On stage nudity

[darkandrew]

I've just been watching a documentary on Iggy Pop and been reminded not just of his brilliance but also of his tendancy to get fully naked on stage. Now, I've got to confess that this is something that I just don't understand - I've been a gigging musician on and off for nearly 30 years and I've never been tempted to go naked. Ok, so the 20 or so most recent years have been as a teacher in school, and such things are generally frowned upon, but even in my Britpop days, I never had the urge to go out on stage and "whip it out". So my question is this; am I missing out on some life affirming experience? What are your thoughts on this?

Edited September 14, 2019 by darkandrew

[hooky_lowdown]

I think it's more about Iggy being an exibitionist than anything else you.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

there's a fine line between being an exhibitionist and a flasher 🤔

[Frank Blank]

5 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

I think it's more about Iggy being an exibitionist than anything else you.

^^^ exactly this.

[paul_5]

20 minutes ago, darkandrew said:

 my question is this; am I missing out on some life affirming experience?

Not now that you’ve seen Iggy’s knöb, no.

[skankdelvar]

Basically, doffing one's kecks and flaunting one's trouser trout is something that a tiny minority of male singer / front-men were wont to do back in the late 60's - early '70s. Indeed, among big-name performers I can think only of Mr Mr Pop and Mr Jim Morrison who embraced this approach, though lesser or local luminaries will doubtless have followed suit in homage or in imitation. (As an aside, it should be noted that Mr Fee Waybill of The Tubes was accustomed to wear a fake penis, this peeping coyly from his shorts).

We should remember that the 1960's was a decade where going 'sky-clad' was very much a thing among young people, in part because to do so symbolised a rejection of bourgeois values. Nowadays, of course, young radicals never take their clothes off, for fear of triggering other young people. Indeed, it would seem that today's adolescents and young adults consider sexual intercourse to be a hate crime.

But I digress.

Going butt-nekkid in front of an audience is something that almost never happens these days and in olden times it was pretty much only the singer who did it^*. Back then the rest of the band customarily remained fully clothed (though I am open to correction) possibly for aesthetic reasons though - more likely - to accentuate the singer's nudity. 

Nobody attended a Doors or a Stooges concert in the hope that Ray Manzarek or James Williamson would haul his winkle out and in the event that other band-members had brogged off I would have expected both Mr Pop and The Lizard King to have given them a swift punch up the throat.

To be honest, most audiences today would be surprised if the singer took off his clothes but bewildered if the bass player did so. 

'Why has the chap with the big guitar dropped his strides?' they'd cry. 'It just doesn't make any sense'.

* Apart from the dancer Stacia out of Hawkwind
 

Edited September 14, 2019 by skankdelvar
Spacing

[PaulWarning]

Capt Sensible used to be an enthusiastic on stage stripper (used to play bass), never Dave Vanian as far as I know 

[fleabag]

Perhaps nowhere near as often as Iggy, but didnt Donita Sparks from the all female band L7 drop her skiddies on UK tv  and was nekkid from the waist down ?

She did much worse at Reading Festival

IMO,  attention grabbing antics like this is kinda pathetic, and a bit school playgound

 

Edited September 14, 2019 by fleabag

[SICbass]

Wasn‘t the bass-player from the Bloodhound Gang known whipping out his tackle. Often immediately prior to his whazzing on the singer, I seem to recall.

Not, strictly speaking, full on nudity.

 

[DoubleOhStephan]

Didn't Flea get his tackle out onstage, or did he cover up with a sock..? 

[Woodinblack]

I think mike patton tended to do that sort of thing too.

[Ricky 4000]

16 minutes ago, fleabag said:

Perhaps nowhere near as often as Iggy, but didnt Donita Sparks from the all female band L7 drop her skiddies on UK tv  and was nekkid from the waist down ?

She did much worse at Reading Festival

IMO,  attention grabbing antics like this is kinda pathetic, and a bit school playgound

 

Yes she definitely did.

Do costume malfunctions count?

https://youtu.be/XefvjB5s_ZY

Edited September 14, 2019 by Ricky 4000

[petebassist]

13 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

Capt Sensible used to be an enthusiastic on stage stripper (used to play bass), never Dave Vanian as far as I know 

After an encore at Janus Landing (now Janus Live) St Petersburg Florida in 1989 the captain did indeed walk to the front of the stage, pulled out his Richard and proceeded to p!ss over the crowd. Luckily I was near the back of the crowd at the time.

[PaulWarning]

I've seen Jayne County (formerly Wayne County) get her? tits out during the rendition of If you don't want to fcuk me you can fcuk off

[petebassist]

The auto-correction thing seems to change d!ck into Richard for some reason. 

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 4, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Dom in Dorset]

Last year my girlfriend gave me a rather fetching pair of tiger skin pants as a joke present. I play guitar in a glam punk band and wear a tiger skin suit. She dared me to wear them for a gig, not being able to resist a challenge I went for it. I'd also taken to running to keep fit and the thought of my impending exposure made me keep to my exercise regime in order to look my best.
At the gig I played most of the set fully clothed and when the singer and I left the stage to change for the encore I stripped to my underpants and walked back on stage to shocked gasps (and some laughter) from the audience. The encore was only two songs but when almost naked it did seem to last an eternity and once I'd smashed my  guitar (it's a special one that I can smash and rebuild) I felt very exposed.
I can't say I would do it again but it's certainly something I can tell the grandchildren.

[T-Bay]

I could be imagining this but I sure I remember reading an article in the NME many years ago about about a German metal band (I think) who used to employ people to have sex on stage while they played. I can only assume their music wasn’t very good so they needing to pep the gigs up a bit.

[steantval]

Let’s not forget the young lady who used to dance in the buff at old Hawkwind gigs.

Her name was Stacia.

Edited September 14, 2019 by steantval

[BreadBin]

21 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

I suppose GG Allin deserves dishonourable mention here, although I think he took his 'freedom of expression' to an entirely different level.

Anyone uncomfortable with a quick flash of anything bodily onstage, do not Google that man.

I was going to mention him, definitely took it to extremes.

All of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are partial to getting nekkid

 

[Leonard Smalls]

I've seen the Chilli Peppers during their only a sock phase...

I've also played a gig in naught but a codpiece fashioned from a heavy duty rubber glove... 

But the band that does much more than take the biscuit is Rockbitch. I've never seen a few thousand bikers, patch club members and Hell's Angels look so scared!

[skankdelvar]

1 hour ago, PaulWarning said:

Capt Sensible used to be an enthusiastic on stage stripper (used to play bass), never Dave Vanian as far as I know 

You make an excellent point, Mr W.

I am sure that various bass players have disrobed before an audience. It's just that advancing years have taken their toll and I can't remember much before last Tuesday.

[ambient]

I did a few dep gigs for a blues singer a few years ago. He was well into his 50s, short and very overweight. Imagine my horror when halfway through the encore, he appeared from the rear of the stage totally nude. Not a pretty sight, though surprisingly, the ladies in the audience loved it.

Edited September 14, 2019 by ambient

[AndyTravis]

Flea got his banana out for woodstock I seem to recall...

[Baxlin]

I thought this was another 'show us your rig' thread......😇