Punk godfather Iggy Pop will writhe onto U.S. stages in late October for

a seven-date North American tour in support of his melancholy Avenue

B.

Kicking off with a two-night stand at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles

on Oct. 25–26, the tour will swing through Chicago, Toronto and

Boston, before rounding up Nov. 4–5 at the Irving Plaza in New York

— home of the Avenue B on which Iggy used to live and for which the

album is named.

Avenue B, released Sept. 14, is a radical departure from the

52-year-old ex-Stooges leader's previous snarling, hopped-up sound. It

has an almost jazzy vibe. Iggy — once known for gouging his chest

with broken glass and smearing peanut butter on his body — describes

himself as "bookish" on the spoken-word intro to the album.

"It was in the winter of my 50th year," Iggy (born James Jewel Osterberg)

deadpans in a deep baritone over melancholy violins on the opening track,

"No Shit" (RealAudio

excerpt). "When it hit me/ I was really alone/ And there wasn't

a hell of a lot of time left/ Every laugh and touch that I could get

became more important."

On the rest of the album, Iggy, who now lives in Miami, mourns the passage

of time ("Long Distance") and sings about loneliness (the bossa-nova

ballad "Miss Argentina") and lost love (the Brecht-Weill-style "Nazi

Girlfriend" [RealAudio

excerpt]) over strummed acoustic guitars, bongos and spectral

keyboards.

Longtime friend (and sometime producer) David Bowie — who will

release his own reflective album, hours ..., on Tuesday —

said he wasn't surprised both men are releasing similarly themed albums

just a month apart.

"There's a psychological glue that melds together the end of the century

and reaching the magic age of 50 or over," Bowie said.

Iggy Pop tour dates:

Oct. 25–26; Los Angeles, Calif.; El Rey Theater

Oct. 28; Chicago, Ill; Metro

Oct. 30; Toronto, Ontario; Warehouse

Nov. 1; Boston, Mass.; Avalon

Nov. 4–5; New York, N.Y.; Irving Plaza