New Jim Jarmusch film goes backstage with Iggy Pop

That's how the world knows him, and how his fans love him. With a nude torso and a microphone in his hand, Iggy Pop uses the stage for his musical excesses. As a matter of course, director Jim Jarmusch gives Iggy Pop's wild performances plenty of space in his new documentary, "Gimme Danger."

A lot was written about Iggy Pop on the occasion of his 70th birthday on April 21, 2017. Now, the film "Gimme Danger" contributes some moving pictures to the celebrations. Jarmusch's film hits German movie theaters on April 27.

There could hardly have been a better person than Jim Jarmusch to direct "Gimme Danger." He first met the musician back in the 1970s, and they have been friends ever since. Jarmusch was once part of the wild music scene in New York's East Village himself. Back then, he played in a band.

For "Gimme Danger," Jarmusch collected lots of unpublished material. His focus is on the wild early years of Iggy Pop's band The Stooges.

A musician sings and crawls around on all fours on the stage while the members of his band stay quiet in the background. That's just one scene in "Gimme Danger" that depicts the historical performances of The Stooges.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the band released three albums before breaking up due to the influence of drugs. The band aspired to a wild and uncompromising image, and lived accordingly. That makes staged pictures like this one not particularly meaningful.

After years of separation, The Stooges reunited in 2003 to make a comeback on stage. Iggy Pop, however, worked hard in the meantime, and even played with David Bowie in the 1970s - another aspect of Iggy Pop's past that pops up in Jim Jarmusch's film "Gimme Danger."