When Elton John Surprised Iggy Pop in a Gorilla Suit
In 1973, at the height of glam rock chaos, Elton John pulled one of the strangest pranks in music history: storming a Stooges concert in a full gorilla suit and tackling a drug-addled Iggy Pop onstage. We unpack the bizarre true story behind that moment, tracing Iggy’s downward spiral after Raw Power, the chaos surrounding its infamous mix by David Bowie, and how Elton’s surreal prank became a weirdly touching gesture between two rock legends. It’s a snapshot of a wilder time when even the most absurd moments carried real meaning.
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WATCH NEXT:
✓ The Exorcism of David Bowie’s Swimming Pool: https://youtu.be/7Lcrjc5Mzm4
✓ The Dark History Behind David Bowie’s “Young Americans:” https://youtu.be/x8GYGY_zZr4
✓ The Wild Story of “Soldier” by Iggy Pop: https://youtu.be/Hc8tjiyAFUs
🎥 Poetic Wax Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLylroYWVYWWXL84MH1T4Qr0wrRzjwlGMR
Iggy and Elton on Vinyl 🎧 and Paper 📕
✓ Stooges: Raw Power (Vinyl) https://amzn.to/4l76muM
✓ Gimme Danger: The Story of Iggy Pop (Joe Ambrose, 2004) https://amzn.to/40neZsQ
✓ Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk (Legs McGee & Gillian McCain, 2016) https://amzn.to/40CvqS2
✓ Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Vinyl): https://amzn.to/44gu1mK
✓ Stooges on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/401xm6u
✓ Iggy Pop on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4ksiENk
Poetic Wax is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Rock’s Strangest Prank
1:13 The Album That Was Supposed to Save Iggy
3:07 Raw Power Was a Mess
5:24 Elton And The Gorilla Suit
8:48 Beyond the Jungle of the 1970s
#iggypop #thestooges #eltonjohn #prank #rawpower #vinylcommunity #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #andyfenstermaker #fensepost #vinylchannel #poeticwax #musicessay #musicstory #albumstory #musichistory #albumhistory #musicdocumentary
@AndyFenstermaker
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Next, dig into the WILD stories behind "Soldier" by Iggy Pop 👉 https://youtu.be/Hc8tjiyAFUs
@calista910
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
You should tell the story how Alice cooper and iggy pop were at this one guys house singing shortning bread and they got creeped out and left together lol
@RichardKoeb
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Superb stuff, Andy….big love to U & Waffles. 😊
@aluminati9918
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Great episode. If you haven’t done it already, Raw Power could deserve an episode by itself. My favorite Stooges album. Especially the role of James Williamson, I think he changed up the style of the songs quite a bit. Keep the great vids coming!
@cheechicana
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
New sub. 🎉
@jaygrain2512
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Algorithm listen
@jaygrain2512
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Man i hope you get that money the channel is great
@jaygrain2512
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Elton john killed himself in like 2016 when all the cp got hacked out of his computer have a good day
@sage1682
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Nahh this guy put together that collection in like 2015
@SkinnyEatWorld95
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 pm
I love Elton John lol. He's such a an awesome person😊
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