Iggy Pop Advert Banned

Musicians row escalates

Punk rock icon Iggy Pop is at the centre of a row after an insurance advert featuring the star was pulled from British television.

Iggy Pop has spent the best part of forty years being the living embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll abandon. With The Stooges he offended the Woodstock generation with his antics, helping to inspire the punk movement in the process.

As a solo star Iggy Pop’s career has had its up and downs, scoring hits with ‘The Passenger’ but also going through long periods of not recording. However a Stooges reformation in 2003 seemed to jolt the singer, who has been touring the world ever since.

The Swiftcover advert sees Iggy Pop leer across British screens, saying “I got it Swiftcovered. I got insurance on my insurance!”.

However the firm were immediately embroiled in a row when it was revealed that they do not actually insure musicians, who they class as ‘entertainers’. Apparently the risks involved in insuring rock stars mean its just not worth the money – probably why they got renowned hell raiser Iggy Pop to star in their advert then.

Although only twelve people officially complained about the advert, the Advertising Standards Authority has now ruled that the clip was misleading. Published on the organisation’s official website, the report claims the advert was deceptive.

“Because the policy was promoted by a well-known musician, which might lead some viewers to believe the policy covered those who worked in entertainment, when it did not, and because Iggy Pop did not have a policy with Swiftcover, we concluded the ad was misleading.”

It’s not all bad news for Iggy Pop though. The star has surprised fans by recording an album influenced by jazz and French literature. Titled ‘Preliminaires’ the album is a radical divergence from Iggy Pop’s normal punk rock wailing, with the star explaining in a statement:

“At one point I just got sick of listening to idiot thugs with guitars banging out crappy music and I’ve started listening to a lot of New Orleans-era, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton-type of jazz. And I’ve always loved quieter ballads as well.”

Iggy Pop releases his new album ‘Preliminaires’ on May 18th.

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