SuicideGirls (original) (raw)

The day that I conducted this interview, while I was holed up in a room talking with Ron Asheton about the Stooges, Los Angeles burst into flames. A couple of stupid kids setting off firecrackers in the hills started a brushfire that nearly swallowed the Hollywood sign. When I emerged afterwards, I found that the sky was smeared with ash. That night I had a dream so bad that it woke me in a cold sweat: Los Angeles was being destroyed by volcanic ash and liquid fire. People everywhere were dying. Except, of course, for me and Iggy Pop. We sat together above the crumbling city in a crippled apartment complex, wondering if wed make it out alive. Iggy handed me two pills: one, he explained, was a cyanide tablet, for a quick and painless suicide in case the fire threatened a slow and agonizing death. The other pill was a tab of ecstasy, just for fun. Absentmindedly I popped one of the pills into my mouth without asking which was which. Iggys jaw hung open in disbelief. I realized what I'd done and began to panic, not knowing whether I had just sealed my fate or whether I was about to crave a really intense back massage.

On one hand this scenario is the kind of self-involved lunacy that only makes sense in dreams. On the other, its a perfect metaphor for the psychedelic nihilism that has dominated the Stooges music since their raucous, self-titled debut in 1969 up until their blind-siding reunion album, The Weirdness, released in March 2007. Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton and drummer Scott Asheton have been hailed the Godfathers of Punk and, after over 30 years apart, the Stooges have reformed and resurrected their signature brand of rock and roll that once, long ago, imploded under the weight of its own rebellion.

Ron Asheton talked with SuicideGirls about what its like for a Stooge, past and present

Erin Broadley: So, busy day?

Ron Asheton: Yeah. Actually Im starting late because Im trying to get ready to get out of here. There are so many personal things that I just dont have time to do. Every kind of bullshit thing you can think ofIve got to drop off my dry cleaning. Im getting ready to get on the road!

EB: So the Stooges recently headlined the SXSW music festival in Texas. Considering many of the young bands that played the festival likely cite the Stooges as a major influence, what was it like performing alongside the other acts?

RA: It was really fun but it was so busy. We didnt see any other music. I was going to bed at, like, 11:30 at night because they got us up and running all day! But I had a really good time. We were doing the Steve Jones radio show at the Levis store and Im looking at Steve Jones and Iggy talking in this tiny little room when my brother kicks me in the ankle really hard and I go, Goddammit! I notice hes looking up to the right and in walks Pete Townsend. I love Pete Townsend. Hes one of my heroes from the beginning.

EB: Youd never met him before?

RA: No. His half-hour interview was after ours and hed heard we were gonna be there so he wanted to come by and say hi. It was so nice to hear Pete Townsend saying nice things about us. I didnt think about it till we got in the van later and I was like, Hey, my fucking ankle hurts! When Pete Townsend was there, it didnt hurt. I also enjoyed playing the in-store at Waterloo Records

EB: What was it like playing a small in-store after all these years? Thats almost unheard of for a band like the Stooges. Was the audience reaction crazy?

RA: It was great, enthusiastic. We were delayed a while at the hotel because they had to call the police. It was so weird to be in the tiny little dressing room -- Im talking not much bigger than a bathroom at a gas station -- and to have two big police men with us at all times. It was like, What? Im not used to that. I dont think in those terms. The crowd was very nice but because were on a tight schedule, were only allotted a certain amount of time for autographs afterward. So they were worried that the crowd might get angry but Iggy extended it an extra 20 minutes so we could try and get everybody done, which was very nice. I said to Jim [Iggy], This stinks because we want to sign everyones thing and I cant not do it.

EB: Is there a difference between the audience reaction now versus the mayhem that used to ensue during your shows in the late 60s and early 70s?

RA: Its great now. Its more now because its taken the world this long to catch up with the Stooges.

EB: So you arent getting pelted with quarters and full beer cans anymore?

RA: (Laughs) Things are still thrown. In New York when we did an AIDS benefit for Virgin at the Roseland Ballroom, the lights went out and I heard a crash and someone threw a full bottle of Heineken and it broke right on my Wah-wah pedal. If it had been a little highera little insidethey aim at Iggy and Iggys in front of me so its like, heads up!

EB: And Iggy hardly stands still!

RA: Yeah. Luckily in Europe its been good. No more lit cigarette butts. No more coins. Youll get shoes nowrunning shoes, but no malevolence. No missiles (laughs). Theyre having fun. I love watching Iggy go into the crowd and everyones mouths are wide open.

EB: Despite how much the Stooges have become associated with punk, the band actually began as a very psychedelic little experiment. Are there any key moments that really stand out about that transition where you thought, Okay damnwere really doing this! Were not fucking around in our living room anymore!

RA: Well it was when we first got a band house. Our whole deal was, the band that lives together will play together and grow together. So it was this summer sublet, just for the three months while the college guys that lived there were on vacation. Oh what a mistake they made! (Laughs) Iggy had cut off all his hair and he wore his frat boy clothes because those guys were frat boys. Iggy was there the same time as these really nice girls were [trying to rent the place] so it was between the girls and him. And [the frat boys] were going, Oh we dont want any girls living in our house. They should have chosen the girls. When we left that house it was completely destroyed.

EB: They chose you guys to sublet over a bunch of chicks?

RA: Yeah (laughs). They didnt see the rest of us hiding around the corner. It was just Iggy in his frat boy disguise. They chose frat-boy Iggy over some really nice girls. They never saw us. If they had seen us then no way. So that was the beginning. Because it was an old house we decided to use [the tiny space] where they poured the coal through the coal shoot as our practice space. We started to rehearse there but made the mistake of wanting to rehearse at five or six in the evening when the neighbors came home. So police came every day! It got to the point where the cops were like, One more time and somebodys leaving with us. So thats when we stopped doing that and moved on to other places. The kicker was when we were still playing our psychedelic set and Jac Holzman and Bill Harvey came from Elektra Records because Danny Fields said, Youre signing this band. When we actually signed the contract, thats when we were like, Woah! Thats when we knew. And Jac Holzman said, Well you do have some songs dont you? We were like, Uhh yeah. But we didnt (laughs). I had to get to work and start coming up with stuff.

EB: Thatll put a fire under your ass and give you momentum

RA: Were the kind of people who wait till the last minute and then come up with something.

EB: Well, obviously the band dynamic has changed and you guys arent still living in the same house, making waffles and taking acid. How has the change in environment affected the way you write music?

RA: Its better. Iggys got his favorite places he likes to go. He likes to go to the beach and bake and swim. Scott has a daughter that he spends time with. He likes to go fishing and target practice in the woods. And I like going up to the lake also where I have a place. I like to have a fire on the beach and spend time with my dogs. I love playing with my dogs. When the band gets together, everyone is relaxed and refreshed. We really enjoy each others company even more because were happy in our work. And were happy in our quiet time. And now we laugh at things. Iggy will go, Imagine if we lived together now! Were all such different people. I like being alone.

EB: And youre a painter as well?

RA: Yeah, I like to paint. When I was on tour last year, all my paintings were still wrapped up from a show. I didnt even bother to unwrap them. My girlfriend actually unwrapped a bunch and hung them. It was really fun to go, Hey I forgot all about this! Its fun again for me to be able to hang out with my brother because all the years before we got back together, Id only see him a couple times over the summer and at Christmas. That was it. Id only get to see him maybe three or four times a year. So now its great. I see him in the dressing room. Also, I love all the crew people. Well all just meet up in the bar of whatever city were in and have a beer and shoot the shit and really enjoy each others company.

EB: The Weirdness is the first Stooges album since 1973s Raw Power. What were the initial sessions like being back together? Any unexpected difficulties?

RA: No, because we wound up writing like we did in the past. We go down to Florida three or four times a year. We stay at the hotel and go to Iggys house every day for seven hours and Id walk in, plug in the guitar and start playing off the top of my head. And if Iggy heard something he liked, hed go, Hey I like thatstay on that and find another part. We were writing like we used to. Hed listen. Hed come in and scribble down some lyrics. Hed have something in his head that hed write down. Hed bring my brother in, hed set up his tiny little tape recorder and wed record it. Hed go okay thats done; now move on to the next thing. Then Id start playing off the top of my head again. We kept that process going for four years. We had 42 songs to choose from, which was cool. A stockpile. Personally, I didnt want to wade through all my tapes. I was like, Can you come up with the first round? Iggy loves doing that. Hes going to sing them so I figured whatever he enjoys singing the most will be fine with me. So when he made his choices Id go, Ahhh, good choices.

EB: Well, Im sure at this point you guys are kind of naturally on the same page.

RA: Yeah! We always are. When we chose songs down in Chicago when we recorded, each of us had a day. Iggy goes, On your day you can do whatever you want. If you want us to not be here thats fine. If you want us to show up and drink martinis and smoke cigars, thats fine. But I did my day by myself, just checked on leads and added a couple things. But my brother, he went through the tapes and found a song I wrote, and I was going, I dont even remember that song. So I had to learn a song that I wrote. Other people were teaching me this song! I really didnt remember writing it. But we did it. The whole thing took a couple hours to learn, practice, and record. Iggy goes, Well you know its not going to be on the record but its what your brother wanted. I took it home and started to listen to it and thought, Man I really like this song! So I called up Iggy to tell him and he goes, I was just going to call you and tell you I really like that song! Were all thinking along the same lines.

EB: When the Stooges first formed in the late 60s, some peoples initial reactions were that the band was a novelty act or a crazy joke. How much did that change the way the band acted in the public eye or affect the music you were making?

RA: (Laughs) Well Iggys the one that did most of the outrageous stuff. Its become a part of his persona and legend. The only downside of that was once we got playing a lot, especially during the Raw Power times when we were forced to play way too much. It was hard being Iggy! Its hard being Iggy Pop every night (laughs). When he told me stuff, Id go, What do you mean you took acid for a year on end at every show? I just thought he was being himself and nothing abnormal. Personally, I didnt go out a bunch. I enjoyed trying to be invisible, I really did. Its weird now for me. I was in the airport in Detroit getting ready to go to SXSW, just standing there at the gate talking to the guitar tech, and the guy collecting garbage comes over. Its the garbage man that recognizes me! He goes, Ive already got my tickets to the Detroit, I cant believe its you! So Im talking to the garbage man but I really had to go to the bathroom. I had to pee. So I go to the bathroom and Im peeing and I hear a voice, Ron Asheton!! Im goin, Oh no dudeIm not going to talk to you while Im pissin. No talking in the john! So theres my recognition. Iggy gets a lot of other stuff. I get the garbage man standing at the urinal! So thats why even now, Iggy has to go to the lounge at the airport and stay there. He gets bugged too much. Its kind of a drag you know? I just like hanging out at the gig with the crew and bullshit, drinking pop or coffee.

EB: I read a quote of yours about when you took time off from music and how the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack was a catalyst for you to get back into recording again. In your down time, you thought Shit man, everyone says I'm their favorite guitar player but I can't get no record company to give me a fuckin' deal. Most people might not realize how often that kind of predicament truly happens with musicians we adore and lovethe so-called legends!

RA: Yeah, its true. I really tried hard to get help. I even called up Iggys manager and my brother. I spent 10 grand and went in the studio and put together four songs, made a bunch of cassette tapes, got that big industry resource book which is like 100 bucks, and sent out 100 tapes to every record company, starting at the top (of course) but even sending them to labels called Lime Green Spider and Slap a Ham. Theyre real record companies! Slap a Ham! I got no real responses. Only a couple. Lime Green Spider turned me down. I thought I might have a chance with Slap a Ham but they turned me down too. It was like, Jesus, they were all these indie dudes at the labels but my shit wasnt good enough for them or too old or whatever. It was hard and really frustrating to have people say thatyoure right. So I played for 50 bucks. If I put 50 bucks in my pocket, I was happy. The Stooges didnt last very long anyway so that whole thing was a short period actually. We first got together in 68, did an album in 69, gone by the end of 74. And that was the end of that.

EB: What I find interesting is how few people realize the short amount of time the Stooges were actually ever together.

RA: It was less than five years! Weve been together now in this incarnation almost longer than the whole history of the Stooges. So yeah, its weird. But were back and Im looking forward to hitting the road. It sounds weird but Ill probably get more relaxation on the road than all the scrambling Ive done up until now.

For more information and tour dates check out the Stooges at http://www.myspace.com/iggyandthestooges.

VIEW 11 of COMMENTS