Sound of Confusion

Whose brilliant idea was it to choose Elijah Wood to play Iggy Pop in the new Stooges biopic, The Passenger?

I'm scratchin' my head here; I doubt Wood is able to present James Osterberg for his eccentricities, flaws, and everything in between - a man scarred by drug and alcohol abuse, lost relationships, and otherwise unmentionable insanity.

Just sayin' - If this movie turns out to be an Elijah Wood sing-a-long to "Fun House," the film will only perpetuate Hollywood's seeming failure to present rock 'n' roll as nothing more than a glamorous circus. Nevermind Pop's supposed blessings over the project; may I painfully remind you of "Skull Ring" and the Stooges 'comeback' record, the Steve Albini produced dissapointment that is, "The Wierdness." Let's face it - change comes with age. Had Sum 41 approached the Stooges thirty years ago about a collaboration, Iggy would've told the Canadian popsters to fuck themselves (assuming the Asheton brothers didn't already beat him to it.) Would a major movie studio be treated any differently?

What I'm asking is, is a major motion picture recreation of Pop's life with the Stooges more likely to glamorize the band's turmoil, with the expected inattention to detail and disregard for substance; or, would the film be more likely to remember the Stooges for who they were and what they did (and nothing more?) The latter rings unlikely to me, but I'm curious what you think.