It’s not every day that you see a Star Trek guest star carried off a stage in a coffin during a concert, but it’s happening. Oh, it’s happening. Iggy Pop, he of the long, scraggly hair, raspy voice, and tendency to perform his brand of punk rock shirtless, is 78 years young and in the midst of what he’s called his farewell tour. During a performance at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, England, on May 31, he concluded his night in macabre style: stepping into a coffin and being wheeled off the stage.
Before we get into his Star Trek adventure, here’s a bit of quick background about Pop. He was born James Newell Osterberg Jr. and set about seeking a career in music. He launched Iggy and the Stooges and gained fame, both with the Stooges and solo, for putting on wild shows that, in the eyes of some, were obscene. Over the years, he put out all kinds of music, produced for others, collaborated with David Bowie, and acted in assorted films and shows. His songs include “The Passenger,” “Real Wild Child,” “Candy,” and “China Girl,” a song Bowie also recorded, to massive success. Pop’s acting credits include The Color of Money, The Crow: City of Angels, Tank Girl, Cry-Baby, Tales from the Crypt, Dead Man, The Dead Don’t Die, and Daniel’s Gotta Die.
As for Star Trek, writer-producer Ira Steven Behr brought Pop aboard for the 1997 Deep Space Nine episode, “The Magnificent Ferengi.” A funny hour dropped in the middle of the Dominion War arc, it cast Pop as Yelgrun, a droll Vorta dealing with Quark and the Ferengi barkeep’s family during negotiations for a prisoner exchange. This was a full-on guest spot, not a cameo. Armin Shimerman, at a convention in 2018, per StarTrek.com, recounted that “Mr. Pop was terrified to be acting on our show. Fortunately, we all owe a great deal of applause to Cecily Adams for calming Iggy Pop down.”
For anyone interested in seeing Iggy Pop in concert before he retires from the road, he’s got several shows still to come in Europe over the next few weeks. Those will be followed later on by gigs in Redmond, Washington, and in Boston and elsewhere. Check out his official site at www.iggypop.com.