To say Ron’s playing was influential would be a ludicrous understatement. Obviously, with the Stooges, he has helped spawn hundreds upon hundreds of bands, including the entirety of punk rock. But, in purely guitar-playing terms, Ron's fingerprints are still found all over music. His colossal, meaty guitar riffs were immediately memorable and packed an incredibly powerful punch. Never a pretty guitar-player, or even a particularly precise one, his style was pure, barely controlled chaos. The riffs to songs like “I Wanna Be Your Dog” or “1970” are absolutely immortal. They require you to pay some fucking attention to this song, right fucking now! Which is exactly what the Stooges were all about. Iggy would howl and scream and take his pants off, but Ron would be the one peeling the skin off your bones with his hacksaw guitar.Ron and his brother Scott (the Stooges’ drummer) were seen as the fundamental influences in changing young Jim Osterberg Jr. into the dynamo of rock insanity that is Iggy Pop. A couple of wrong-side-of-the-tracks Michigan kids, the Ashetons, particularly the older Ron, were what made the Stooges happen. Without them, Jim Osterberg would have probably become a lawyer or something. I thank god every day that didn’t happen.
In his later years, Ron became a somewhat dysfunctional guy, living with his mom and collecting Nazi memorabilia. His relationship with the Stooges fell apart when Iggy replaced him with James Williamson for 1973’s Raw Power album, leaving Ron to play bass. However, it seemed the rift was being healed when the original Stooges (minus deceased bassist Dave Alexander) reunited for a tour and an album. And it’s this image that I will forever remember. I saw Ron Asheton on September 5, 2005, at Bumbershoot here in Seattle. Rockin’ away.
My condolences to Ron’s family, friends and fans. He will be missed.
My tribute to Ron Asheton:
ReplyDeleteI first encountered Ron's presence and voice in the pages of Please Kill Me, the wonderful oral history of US-based punk rock. His anecdotes were vivid, wryly hilarious, insightful. He made me want to learn more. Believe it or not, I had never listened to the Stooges before, though i'd heard about them a bit, especially Iggy Pop. I instantly became an iggiologist and Stooge freak at an advanced age, and it revolutionized my life. I feel happier on a daily basis, I have more energy, I'm not afraid to be more sassy and humorous and performative. The Stooges, one could say, gave me my groove back. Ron's hypnotic guitar playing brings me deep into myself and out into the world simultaneously. He plays those riffs and it seems as if they have been in the world forever, but they haven't. That, to me is the sign of genius: when something is initiated into the world, like a three-chord riff, it suddenly seems so obvious and right–natural even, as if ordained by the logic of natural processes–but it never had existed before. That is the Stooge genius: it sounds simple, but it is a whole concept, a unity, a total experience. It's Life. And Ron Asheton, who gave so much to so many in not all that many years, has made this enormous contribution to humanity.
My thoughts are with his friends and loved ones and colleagues as they learn to fully internalize and pass on what he gave them.
deepest sympathies and warmest wishes,
maria d (hyperpoesia)