Me Again!! (Or: how I nearly interviewed Iggy & The Stooges.)

Long before I heard of their appearance @ ‘Lowlands Festival 2007’, I had the idea to see if I could arrange an interview with Iggy & The Stooges. I’ve been listening to their music for more than 20 years now and still have to remove their CD’s from my CD-player at regular basis. So why not try it now?
After ongoing rumours on their ‘Lowlands’ appearance got confirmed in June 2007, I first contacted Cor, without a doubt one of the biggest Iggy & The Stooges fanatics, to tell him the good news. After that I switched on the computer, to see how far I could get with my request. Which at first was quite disappointing: no contact adresses for the management to be found. So I send requests to the official sites of both Iggy Pop and guitarist Ron Asheton. Which (ofcourse) never got answered.

A few weeks later I ran into some new channels by chance, which not only resulted in the email-adress of Ron’s personal manager, but also that of Iggy’s European tourmanager, Mr Henry himself! I acted immediately and mailed Henry, who, to my surprise, responded a few days later: he couldn’t make any promise, but weanted to know more about me and my radio-show. Which was send to him quicker than an eye could blink.
After a long period of silence, Henry mailed me, telling he’d be trying to arrange and interview for me with either Iggy or one of the other Stooges. But no solid guarantee.
10 days before ‘Lowlands’ I send him another mail, in which I stated to be truly honoured, if I would be granted an interview. The response to this, was one of the messages you need to read several times before it makes full impact: you’ll have an interview. Only not sure wether it will be Iggy or one of the other band members.
Additional data was exchanged and a target time for the interview settled. All I had to do now, was to wait for for the press-credits, needed to get to the premisses of Lowlands Festival and the backstage area.
The night before the Festival, I started to inform about my credits and discovered I still wasn’t registered for an interview. Only EMI Holland could secure the interview. Only their man in charge, the ‘ever helping and over charming’Martin, wasn’t answering his phone.

In meantime one particular phonecall started a complete chainreaction: people were called out of bed, important people from ‘Lowlands’, booking agent ‘Mojo’ and even the main man from EMI Holland got mails from people involved. Martin in meantime, reacted with a textmessage, being his own blunt and rude self: interview? No fucking way! Stop your sobbing, clown.
An hour prior to this, Henry had asked me to send him a mail, explaining the problem to him, so he could deal with it. So when I switched on the computer again at 9 AM, after a bad nights sleep, I had a very hard time to desperately change my sleepy head into clear thinking. 3 mails: Hein, who forwarded a requested email to THE man in charge at ‘Mojo’, a grumpy mail from Henry to Hein and a certain Arjan at EMI Holland, plus an email from ‘Mojo’, which told me I was granted my press credits. I was in! Long nose to Martin!
The trip to Biddinghuizen was relaxed and my press-pass was provided smoothly. Taking the regular wrong turn got me mixing with the audience of the festival at the regular entrance of the area. Even though the recorder I had taken with me, wasn’t registered, I amazingly was allowed to pass the gates by showing my press-bracelet. Found out I wasn’t the only press-mosquito missing the unposted signs on my way in.

Arriving at the press area, I discovered only half of things were arranged: I could get my transfer pass, as soon as I knew who would escort me through the backstage area at what time. A few text messages later, things got cleared up and I received my transfer pass! I could go backstage for my interview at 22:10 h.
Even though it was very clear I was radio, nobody came to the idea to provide me a radio-pass as well, allowing me to take my recorded backstage. The connection came at last, together with the pass and many surprised looks on how on earth I had gotten my recorder through security without a problem.


'Ministry' was great, even though I was only able to watch the last ten minutes, due to passing my passes-exams. ‘The Frames’ were truly boring, so I decided to go to the presstent after only two songs, to watch people. What a typical world the music press is: many incrowd and lots of guests who thought they were very tough, just being able to be around there. Many familiair faces from my previous visit there in 2005 and even meeting people I hadn’t seen in ages, like Marcello, who used to program a club in Gouda and Remco, former drummer of ‘Incense’.
Invading the fields again, I tried to catch a glimpse of ‘the Raconteurs’. Didn’t make it, as I ran into hoards of people I knew again. Although not the ones I expected to find.
Grabbed a bite and got to the conclusion ‘The Noisettes’ were not quite my cup of tea. Still very strange to see the guy on stage here, with whom you were chatting at ‘The Music In My Head’ festival two months earlier.
Pitstop at the press area and walking to the ‘Grolsch’ stage 50 minutes before Iggy & The Stooges-time. Within tewn minutes I was completely surrounded by an ever growing audience. Inbetween the youngsters, I could spot a few people in their 50’s, including one in a wheelchair, armed with crutches.


At 20:45 the show took off and I must say it was far from disappointing: I could sing along with all but three songs, which were blown across the audidnce with much energy. Inbetween songs people were trying to grab Iggy’s attention, while being 60 metres away. A little to the right in front of me I saw the occasional euphoric raising of the crutches. The atmosphere got better and better and I started to relax more and more.
A quick pitstop and scrubbing of the hands and I arrived at the pickup spot early enough. Waiting for either Henry or Eric to pick me up for the interview.
This was taking longer than expected. In meantime every person passing by showed me their badges and bracelets, said hello and vanished across the field. I had’not the slightest idea which pass was meant for what, so I stuck my head into the backstage area and carefully studied the sign, explainig all the badges, passes, stickers and bracelets circulating. This in order to play out my role of a security guy more convincing!
Peculiar people, exhausted crew members, detatched visitors, everybody passed my allowing eyes. While the real security guy was only 30 metres away, to watch some pretty girls visiting the nearby First Aid post, Janneke Riplet anxiously looking, walked by, as did many others. Everybody but Henry or Eric.

Another text message revealed they were waiting for my arrival and didn’t get where I was keeping them waiting for. I was running out of time and decided, heartbreaking, to call it a day.. I excused myself by text message and made it right in time for the bus to Lelystad running. I got the last train to bunk-spot Utrecht (the very last bed in a hostel there!). Leaving thecircus, I arrived at the hostel two hours later and laid myself to rest inbetween snoring, sleeptalking, smelling, vomitting and noisy stoned Italians in a hot, crammed little bunkroom.
Not an interview, but what a day!