Josh Homme Recalls Taking Shirtless Iggy Pop to a Steakhouse

Iggy Pop basically never has a shirt on, and in case you were wondering, he even sports his classic bare-chested look when he's out to dinner. During a new interview, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme recalled taking Iggy to an upscale steakhouse once, and yes, he was shirtless.

A lot has changed in Homme's life since Queens of the Stone Age released their last album Villains in 2017. As they prepare to release In Times New Roman... this Friday (June 16), the frontman has opened up about his personal life over the last few years, and named Iggy as his inspiration for abstaining from drugs.

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"I still have a glass of wine. I think Iggy has always been my inspiration. And Iggy will have a few glasses of wine and talking to Iggy about how he went from a junkie that was a pariah where people would say, 'You can do whatever you want, but just don't bring Iggy over here,' to someone that really is such a celebrated, venerated monument that he is," Homme told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1.

Homme and Iggy's friendship goes beyond their shared sobriety, though. They've collaborated on several works together, including Iggy's 2016 album Post Pop Depression, and the 2017 film American Valhalla that documented the making of the record. But they've also gone out together as regular friends, and once took a trip to a Lawry's steakhouse, where Iggy gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "dress to impress."

"Iggy and I were at Lawry's, the steak place. And he'd always wanted to go, he'd never gone... We go to a goddamn Lawry's and he's wearing just a vest with no shirt underneath, which is already a bit risque for Lawry's, where the first time I went, I had to wear a men's mustard colored jacket," Homme remembered.

"[Iggy] just at one point was like, he goes, 'Is it hot?' And I was like, 'No.' And then he just takes off his vest and puts it on his... He's got no shirt on in Lawry's, and he picks up the steak and he is just eating it with his hands. And I was like, 'That was the goddamn best thing I ever saw in my life,' because he was being himself. He wasn't hurting anybody. He was just like, 'I'm like this,' and he wasn't giving two wooden fucks."

The restaurant manager wasn't thrilled about Iggy's choice of attire — or lack thereof — and asked the rocker to put his shirt on.

"[The manager] goes, 'I'm really sorry to say this to you, but could you please... There's a health code violation for you to have your nipples out basically at dinner.' And [Iggy] was like, 'I'm sorry about that, of course,' then he just went back to eating the steak with his hands. It made me fall in love with him all over again because he was gentle and sweet," Homme continued, praising the vocalist for being unapologetically himself, but still respectful at the same time.

"As Oscar Wilde said, 'Be yourself, everyone else is taken.'”

Watch the full interview below.

Queens of the Stone Age have already shared two songs from In Times New Roman..., "Emotion Sickness" and "Carnavoyeur," but earlier today they also dropped the upbeat "Paper Machete." Check out the track below, pre-order your copy of the album here and get tickets to the band's upcoming tour dates through this link.