COAL CHAMBER's NADJA PEULEN Looks Back On Her Jam With IGGY POP: It Was 'Something I'll Never Forget'

During an appearance on Knotfest.com's "Nu Pod" podcast with hosts Joshua Toomey and Ro Kohli, COAL CHAMBER bassist Nadja Peulen reflected on the time she got to jam with one of her musical heroes, legendary punk icon Iggy Pop. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " I'm really good friends with his then-guitar player Whitey Kirst. I've known him since I was about 18 years old, I believe. And I'm a huge STOOGES fan, I'm a huge Iggy Pop fan. And when I met Whitey, he was, like, 'Well, when you wanna come to one of the shows, I'll introduce you to Iggy Pop,' and I always said, 'No. I really don't wanna meet him, because if he's a dick and I don't like him, then I'm never gonna listen to the music the same way. So I'd just rather keep it separate.' But he was, like, 'No. He's super cool.' And anyway, years go by and I never met him. And then one day Whitey called me, and this is after a bunch of COAL CHAMBER tours and stuff. 'Cause I've known him way before COAL CHAMBER or me playing music in L.A. And he goes, 'Hey, I'm at the Swing House [studios]. I'm here with some cats. We're like jamming some music. Why don't you come down and bring your bass and jam with us?' And I wasn't really feeling up to it, 'cause I was, like, 'Nah, I don't really feel like going down there and playing with some people I don't know. I don't even know what this is.' And so he kept bugging me and calling me, and I was, like, 'No, bro. I'm not gonna come down there.' And then eventually I got this call, and it was Iggy, and I recognized his voice. And he was like, 'Hey, Nadja, this is Iggy. I hear a lot of good things about you. Come down. Be here in 15 minutes or fuck it.' And I said, 'whoa.' And I got really nervous. I mean, what am I gonna say? No. I'm not gonna… I didn't know he was there. I thought it was just Whitey and some people hanging out. So I took my bass and I went down there and I jammed for a little while. And it was very nerve racking. And he was a very nice guy. He's like the real deal… It was a very pleasant surprise, 'cause he was super chill, down to earth, very cool. And [it was] really something I'll never forget."

Nadja originally joined COAL CHAMBER in 2002 as the replacement for Rayna Foss, who left the band to focus on motherhood. In addition to her work with COAL CHAMBER, Peulen has recorded on additional projects such as "Roadrunner United - The All-Star Sessions". CYPRESS HILL featured Peulen on bass in their hit video "Rock Superstar" and "What's Your Number?" alongside Tim Armstrong (RANCID).

Born of German and Polish decent, Peulen grew up in the Netherlands. She came to America at the age of 18, landing in Los Angeles.

"I didn't come to L.A. to be anything like an actress or musician, but to party," she previously explained. "I fell in love with the city and decided to stay. The next thing I knew, I took drum lessons… then someone gave me a bass and the rest is history."

Peulen designed her upcoming signature bass with Schechter Guitars, which will go public later this fall. Peulen also created CruelTees, a gothic apparel company that was carried exclusively by Hot Topic from 2002 to 2007 and can still be accessed on www.crueltees.com. Peulen is currently focusing on developing graphic novels using her onstage persona, alongside other strong women of rock, as superheroes.

Image credit: Arin Sarris