Iggy Pop Invades The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions tend to be fairly staid, meaningless affairs – unless Springsteen’s giving a speech, because he’s the Boss – comprised solely of industry backslapping, lackluster all-star jams, and generous amounts of ego massages for over-the-hill rock and rollers.

Last night’s induction and awards dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City would have been of the same, with bands like ABBA and Genesis (and no, Peter Gabriel was not there) getting inducted along with such deserving and underrated acts as Jimmy Cliff and the Hollies, had it not been for the inclusion of rock ‘n roll’s greatest losers – The Stooges. Specifically, The Idiot himself, Iggy Pop.

Accepting his award, the wide-eyed frontman (seemingly comprised only of leather and sinew) muttered “this thing is… heavy” before shouting “Well, roll over, Woodstock!” and giving both middle fingers to the tux-filled crowd, according to the L.A. Times.

Backstage, in lieu of offering any memorabilia to the Hall of Fame’s museum, Pop offered this choice nugget: “I told them where to buy all the stuff I sold for drugs in the ’70s.”

Finally, the perpetually shirtless singer led his fellow Stooges (Scott Asheton and James Williamson) through the classic stompers “Search and Destroy” and “I Wanna Be Your Dog” while howling to the buttoned-down crowd, “come on, you’re not too rich to be cool!” before being joined onstage by Eddie Vedder and the forever, forever uncool Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Hey, they can’t all be winners.

What band would you like to see be honored by the Hall of Fame?