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In years gone by, the "no sell-out" notion was clutched to the chest of the die-hard rock radical like a heart-shaped badge. Sadly, such ideals have long since gone out of the window as the eyeballs of greedy musicians kerching into dollar signs and whopping pension funds. In recent months, Famethrowa can recall the likes of New Order, Primal Scream and Blur all bending over for the man and even Iggy Pop, that most uncompromising of figures, is at it with his advert for the car insurers Swiftcover.

You may have seen the reptilian Stooges legend tearing about in the company's reported £25 million campaign. "I got it Swiftcovered. I got insurance on my insurance. Do it. Get a life. Get Swiftcovered", he boasts. Well, hilariously, it's now been revealed that Iggy is not actually eligible for a policy with the company, who refuse to insure musicians, prompting a string of spurned applicants to report them to the Advertising Standards Authority.

Part-time music producer Felix Wright, 36, of Maidstone, says he was turned down for cover on his BMW. "When I asked what Iggy Pop did for a living if I was being rejected as a musician, they said they did not know his personal life and he was not one of their policyholders." A spokesman for Swiftcover has now admitted such entertainers are excluded because of the enormous potential financial liability facing them in the aftermath of a claim.

They are not the first advertising company to be accused of misleading customers. Esure, fronted by Michael Winner, does not insure film directors, and Sheilas' Wheels refuse to cover the pink Cadillac featured in its own adverts. None of this will be of any consolation to the likes of bass player Tim Soong, who was also refused a policy. "Iggy Pop tells people having Swiftcover will save them wasting time. But he's wasted my time", he complained. Let's hope the pay cheque was worth it, Iggy.