New Museum has shared audio of Iggy Pop reading a bedtime story about his dog as part of the organization’s new digital initiative, Bedtime Stories.
Introduced by artist Maurizio Cattelan last week, Bedtime Stories invites “friends and other artists and performers he admires to keep us company… as a way of staying together during these days of isolation,” according to the website. Each day, the New Museum Instagram page will upload audio of a new participant reading a “Bedtime Story.” Some will read sentences, passages, and chapters from existing works, while others will take a selection from their own writings.
The first participant was Iggy Pop and he chose to read a story about the life of his dog, Tromba.
Related: Iggy Pop Shares Official Video For “We Are The People” [Watch]
“Hey, Tromba,” he said with a deep, soothing voice at the beginning of his story. “You know, from the first time I saw you standing there on the other side of the divided highway, smelling the meat coming out of the meat locker at the mini-mart, I knew you were the dog for me.”
Pop went on to describe their first, flea-infested encounter, as well as Tromba’s aversion to the city life. He discussed how his ex-wife would compare him to the dog, saying “You can take the dog out of the street, but you can’t take the street out of the dog,” and even noted during the story’s climax how Tromba’s death was a fitting end for the beloved canine. Though the story is certainly not for children, given the disastrous end to Tromba’s life, Pop made sure to explain that he was never as happy as he was with Tromba by his side.
Listen to the heartwrenching Iggy Pop bedtime story below.
Iggy Pop – Bedtime Story
According to Pitchfork, future Bedtime Story guests include David Byrne, Black Thought, Michael Stipe, and many more. Head to the New Museum website for more information.