Iggy Pop had to be persuaded to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 Grammys, telling Classic Rock magazine, “I hate those people.”
“Things changed and society met me halfway,” Pop said of his decision to accept. He added that he wasn’t sure why the Recording Academy was trying to contact him and assumed it was for something stupid. “The Grammys kept wanting to talk to me on the phone and I kept telling my manager: ‘I don’t want to talk to them. I hate those people. They want me to be an exhibit in their museum or something.’”
However, “When I finally spoke to the lady from the Grammys a couple of months later she said: ‘We’re giving you the lifetime achievement. Without you there’s no Lil Nas X and there’s no Billie Eilish.’ According to her, ‘You’re a direct link to the artists that are at the top of our awards list this year.’ So that’s what one person had to say, and I’ll take that for what it’s worth.”
Last week, Pop released his 19th studio album, Every Loser, which featured the late Taylor Hawkins on drums. Later this winter he’ll be headlining Destination Chaos, and besides that, he’s got some solo dates in March and in April he’ll embark on a tour with his new band The Losers featuring Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, and Duff McKagan. Tickets are available here.
