Iggy Pop nearly quit music after being left "drained" by touring.
Iggy Pop
The 72-year-old rocker admits he "wanted to be free" after hitting the road to promote his 17th album 'Post Pop Depression', but he later decided to continue in the music industry.
He said: "I felt drained. I felt like I wanted to put on shades, turn my back and walk away. I wanted to be free.
"I know that's an illusion, and that freedom is only something you feel, but I have lived my life thus far in the belief that that feeling is all that is worth pursuing."
Iggy is now set to drop his 18th studio album, 'Free', and admits the record "kind of just happened".
He is quoted by The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column as saying: "It's all that you need - not happiness or love necessarily, but the feeling of being free.
"So this album just kind of happened to me, and I let it happen."
Last year, Iggy teamed up with 'Born Slippy' hitmakers Underworld for four-track EP 'Teatime Dub Encounters', and admitted he wanted to perform "behind a screen" because he is tired of people looking at him.
He said: "Some time, some day, I would like to sit in the dark behind a screen and do the live vocals while they play. I would love to do that.
"But I'm just tired. I'm tired of people looking at me all the time. What I enjoy most in my life are my secret hours.
"So probably if I ever did this live with these guys, it'll be when they're somewhere where they've got room for an extra hand for bridge or whatever and I can go behind.
"Maybe I could have one guy, like, with a cell phone in my face and nobody could see me."
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