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IGGY POP IS OUR TOTEM ANIMAL (YES, WE KNOW ONE OF US SAID IT WAS CHARLIE FOWLER, WHATEVER) AND WHILST WE ADMIRE HIM FOR COUNTLESS REASONS, ABOVE ALL ELSE WE ADMIRE HIM FOR HIS PHYSICAL PRESENCE. YES THE STOOGES, YES THE SONGS, YES THE INTERVIEWS, YES THE ATTITUDE, YES THE FILM ROLES, YES THE ORIGINALITY, BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS WITHOUT THE VEHICLE OF FLESH AND BLOOD THAT IGGY HAS TAKEN FURTHER THAN ALMOST ANY HUMAN HAS TAKEN MONKEY MEAT.

BANG CENTER OF THE IGGY ENIGMA IS THE 60 YEARS THE GUY HAS GOT OUT OF HIS BODY, IN WHAT SOME MAY CALL ABUSE BUT WHAT OTHERS CALL TEMPERING. IN ANY DISCIPLINE WHAT IGGY HAS DONE WOULD BE REMARKABLE, AND IT IS THE FINAL WORD IN THE PARADIGM THAT THE MIND CARRIES THE BODY. OTHER ROCKERS HAVE DIED FROM DOING A QUARTER OF WHAT IGGY HAS, AS HAVE LEGIONS OF ULTRARUNNERS, ULTRA ALPINISTS, TRIATHLETES AND OLYMPIANS. ALSO IGGY HAS DONE THIS IN FULL VIEW OF THE PUBLIC FROM DAY ONE, EVERY INCH THERE TO BE SCRUTINIZED, THE ORDEAL NEVER HIDDEN AS HE WENT THROUGH THE PEANUT BUTTER, GLASS, DRUMSTICKS, DRUGS, CROWDS, DESTITUTION AND THE GREATEST ORDEAL OF ALL – AGING – WHERE GRACEFULLY NEVER WAS WHAT IT’S ABOUT.  

IF IGGY HAS ANY PEERS AT ALL IT IS AMONG MARTIAL ARTISTS, ROLLINS COMPARING HIM TO BRUCE LEE, BUT SOMETHING ANY VISIT TO HONG KONG CAN CONFIRM. WUSHU EMPHASIZES A DAO THAT ANIMATES AND SUSTAINS ALL THINGS INCLUDING NATURE, FIGHTING, HEALING, SEX, EATING AND MUSIC AND IS ACCESSED VIA SOME KIND OF SHAMANIC EXPERIENCE THAT WHEN FOUND AVOIDS THE DETERIORATION AND DAMAGE OF GOING AGAINST THE FLOW. SEEMINGLY IGGY POP HAS FOUND THE DAO OF ROCK AND ROLL AND RUN WITH IT SINCE THE SIXTIES, PUTTING IT OUT THERE FOR ALL TO SEE.

IN MULTIPLE INTERVIEWS IGGY STATES HE ‘HAS A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS BODY’, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT CONTAINS MORE WISDOM THAN PROBABLY ANY OTHER HALF-DOZEN WORDS EVER STRUNG TOGETHER ABOUT ALL PHYSICAL CONDITIONING PUT TOGETHER. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE DEPRIVATION, THE TEMPERING OF FLESH OR THE INDULGENCE AFTER ALL – IT’S ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BODY AS A VEHICLE FOR DOING THINGS AT THE EXTREMITIES OF EXPERIENCE, AND WHEN THAT’S UNDERSTOOD IT’S WORTH A MILLION IN PRIZES.

WHICH BRINGS US TO CLIMBING.

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IGGY POP ISN’T IGGY POP BECAUSE HE SPENT A LIFE IN THE GYM COUNTING REPS, KCALS AND HEART RATE, HE IS WHAT HE IS BECAUSE FOR OVER HALF A CENTURY HE KEPT SPINNING THE EQUILIBRIUM OF PHYSICAL ORDEAL AND PREPARATION. THE DEPTHS OF DAMAGE AND EXCESS WERE COUNTERED BY KEEPING HIMSELF FIT FOR THE PURPOSE, WITH A LARGE OVERLAP WHERE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN PREPARING FOR IT AND DOING IT WAS LOST.

THE POINT HERE FOR CLIMBERS – NOTABLY THE EXPEDITION TYPE WHERE THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS ARE GREATEST – IS THAT A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BODY ACROSS ALL PERMUTATIONS IS WHAT MAKES THE CLIMBER, NOT DISCREET EVENTS ON THE MOUNTAIN, IN THE GYM OR IN BASECAMP.  NO RELATIONSHIP IS AT ITS BEST IN THE MUNDANE, THE CONTRIVED OR THE PREDICTABLE, AND SELLING YOUR BODY OUT FOR THIS WITH ARTIFICIAL LIMITS AND A LACK OF COMMITMENT – OR WORST STILL, LYING TO IT – WILL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU PAID FOR.

A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BODY IS ONE THAT GETS TO KNOW IT, LEARNS HOW TO MAKE IT THRIVE, PUSHES IT IN NEW DIRECTIONS FOR EXPERIENCE AND CONJURES IT’S ABILITIES TO GET BEYOND WHAT MODERN LIVING TRIES TO IMPOSE. THIS RELATIONSHIP TREATS THE BODY AS A LABORATORY WHERE NEW THINGS ARE TRIED, AND AS ANTHONY BOURDAIN SAID “IT’S NOT A TEMPLE, IT’S A THEME PARK” THAT IS AS EXCITING AS YOU ALOW IT TO BE.

IN THE CASE OF THE EXPEDITION CLIMBER, EXPEDITIONS ARE THE EXPRESSION OF THE RELATIONSHIP – THE BETTER IT IS THE MORE YOU CAN DO WITH IT. TREAT YOUR BODY LIKE AN IMPLEMENT, CONDITION IT WITH MACHINES, SPEAK TO IT IN NUMBERS AND NOURISH IT WITH A NARROW SELECTION OF SUPPLEMENTS AND YOU CAN EXPECT THE SAME SORT OF RELATIONSHIP YOU MIGHT GET WITH A ROBOT, POKER MACHINE OR SEX TOY. INSTEAD RELATE TO YOUR BODY AS A FRACTAL, GENO-CULTURAL, INFORMATION-ENGAGING, REALITY-PRODUCING, LANDSCAPE-LOVING ORGANISM THAT YOU GET TO PROGRAM FOR THE RAREIFIED CONDITIONS OF HIGH ALTITUDE DESERT,  AND YOU GET 75kgs OF FLESH, NERVE TISSUE AND BONE TO RIDE TO THE GREATEST MOUNTAINS ON EARTH.

THIS IS THE GREATEST RELATIONSHIP YOU CAN HAVE, BUT IT TAKES TIME TO GET, AND A HELLUVA LOT OF CONTEMPORARY LIFE WILL DO WHAT IT CAN TO INTERFERE, INCLUDING THE COMMERCIAL FITNESS WORLD. AUTONOMY WITH YOUR PHYSICAL SELF IS HARD TO FIT INTO FORTY HOUR WEEKS, OFFICE CUBICLES AND OFF-THE-RACK CLOTHING, WHERE THE BODY RELATIONSHIP IS DEFINED IN NUMBERS ON STANDARDIZED MACHINES AND ‘TOUGHNESS’ MEASURED BY A STOP WATCH. THESE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE BRED THE SAME MINDSET INTO CLIMBING THAT CAME FROM MARATHONS AND STADIUMS WHERE THE BODY IS JUST ANOTHER DEVICE. TO USE AN IGGY ANALOGY IT’S LIKE COMPARING HIM WITH KEITH RICHARDS – SURE THEY BOTH WENT TO THE EXTREMES OF HEDONISM AND ABUSE, BUT WHILST RICHARDS KEEPS PREDICTABLY DOING WHAT HE ALWAYS HAS, NO ONE HAS EVER KNOWN WHAT THE FUCK IGGY POP WILL DO NEXT.

CLIMBING TO A POINT IS WHAT YOUR BODY IS MADE FOR, AND BEYOND THAT POINT IT CAN BE WORKED WITH TO GO INTO STUFF IT WASN’T. STRAPPING ON ALL SORTS OF AIDS AND DEVICES IS LIKE HAVING A MASERATI YOU ONLY EVER DRIVE TO THE SHOPS, AND BETRAYS HAVING THE CONFIDENCE TO PUT THE ROOF DOWN AND LEAVE BEFORE DAWN FOR THE BORDER. ALPINISM MEANS TO TRUST THE BODY AS EQUAL TO THE PSYCHE AND ALLOW IT TO SHARE THE LEAD AS MORE THAN JUST A MACHINE, TO STOP MAKING IT THE POINT OF FAILURE TAKING THE BLAME FOR WHAT REALLY IS THE MIND. THE GOOD DANCER, FRONT MAN OR MARTIAL ARTIST SEES NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN MIND AND BODY NOR THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY PLAY OUT AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE CRAZINESS IS THE ECSTACY OF GOING INTO NEW REALMS OF EXPERIENCE.

FOR THE ALPINIST THIS IS THAT RUN OUT LEAD AT -25C ON NEW TERRAIN AS NIGHT COMES, WHERE THE HOLES IN ANY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BODY ARE GOING TO COME OUT. THE EXPEDITION PROCESS AT IT’S MACRO LEVEL SETS THESE MOMENTS UP OVER THE COURSE OF EVENTS AS YOU LEAVE BEHIND ALL THE FAMILIARITIES OF YOUR CULTURE, YOUR ROUTINES AND YOUR IDENTITY – ALL THE CONSTRUCTS THAT USUALLY HOLD YOUR SELF-BODY RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER. WHAT SOME CALL DEPRAVITY OTHERS WILL CALL SUBLIME.

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ABUSE IS A BODY NEGLECTED OR SOLD OUT WITH EASY OPTIONS, OR LIED TO AND NEVER GIVEN THE REIGNS. A BODY PUSHED INTO CONTRIVED CONDITIONS WHERE IT IS HELD HOSTAGE BY ARTIFICE HAS THE ATTRIBUTES OF STOCKHOLM SYNDROME, AND ONLY JUMPS THROUGH THE HOOPS TO IMPRESS YOUR EGO BUT IS NOT REALLY PERFORMING.

THE GIMME DANGER ATTITUDE IS NOT ABUSE LIKE THE MEDIOCRE ONES WILL TELL YOU, BUT IS THE INTENTIONAL SEEKING OF THE BODY’S EXTREMITIES WHERE YOUR RELATIONSHIP REALLY MATTERS. ALPINISM IS CLEARLY A VEHICLE FOR THIS, ESPECIALLY IN THE REMOTE AND UNREGULATED WORLD OF EXPEDITIONS, AND IS WHERE THE RESPECT AND FEEDBACK YOU HAVE WITH YOUR BODY COMES OUT. LIE TO YOUR BODY OR COERCE IT WITH FAKE, CONVENIENT OR CORRUPT FEEDBACK AND IT WILL EMERGE AS COWARDICE AND ARROGANCE IN THE FACE OF THE NEW, WITH NO AUTHENTIC FEEDBACK TO INCH INTO THE UNKNOWNS THAT YOU THINK YOU HAVE COME FOR.

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TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT LANGUAGE IT SPEAKS AND THIS TAKES TIME, JUST LIKE LEARNING JAPANESE OR TO READ MUSIC. SOME PEOPLE CALL THIS AGING BECAUSE THEY GOT BY HAVING LEARNED NO MORE THAN HOW TO BERATE AND ORDER THE BODY AROUND. LIKE A TRAVELLER IN A STRANGE LAND, THIS GETS YOU A VERY NARROW CONVERSATION, AND EXPEDITION CLIMBING IS A GOOD ANTIDOTE BECAUSE THE DEMANDS OF THE BODY NEED A CONVERSATION WITH IT THAT HAS NUANCE AND DETAILS THE DILLETANTE WILL NEVER HEAR.

THINK LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE AND YOU WILL AGE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, AND THIS INCLUDES TO THE BEEP OF THE SAME DEVICE, THE SAME ROUTES CLIMBED AND THE SAME PLACES VISITED. WHY WOULD THE BODY TELL YOU ANYTHING NEW IF YOU DON’T ASK IT? AT IT’S BEST, ALPINISM LOVES THE BODY BECAUSE LIKE NATURE IT ABHORES A VACUUM AND DESPISES STAGNATION. THE ‘STANDING WAVE OF GENETIC EXPRESSION’ AS SOME CONSIDER THE BODY HAS 2 MILLION YEARS OF PUSHING ITSELF INTO NEW NICHES, WHO ARE YOU TO DROP THE BATON?

TO FINISH WHATEVER THIS IS, THE QUESTION IS THIS; DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE FRONT ROW WHICH MEANS YOU MIGHT GET SPATTERED IN SWEAT AND BLOOD OR EVEN DRAGGED ONTO THE STAGE, OR DO YOU CLAP FROM YOUR SEAT FIFTY ROWS BACK AND KEEP LOOKING AT YOUR WATCH? 

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