When Iggy Pop Went Into Rehab, David Bowie And Dennis Hopper Brought Him Drugs

By | February 23, 2021

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Musicians Iggy Pop and David Bowie pose backstage after Pop's concert at the Ritz, New York, New York, 1986. (Photo by Larry Busacca/WireImage)

What kind of friend brings you cocaine when you're in rehab? For Iggy Pop, it was David Bowie. In an episode that defies belief, Bowie strolled into the facility where Iggy was desperately trying to get well and supplied his mate with just what he didn't need. 

So Bowie wasn't exactly being helpful -- he was also aided by one of the most notorious druggies in entertainment, actor/director Dennis Hopper. At least, that's how one version of the story goes; in another, Bowie's accomplice is actor Dean Stockwell. It's that kind of story, a pretty simple narrative with some faulty memories, but it was the early '70s and these were some of the hardest partiers in rock 'n roll. If you remember it, as they say, you weren't really there.

Rock ‘n’ roll is a genre full of madness itself, with plenty of wild tales to be told, but this one takes the cake.

Iggy Pop Set The Precedent For Punk Rock

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Born James Newell Osterberg Jr., Iggy Pop was known to be one of the craziest drug addicts in the rock ‘n’ roll and punk scenes. His abuse was so severe that people did not understand how he was still living. Iggy was the frontman of one of the first and most iconic hard rock -- some call it proto-punk -- bands in history The Stooges, who set the stage for not only how punk music would sound, but also for what punk culture would be. His wild and fairly legendary stage antics, which included surfing the crowd, physical contortions and exposing himself, were enough to make sure you didn't let your parents attend a Stooges’ concert with you.