Family Affair – Iggy Pop

Music snobbery is a funny thing. I’m including myself in this. Family Affair is a song every citizen of the western world knows… and yet until Old Iguana Popadopolis had a bash at it I never really ‘Listened’ to it. I had it down as ‘Disco shit’ when I came of a music listening age. It was played at every PTA shindig, wedding reception and in constant rotation on the oldies stations my folks would choose. So the song took it’s rank and file alongside Earth, Wind & Fire, Wings, Tina Turner’s 80’s output, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters and ABBA as music I need never concern myself with.

Iggy Pop though? He was for real. The one band everyone can agree really kick started Punk had Iggle Popple giving danger to strangers and sending pretty faces to hell with their raw power. That was music I needed to be looking into.

Of course Ig’s fans sometimes struggle when he’s not doing a version of his Stooges Schtick. It’s been 50 plus years and there is a contingent that want all his solo material to be I’m Bored and Loco Mosquito. He got stick for selling us car insurance, but never for hosting his radio show. He freaks people out when he does a Zombie Birdhouse or a Après but we’re all happy with an American Valhalla.

I was wrong in those heady days of Death To All But Metal though, that’s obvious right? Writing off Sly And The Family Stone because it was played a lot at school disco? So was Uptown Girl but we’re not cutting Billy Joel out the picture just yet either. Iggy knows a tune is a tune. His cover versions are usually great choices of songs with added Iggy Pop sensibilities raising both elements to the status of ‘Ohh that’s a bit good’. See below for his sweat flop sinister version of Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand.

He’s got previous with Family Affair though. It’s safe to say Jimmy Osterberg has been a long term fan of this track. There have been recordings of the Pop band doing live versions of this since the mid-80’s. It doesn’t come across in the live takes as the groovathon it does on this take released to celebrate his 73rd birthday.

It just slipped out as a bit of downloadable content among all the No Fun Mondays and Lockdown Sessions that flooded the net as spring turned to summer and we kept popping up to the end of the garden every Thursday to clap the NHS.

It’s a consummate cover with Bootsy Collins ably assisting King Pop through a lavish lounge lizard croon and some bubbling funk like a champagne cocktail served in a black and gold flute.

Saying Happy Birthday to Iggy was a time honoured tradition when the blog still ran everyday. He’s SteveForTheDeaf’s most featured artist for a reason. He’s the best.

Merry Christmas Mr Pop!

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