Raw Power is the first record I ruined. I played that thing literally until it was a broken record. Immediately I wanted to be Iggy Pop, no shirt, no shame and raw power. It wasn’t until later did I discover The Stooges heavier self titled debut. “I Wanna Be Your Dog” is my graceland. It’s heavy, not loud. Queens of the Stone Age are heavy and loud (the loudest band I’ve ever heard), but the Stooges are heavy, in more ways than one, and it was all thanks Scott Asheton.
It wasn’t until much later I got into Iggy’s solo records. Those records never got ruined. They’re still kicking around in my apartment somewhere. Some of them I’m sure are door stops. All of those records are missing something for me, even the ones that were produced by Bowie. Don’t get me wrong they are all great albums. Trust me I’m not bad mouthing the king of rock and roll (and we all know Iggy is the king). All of Iggy’s solo records are fine and dandy, it’s just that they are missing something; they just don’t have that... umpth, that snarl, they don't have piss and vinegar; but most of all they don’t have Scott Asheton. .
Scott Asheton the drummer for The Stooges was found dead Sunday, due to an undisclosed illness, he was 64 years old. He was diagnosed with an undisclosed illness in 2011. The details of his death have not yet been released. However Iggy did released a statement via his facebook page.
“"My dear friend Scott Asheton passed away last night," Iggy posted on Sunday. "Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and [late brother and Stooges guitarist] Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Ashetons have always been and continue to be a second family to me."
Born August 16, 1949 in Washington DC, at the age of 14 Asheton and his family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Within three years Asheton would go on to form The Stooges (1967) with his brother Ron (who died in 2009), Iggy and Dave Alexander. The Stooges would go on to pioneer what would become punk rock. Asheton’s raw drumming style had as much to do with The Stooges sound as Iggy’s snarl. The Stooges disbanded in 1973. After the Stooges Asheton went on to play drums with bands including, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band. The Stooges reunited in the late 2000’s to release two albums, The Weirdness (2007) and Ready to Die (2013). Asheton is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, his daughter Leanna and his sister Kathleen Asheton.
~ Photo by Ethan Miller
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