Rock’s Strangest Prank: Elton John’s Gorilla Suit Attack on Iggy Pop

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.

Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. 

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Iggy and Elton on Wax 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 a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.