Iggy Pop didn’t want to accept Lifetime Achievement Grammy at first: ‘I don’t want to talk to them’

Iggy Pop said that Grammy organizers citing his influence on breakout artists such as Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish was instrumental in getting him to accept a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.

The Lust For Life artist, 75, opened up to the outlet Classic Rock about why he was initially reluctant to accept the honor from the Recording Academy.

‘The Grammys kept wanting to talk to me on the phone,’ he said, ‘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.”’

The latest: Iggy Pop, 75, said that Grammy organizers citing his influence on breakout artists such as Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish was instrumental in getting him to accept a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. He was pictured at the 2020 Grammys in LA

The punk music icon continued: ‘Then 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.’

The Passenger vocalist, whose real name is James Osterberg Jr., opened up to People in January of 2020 about the process in which he accepted the honors from the musical establishment.

‘I said, “I’m not talking to them!”‘ he said. ‘It’s been, what? 50 years? No Grammy! But they said, “You won.” And I said, “Well, is there anything I have to do? Is it contingent on anything?” And they said, “No. It can never be changed.” So I thought that was OK. That was nice.’ 

Lil Nas X and Eilish were among the contemporary artists cited in persuading Iggy Pop to accept the honor

The punk music icon was snapped performing in Melbourne, Australia in April of 2019 

While Pop had previously been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Stooges in 2010, he said the Grammys were ‘a tougher can of tuna to pry open.’

He added, ‘I suppose I kind of feel as if the Academy and I met halfway, something like that. It’s sort of like a problem has been eliminated, put it that way … these things have been happening in my career for the last 10 years or so. At first it was almost grim. 

‘Like, “Okay, I got there, I got that. It doesn’t make Raw Power any better or any worse.” But after a while I came to appreciate that every person has a point of view. It took me a long time to appreciate that a lot of people have points of view that are nothing like mine whatsoever, but I need to respect them. Whereas when I was 25, it was like, “Agree with me or death.”‘