate one of the most intense performers of the last 25 years.

A considerably lamer celebration took place the day of the CD's release, on September 16th at Tower Records in the Village. Despite a vague description which sparked rumors of live performances and possibly even an appearance by the mighty Ig himself, it boiled down to a pretty uneventful autograph session. The fans lined up and got their CDs signed by Lenny Kaye, Joey Ramone and Joan Jett, still sporting her nifty 'do. The boys from D-Generation were on hand, although it was unclear whether it was as part of the event or as fans.

The party continued later that night at Coney Island High, New York's capital of punk, co-owned by members of D-Generation. Joey Ramone and Nada Surf took the stage together, performing Iggy songs and sounding like a slightly more polished, less energetic version of the Ramones. Many of the album's performers were in the audience, including the Misfits, D-Generation and Joan Jett with her ever-present 'do. Nothing about the evening suggested the excitement that Iggy Pop brings with him: no one smashed bottles over themselves; no one went home covered in peanut butter.

So the festivities were sort of a dud, which could be blamed on the sloppy planning of the record label, a recent startup called Royalty Records. At the end of the day, it's all about the music, and when I went home and unwrapped We Will Fall, I was expecting magic. Certainly the packaging is impressive: the cover sports a rad photo of vintage Iggy (smeared in aforementioned peanut butter), and many more cool pictures are spread throughout the book. The liner notes feature details on all of the songs, both in their original form and as performed by the tribute artists, as well as an Iggy discography and an essay by Kurt Loder of MTV fame.

The music itself is less exciting. Joey Ramone starts off the disc with a by-numbers take on "1969," D-Generation show off their softer side with a very nice interpretation of "I Got Nothing." The rest is far more sketchy, a mix of mostly indie bands mangling such classics as Funtime (Nada Surf) and TV Eye (Holy Bulls). Sugar Ray, the cheesiest band on the CD (and possibly the planet) have the courtesy to cover Iggy's most embarrassing song, Cold Metal. Corporate Rock is represented by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who do a fairly rocking version of Search And Destroy. Joan Jett and her 'do sound Kathleen Hannah-esque on a lo-fi interpretation of Real Wild Child.

It's really not a bad disc. It has provided me with hours of quality entertainment. It's giving great exposure to a number of up-and-coming acts, and allowed some bands to pay tribute to their musical father. The problem with "We Will Fall" is that it's good - not amazing, not shocking, not awful. Not terrifying or gross. It's predictable. It is the anti-Iggy. By the way, Joan Jett now has short blond hair. And lots of muscles. Sort of like Ani DiFranco on steroids.

matt@smug.com

in the junk drawer:

September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997