Album Review: 'Skull Ring' - Iggy's POPular comeback - running rings around modern punk

Overall, this album may not be as raw, visceral, and fresh as Iggy Pop's early work -- and some of it seems a bit forced and a few of the collaborations border on sell-out territory or the completely forgettable (I'm thinking of the Sum 41 duet especially, but that ended up being one of the album's biggest hits, so when even the cheesiest track is a hit, you know the other stuff will rock) -- but in the end it's a helluva lot a fun, rocks like crazy, and brings back a power and energy lacking from Pop's more low-key solo work of recent years.

And the Stooges are back on some tracks! Such a longed for reunion mixed with cool guest stars and lots of energy. Overall, an exciting little album. Still, where Mr. Pop still rules is LIVE ... if you ever get a chance to see him perform at a stadium, club, or outdoor show, RUN, don't walk. It'll be worth every penny, even if you've never loved his live or studio albums... watching this man onstage, even in 2004, is like a fever dream of power and vitality.

After seeing some of the "Skull Ring" tracks performed live by the reunited Iggy & the Stooges (and, lately, with the great Mike "Minutemen" Watt on bass), it becomes clear that "Skull Ring" actually fits in perfectly with Iggy's seminal punk from the early '70s... somehow, this aging dude is still knocking out new material that cuts as deeply as the old... And at it's best, "Skull Ring" stands with the classics.

For your enjoyment, here's the breakdown of Iggy Pop's "Skull Ring" collaborations. If I've left anyone out, leave a note. (Also, check out the "FatherFu****" album by Peaches for another good Iggy Pop-Peaches duet):

Little Electric Chair (with The Stooges)
Perverts In The Sun (with The Trolls)
Skull Rings (with The Stooges) {alternate title: "Skull Ring"}
Super babe (with The Trolls)
Loser (with The Stooges)
Private Hell (with Green Day)
Little Know It All (with Sum 41)
Whatever (with The Trolls)
Dead Rock Star (with The Stooges)
Rock Show (with Peaches)
Here Comes The Summer (with The Trolls)
Motor Inn (with Peaches)
Inferiority Complex (with The Trolls)
Supermarket (with Green Day)
Till Wrong Feels Right {Iggy Pop solo}
Blood On My Cool (with The Trolls)
Nervous Exhaustion (with The Trolls) {hidden bonus track}


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Eastdown and Bound


"Eastbound and Down" is not yet the greatest show in the world, but it’s worth checking out. It’s got a weird tone – partly wacky redneck stuff; partly absurdest stuff that you’d expect from the FunnyOrDie and "Foot Fist Way" guys; partly dark, depressing Tennessee Williams Southern-Gothic drama; and "George Washington" realism mixed in with  drug humor and social satire. All packed into under 30 minutes.

It’s weird when someone like Will Ferrell shows up as a guest star on the show, because the character he plays is a totally hammy FunnyOrDie type (e.g., SNL-style Comedy Acting + Over-the-Top Vulgarity) that is at once both awesome and entirely not fitting within the context of half the other plotlines, which involve the main character having problems with drugs, alcohol, steroids, and an inability to emotionally connect to people, a flat-lined career, etc. One moment you see the lead guy getting crushed by life; and the next moment you see him doing wacky cracker shtick opposite other purposely over-the-top actor-comedians. The show bounces around like this constantly.

The one-sentence pitch: It's like “Rosanne” meets “The Glass Menagerie” meets FunnyOrDie’s “The Landlord” meets "North Dallas Forty" meets “My Name is Earl,” if “My Name is Earl” was an R-rated movie by Kevin Smith instead of a Scientology-karma network sitcom.

It makes it hard to judge whether or not the show is good or bad. After four or five episodes I’m still not even sure if I like, love, or hate it. But I’ve gotta admit: It’s different, and it sometimes zigs in a different direction when you expect it zag somewhere else; not just plot-wise, but on an emotional and thematic level. And that makes it exciting for a sitcom.

I’m curious to see whether or not the show gets better or worse. Seems like it could be improved upon (balancing the comedy/drama and reality/absurdity better, working on the pacing, expanding the cast), but the current Redneck Man-Child Learns to Become a Real Man and Regains His High School Sweetheart routines will wear thin pretty quick if the show doesn’t figure out what arc to take the characters on next.

That said, after “Lost,” “Fringe,” “Flight of the Conchords,” “30 Rock,” “Underbelly,” “Damages,” and “The Office,” I’d have to say that “Eastbound and Down" is one of the best shows currently on TV, at least until "Ashes to Ashes" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" bring forth their new seasons.