Dr. Jim Osterberg and Mr. Iggy Pop

The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde concept is a generally a literary cliché that authors use as a convenient way to explain the diversity of persona used by artists. Even in music, there is a great deal of theatre and character. Paul Trynka uses this concept in his book, "Open Up and Bleed" and I felt that it was the same old cliché carted out again. Trynka refers to "Iggy" and "Jim" as two different entities.

In the case of Iggy Pop (and Jim Osterberg) this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde device used by Trynka is well used, as I've been watching plenty of video interviews lately. There is a definite certainty and deliberateness that Iggy conveys while performing but in interviews, Jim Osterberg possesses none of these qualities. When young, Jim Osterberg is either boyish (Iggy on Tom Snyder), or sophomoric. The aging, present day Jim Osterberg comes across as dopey in interviews. This interview is the closest to Iggy Pop that Jim Osterberg gets during an interview (and one of my favorite interviews, ever).