Celebrating Iggy Pop's crazy genius as he turns 70

As the godfather of punk turns 70 on April 21, here's a look back at Iggy Pop's career and outrageous stage antics, and the path that led the young James Newell Osterberg, Jr. to become one of rock history's most iconic performers.

A rare picture of the 1970s shows Iggy Pop performing in a rather unusual outfit - considering he would usually appear half naked on stage. The singer is renowned for being wild and excessive, provocative and at times even disgusting. Even though that can be easy to accomplish by consuming the right drugs - something Iggy Pop readily did - his style remains unique.

Many fans see Iggy Pop as the inventor of stage diving. He's also occasionally landed on the floor after jumping from the stage into the crowd. He loves to swear at his public, to attack his guitar amplifier and to cut his breast with pieces of broken glass. If you've ever been to one of his concerts with his band The Stooges, you've witnessed what rock'n'roll is all about.

After Iggy Pop moved to Berlin in the mid 70s, he was taken care of by David Bowie. He helped Iggy get his drug problem under control, and to produce his two most successful albums, namely "The Idiot" and "Lust for Life." His biggest hit was "The Passenger." The cult film "Trainspotting" (1996) made his song "Lust for Life" successful again.

Iggy Pop also performed in many films. He starred opposite Tom Waits in Jim Jarmusch's episode film "Coffee and Cigarettes" (2003), where the two of them discuss how to quit smoking. This episode of the film was initially released as a short film called "Somewhere in California," in 1993. It received the Palme d'Or for best short film at the prestigious film festival in Cannes.

"Gimme Danger" by Jim Jarmusch is a documentary about Iggy Pop and The Stooges. It covers their entire career starting from the early years, covering their reunion in 2003, and ending when Iggy Pop and The Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The documentary that was already shown in Cannes in 2016 will hit German movie theaters on April 27, 2017.

Even tough rock stars dress up when they are nominated for a Golden Globe. In 2017, Iggy Pop received a nod in the category best film song, without however taking home the sought-after recognition. The song is part of the soundtrack of the movie "Gold" starring Matthew McConaughey.

Iggy Pop doesn't seem to care about the fact that his sinewy body is getting older. He still performs onstage, and he still sweats a lot during the shows. He also still produces new albums although they aren't always successful (like his cooperation with Metallica) or noteworthy (like his album of French covers). His latest album, entitled "Post Pop Depression," was released in 2016.