Wine and Cheese: Cage the Elephant and Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop and Cage the Elephant surprised fans when they announced a collaboration on new single “Broken Boy.” Their collaboration was nothing radical, proving they are the perfect blend.
It’s your dream collab. The artists you add back-to-back to the queue. The pairing you can’t get enough of. You know they sound good together, but why? Welcome to Wine and Cheese, a series investigating the why and telling you all about it.
Written by Katie Karp
Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine
This past December, Cage the Elephant sparked excitement among fans with the announcement that they were collaborating with Iggy Pop. At the time of the announcement, the band had already been nominated for the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album (which they proceeded to win), after winning the same award in 2017 for Tell Me I’m Pretty. Though the band is clearly accomplished within the genre of rock music, the Kentucky group is best recognized for their indie-styled love song “Cigarette Daydreams” that reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015, and is most often seen as an indie or alternative artist. But their collaboration with Iggy, a new version of the Social Cues track “Broken Boy,” sounds almost identical to the original. In a sense, their partnership with “the Godfather of Punk Music,” almost legitimized their place as a rock band more than any of their Grammys.
Cage the Elephant acknowledges the popular opinion that the era of classic rock and roll — which Iggy Pop is an icon for — is over, and that they, therefore, are not “true” rock musicians. However, they see the so-called “death of rock and roll” in a positive light: genre-specific titles are only boundaries on the creativity of musicians. Throughout their relatively short career, Cage the Elephant has demonstrated a vast musical range. Cage the Elephant, their self-titled debut, showcases the band’s capability as musicians — the album is loud and flamboyant, loaded with impressive guitar riffs and catchy tunes. After establishing their musical talents and the influence of classic rock and blues on the band, Cage the Elephant’s later albums opt for genre-bending sounds; Melophobia, their third studio album, starts with the loud and troubling “Spiderhead” and ends with the tragic and nostalgic love song, “Cigarette Daydreams.”
The band’s willingness — and arguably, effort — to break boundaries through their creativity is also apparent in their live performances. At their vibrant and eccentric performance in Austin in January at the annual “Hi, How Are You Day,” lead vocalist Matt Shultz started the concert covered in accessories and layers of shirts. By the end of the performance, Shultz had stripped himself naked (except for his underwear). From afar, Shultz, shirtless and drenched in sweat, mirrored Iggy Pop, who is notorious for performing without a shirt. Both Iggy Pop and Matt Shultz reveal a vulnerability and rawness in their music when they take off their shirts to reveal their skinny, bare stomachs.
Photo courtesy of Cage the Elephant
James Osterberg Jr., better known as Iggy Pop, is best remembered for his work as the vocalist of The Stooges, a rock band formed in Michigan in 1967 that continues to perform together on-and-off to this day. Iggy has been titled by fans, critics, and other musicians as the “Godfather of Punk.” Though this title puts a genre on Iggy, The Stooges were the first of their kind and entered the music industry by storm, specifically with a frenetic Iggy at center-stage. For much of his career, Iggy was heavily influenced by a variety of drugs, leading him to act in unpredictable and even vicious ways. A 1974 performance dubbed “The Murder of a Virgin” saw everything from guitarist Ron Asheton donning a Nazi uniform to Iggy carving an X into his chest. Rocking a dog collar and no shirt, Iggy knew how to keep fans on their toes — both from excitement and fear of what he would do next. Cage may not go as far as Iggy in their performances, but Schultz’ raw emotions and outfit changes surprise fans all the same.
Iggy Pop has come a long way since his dangerous early performances. Now in his seventies, Iggy lives a healthy, sober life by the beach in Miami, and has branched out beyond the parameters of punk rock. Over the course of his five decades as a musician, Iggy Pop has experimented with all kinds of music, ranging from heavy metal to jazz. He further proved his vast range of musical appreciation with his 2015 radio show, “Iggy Confidential.” Despite the classic, punk-rock image Iggy Pop is known for, he surprised listeners with his appreciation for current music, playing FKA Twigs, Bill Callahan, and Tyler, the Creator.
Photo courtesy of Pitchfork
Iggy Pop’s most classic tracks tend to have short, fast-paced tempos with anti-establishment lyrics. Although Cage the Elephant would likely not be branded as a “punk” band, their song “Broken Boy” speaks for them and Iggy Pop alike. With the exception of Iggy’s harmonies, which fit in rather naturally, and his vocals on the second verse, there are hardly any differences between the original song and this collaboration. The mutual admiration between the 72-year-old punk pioneer and the fresh-face of “rock” music is clear when they converge to sound like no time’s passed at all.