Get ready for a performance of raw power.
Comedian Jonny Potts (36) wrote the show Loose: A Private History of Booze & Iggy Pop 1996-2015 from 20 true stories from 20 years of his life.
Every story features booze and American singer-songwriter Iggy Pop.
The focus for the show came when he was 16 or 17 and wrote about an event in 1996 featuring both elements.
‘‘It's the first foray to that sort of world, when underage drinking, staying up late and rock'n'roll music comes crashing in one night and everything else is informed by that early experience.''
Pop was not the best singer, songwriter or performer and the show could have easily been about Bob Dylan, Lou Reed or Sam Cooke.
‘‘If I'd done it about David Bowie, I would have sold out already,'' he said, laughing, after arriving in Dunedin yesterday.
But Pop was the ‘‘consummate showman'' and created an intense atmosphere like no other.
The focus on booze was to examine the extroverted side of people, which was often released after alcohol consumption.
The show premiered at the New Zealand Fringe Festival in Wellington in February last year.
The show won awards for best stand-up comedy, best writing and a touring award, which allowed him to perform it at the Sydney Fringe Festival in September last year.
‘‘The audience reaction to this has been so positive and I've never had so many people buy me drinks after a show. There is something about this show that connects with people ...
‘‘I haven't done it since September and I'm really looking forward to ripping back into the material.''
● The comedy Loose: A Private History of Booze & Iggy Pop 1996-2015 is on tonight at Taste Merchants and ends on Thursday.
