 |
|
 |
||||||
|
||||||
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|||
|
|||
|
|||
| Stooge Watch No. 1: Baby Steps, Dear Friends, Baby Steps. December 2001 Yes, it's fantastic to hear that Iggy Pop has asked Ron and Scott Asheton to head into the studio for some good old-fashioned rock action. But let's not get our hopes up too high. "It's pretty simple and straightforward," said Iggy's manager Art Collins. "Iggy's still signed with Virgin Records records and he's working on a new album. He called Ron and Scott and said 'Hey, maybe you guys want to play on a couple tracks and see what comes out of it.'" Iggy and the Ashetons have always remained friends, Collins said, and the brothers agreed to the sessions. But currently there's not even studio time booked. So it's a little early to ask if Ron can still fit into his old clothes. Sure, we all want to see a Stooges reunion complete with tour. Especially now that these fellows are less apt to pass out on the bathroom floor with a spike in their veins before the show, or roll around in glass and bloody themselves, or throw peanut butter on the audience, or pull down their pants showing off their cocks the size of tennis ball cans. |
|||
|
|||
 |
|||
|
|||
|
But these things have a rhythm of their own, and we need to let them progress at their own pace. "Towards the end of January we'll know more," Collins said. He cautioned fans against reading too much into the studio work. "It's not going to be some grand reunion. Or who knows, maybe it could be. But it's not the intent. It's just for them to get together and do a couple of tracks," he said. As Boy Howdy stretches and wakes from his extended nap, maybe those rumblings are inspiring the ex-Stooges to mount up and ride again. It makes Boy Howdy happy indeed. He just wants to make sure the Stooges remember who their real friends are. He was there at the beginning and expects some good tickets. Stooge Watch No. 2: January Update January 2003 The brothers Asheton are due to arrive in Miami the week of Jan. 13 to record two tracks for Ig's new album, according to sources at Osterberg HQ. Reunion concerts have not been discussed yet and sources continue to insist that the studio work is the sole focus of the project. The record is set to be handed into Virgin Records March 31 for release later this year. The only other surviving Stooge, James Williamson, is not participating in the project, management said. However, late bassist Dave Alexander is said to be watching over the sessions from whatever strange plane he inhabits these days. It hasn't been revealed who is handling the bass chores. (Boy Howdy recommends his good friend Mike Watt, who has been making a great study of The Stooges' oeuvre in recent years.) |
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
Yes, their music may be raw, ferocious stuff. But never let it be said that the Stooges aren’t gentlemen of honor, willing to come to the rescue of vulnerable creatures. "I have a little power, and for something good, I’ll use it," said Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton. And recently, he had to use that power to come to the aid of a stray cat that was being abused at the hands of some knife-wielding, feline-hating kitchen help in Miami Beach, Fla. Ron and his brother Scott were in the Sunshine State to record some new tracks for Iggy Pop’s upcoming Virgin release. And while the folks on CREEM's Stooge Watch desk have been breathlessly awaiting the results of those sessions, we were interested to hear more about this tale of heroism. The scene was a place called the 11th Street Diner, near the Ashetons’ hotel in Miami Beach. "Iggy took us there the first night," Ron said. "I was going there for my pre-studio food, and when we were done I’d go back. I was spending about $100 a day there. I loved the diner, and I was stuck on it." Part of the diner’s attraction was the food, part of the attraction was sitting on the patio, Ron said. But a big attraction was a stray orange-and-white cat with a crooked smile. "For me, that cat was part of making me go to the diner every night," Ron said. The cat was shy and looked bore the telltale signs of the rough life of a streetwalkin’ cheetah. "Somebody had already kicked his head in once, so his face was kind of smashed," Ron said. "He’s got a funny little smile." But with patience and table scraps, the brothers were able to gain its trust. "My brother would finally get him to take a piece of ham out of his hand. I finally got to pet him, and people were saying ‘Not many people get to pet him,’" Ron said. So while he was in town, Ron took care of the stray, which he described as a "mascot" for the diner. "I’d bring him cat food and put it in his favorite spot," he said. The night before Ron was coming back to Michigan, he found himself again dining with his brother. "All of a sudden, I hear scuffling and stuff, and I hear my brother saying ‘Hey! Hey, don’t do that,’" Ron said. The cat had gotten into the kitchen, and a couple of workers were chasing it. One picked up a knife, the other picked up a table, and both were threatening to kill the cat. Apparently, these guys were fucking with the wrong cat. They hadn’t reckoned with Stooge Power. "It was weird. I had to stop it," Ron said, saying that he and Scott jumped to (rock) action and let the would-be cat killers know they meant business. "Just my yelling, they just kind of slunked back into the diner." Even though it was late at night, Asheton was so furious he had to call a good friend back home. "I was so angry that I called Dara. I was just raving, ranting about it, and she spread the word," Ron said, noting that Mike Watt and Thurston Moore were among those who were alerted and who spread the word. Ron stressed that his beef is with the cat-abusing help, not the diner itself, which he still maintains is a cool place. ‘So Stooge’ That experience was the only blotch on a great time, Ron said, noting that the sessions at the Hit Factory studio went well. The brothers wrote and recorded four new songs with Ig in less than 10 days. "It turned out well. I’m happy with it," he said. "It’s fun. Amazingly, all the basic tracks were like one take. It wasn’t necessarily going to be that way, but that’s how it turned out." With all that history between them, Ron confessed that the initial rendezvous with Mr. Osterberg was a bit uncomfortable. "The first meeting was a little awkward," Ron said. "We were at the hotel and he came to meet us and it was a little strange. I felt a little nervous because I hadn’t really seen him for 20 years. My brother had seen him, but I hadn’t. "I knew it was a little awkward for Iggy, too. But it melted away very quickly," Ron said. "And everyone relaxed. It was like old times. (Iggy) opened up and laughed a little more. At first he was all business. By the time we left the first trip it was going fine." The band’s fans won’t be disappointed with the new songs, which have Ron playing guitar and bass on them. "It’s good and Stooge, so it’s true to form. It’s that nice raw sort of Stooges rock and roll," he said. |
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
Imagine Boy Howdy!'s surprise when he woke up with a hangover after taking a month off to celebrate his 34th birthday. He woke up to a world where U.S. troops are fighting in a foreign land, the remnants of the MC5 are gigging together, and the Stooges are taking his advice and returning to the stage on April 27 at the Coachella festival in the California desert. Not only that, they've selected his preferred bass player, Mike Watt. The Stooges playing again? The MC5? CREEM's return to glory? What the hell is this, 1969? Boy Howdy! wanted to know. He sent the Stooge Watch staff to ask someone who would know—the one-and-only John Sinclair. His response: "If it was 1969 everybody would be on acid!" Well, if it's not 1969, at least we know it's another year for me and you. The difference is this time, there's plenty to do. CREEM will have staff members embedded with the Stooge forces when it all goes down. Turn to America's Only Rock and Roll Magazine for up-to-the-minute reports from the desert. We'll be the ones losing our hearts on the burning sands. |
|||
|
—Brian J. Bowe updated often! |
|||
|
Photos by Robert Matheu except Iggy (top) by Olaf Heine |
|||
 |
