Song Exploder - Iggy Pop - American Valhalla

Episode Date: March 22, 2016

Iggy Pop is a pioneer of punk rock, whose legendary career began over fifty years ago. In 2015, he began collaborating on music with Joshua Homme, of Queens of the Stone Age. The result was Iggy Pop’s 23rd album, Post Pop Depression. In this episode, Iggy and Josh break down the song "American Valhalla," and tell the story of how it was shaped by reverb, opera, and the military.

You're listening to Song Exploder, where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. I'm Rishi Kesh Hirwe. This episode contains explicit language. Iggy Pop is a pioneer of punk rock, whose legendary career began over 50 years ago. In 2015, he began collaborating on music with Joshua Hami of Queens of the Stone Age. The result was Iggy Pop's 23rd album, Post-Pop Depression. In this episode, Iggy and Josh break down the song American Valhalla, and tell you. Tell the story of how it was shaped by reverb, opera, and the military.

My name is Rishi Kesh Your Way. You're listening to Song Exploder. Migi pop. Hello, my name is Joshua Hami. The gestation of American Baha'uho was as follows. Josh sent me a shitty demo labeled shitty demo that began with the steel drum and vibraphone motif. And the vibraphone is an instrument that's plugged in, so it goes, whoa, whoa, whoa. But I didn't turn it on.

It's just played off. That's steel drum. That's really, really unusual melody. The kind of primitive, trancy underbelly of this song. And he sent me a text afterwards, positing that Valhalla was the most valid and superior paradise for warriors compared to the ones from other cultures. because you had to actually do something really brave and to get in there.

And I texted him back saying, well, this raises the question, is there an American Baha'u'lla? Where is it? What is it? After that exchange, I spent a day singing in my car, sitting in my car in the carport, singing to it and coming up with words.

I've shot my gun. I've used my knife. This hasn't been an easy life. I'm hoping for American Valhalla. But if I have outlived my use, please drink my juice. That notion of if I've outlived my use, please take what's left to me. Exactly. Is so heartbreaking and wonderful, and it's a tearjerker.

Iggy is 68, and that perspective in rock and roll is not represented. But I also think it resonates at 18 years old, 28 years old, 38 years old, because of its honesty and vulnerability. I love the lyrical bend of this because it is vulnerable. It starts by saying, I'm completely stripped. I'm not going to bring anything with me. I'm just curious about, is it there?

And can I, you know, who do I have to kill to get in, you know? Is anybody in there? Who do I have to kill? We both agreed to sort of ignore chasing down rock music. And we sort of articulated that the heaviness would come from content and the delivery instead of distortion and easy what I would call cheap tricks.

Fallbacks. So the words for this really, they hit me so hard. Whenever we were working on melodies, I always would pick up my hand and look toward the sky because I was using this reference of Bugs Bunny

with Elmer Fudd to Wagner. Kill the rabbit. You have a... This, I don't know what to call that. Opera. Yeah, this operatic drama. But this look to the stars and a reach with your hand.

And this had that, where is American Valhalla? That moment, it's put in reverb. So when you get to that moment, it's bathed. Where is American Vah? you go, as you're saying, is there anybody in there? Who do I have to kill? I'm pulling the reaver back so it's coming back into candlelight. I've not the man with everything.

I've nothing but my name. If you listen to that, you know, it's standing at the precipice going, where is it? And as it gets more human and ask questions like, shit, how do I get in there? The reverb goes away and it gets tight again. The character in American Valhalla

is the same guy all the way through the album. He is a veteran. He's over 40. He's been through a great experience in his life. He's seen real action and drama, but it has left him stripped of any specific identity or any home.

He wants to be morally correct, but he is unable to be so and unable to decide what are the correct ethics. Growing up near the military base of 29 Palms, I always was witness to an influx of young, inspired, hopeful people. Traditionally, in these last couple generations, joining the military is a way to leave your small town when you have no opportunity to do so in another manner.

And so you leave with the hope that they'll pay for college. And next thing you know, you're being fired upon for a reason that is nebulous and could not be known. He emphasized a line. I was singing, I'm not the man with everything. I'm nothing but

my name. And so He said, I want you to say that naked at the end of the track, you know. I've nothing but my name. I have nothing but my name. That move. What, is there a sound? Yeah, it's you getting up. Oh, my God.

You documented. The world exists from friction. It's taking that noise at the end of a song and maybe elevating it, but it's these elements of rawness that translate. the best? I've nothing but my name. I have nothing but my name. It feels to me like when it ends,

that reason to have you repeat that is that it doesn't resolve where you make it to Valhalla. It's just like I'm at the gate and I have nothing but my name. You know, it never actually crosses that threshold. It's the seconds before. And in the way, there's a bitter sweetness there

of like, we never know if you make it or not. Valhalla, the requirement is that you would not turn and run. Now, life to me is about the amount of fears you've faced, not conquered, just faced. To me, it means you do something good to get in there. And then once you get in, what you would hope for is to have some peace. Before I called Josh, I felt stifled. And I thought I have to do something, but I'm going to need help.

But before I look for help, I've got to be. I'll look into myself and see what I've got. I didn't notice it kind of crept up on me. Some other people have mentioned that the whole thing sounds valedictory, and that is pretty accurate with me. I told Josh, when we were three quarters into this, it was obviously going to be an album. I said, you know, this is going to be my last one,

because I feel I can find more pleasure in witnessing things and being in a situation, like I like a nice sky. I like pretty clouds. I like to look at a beautiful sight. I like to bear witness more and more and less and less be involved in, yeah, I'm getting this.

And I'm, you know, so those are the things to me that go with the idea of a paradise. And now here's American Valhalla by Iggy Pop in its entire. Visit songexploder.net for more on Iggy Pop, including a link to buy this song. I have a new album of my own coming out on April 24th. It's been about 15 years since I last put out a full length, and this is the first one that'll be out under my own name, Rishi Kesh Her Way.

I started making Song Exploder when I was feeling lost in my own music career. And then for over a decade, I've gotten to have these incredible conversations about the process of making music, talking to other artists. and it made me completely rethink my relationship to music and my way of writing songs. And this album is the product of all of that. It features contributions from some of my favorite artists, including some folks that you may have heard on this podcast, like Iron and Wine, Kevin Morby, Vagabon, Fenlily, and the producer Phil Wine Robe.

I'm going to be on tour playing in cities across the U.S. starting in April, and I'm trying to bring the spirit of the podcast with me. So every show that I'm playing will begin with a conversation about the album with a different amazing guest moderator in each city, like Adam Scott, Samin Nasrat, Jason Manzukas, Josh Molina, Minjin Lee, Ken Jennings, John Roderick, Austin Cleon, and more. They're all going to be my conversation partners on stage, and then I'll play with my band.

The album is called In the Last Hour of Light, and the first couple songs are out now. You can listen to the music and get tickets for the shows on my website, Rishikash.co, or just go to SongExploder.net, slash live. That's songexploder.net slash live. Thanks. Next time on song Exploder, Tao and the get down, stay down. You can find all the past and future episodes of Song Exploder at songexplor.net or on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you download podcasts. You can follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Song Exploder. Editing and transcription help on this

episode by Christian Coons and Kathleen Smith handled clearance. My name is Rishi Kesh your way. Thanks for listening.