Iggy Pop at New York’s Electric Circus, May 14, 1971, by Lisa Gottlieb. (Sources here and here.)

You’ll see references to these pics as from October 1970 (including the second source above), when the Stooges had indeed played Electric Circus, but nope, it was the May 14 show. This was the second of 2 nights, which the New York Times described as “triumphant” after a ragged first night. (Dig the Gerard Malanga pix as further documentation!)

Paul Trynka’s remarkable Iggy bio Iggy Pop: Open Up And Bleed adds some additional stories from legendary photographer, scenester denizen and Warhol/Bowie associate Leee Black Childers  (p. 119). “Leee savored the infamous performance at New York’s Electric Circus in May 1971, where Iggy looked particularly psychotic covered in baby oil and glitter. Gerry Miller, onetime topless dancer and star of several Warhol movies, shouted, ‘Let’s see you puke!’ at Iggy, in her squeaky, Mickey Mouse voice. ‘So he did!’ laughs Lee. ‘Right on her!’”

btw, the source of that NYT clipping above is a YouTube post of a recording from that night. The vocals are nearly inaudible, but you can definitely get the gist of the more-melodic direction that The Stooges were taking that the Times described.“More melodic” for The Stooges is a relative term of course. This is still pretty damn hard core…

…so the next time you hear anyone talk about ANYTHING important about punk starting in 1977, you can laugh and laugh as you recall this wild night of stage-diving and puking on the crowd from 1971. 

I ain’t even saying anything important about punk started in 1971. Of course not. Punk was well underway by this point, and merely presented here in its full 1971 flowering for your glitter-soaked delectation.