tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8921382.post1242601408624749725..comments2024-03-28T10:37:48.564-04:00Comments on PowerPop: RIP: Ron AshetonNYMaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10863355110457910935noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8921382.post-77478238595305061882009-01-10T12:31:00.000-05:002009-01-10T12:31:00.000-05:00As I said, I wasn't taking anything away from Ashe...As I said, I wasn't taking anything away from Asheton, who's death saddened me for the same reasons megisi expressed above.<BR/><BR/>I think I may have mentioned that my first wife was part of that whole Detroit music scene -- knew all those guys. Hung around with Scott Morgan from the Rationals, painted Bob Seger's psycehdelic van, did Brownsville Station's first DIY album cover. So I always felt like I knew all those people, even though I didn't.<BR/><BR/>In any case, I think James Williamson hasn't gotten his due.<BR/>:-)steve simelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247393763004076992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8921382.post-92047735566867717692009-01-10T11:28:00.000-05:002009-01-10T11:28:00.000-05:00I've always felt that Funhouse beat the crap out o...I've always felt that <I>Funhouse</I> beat the crap out of <I>Raw Power</I>, politically incorrect as that is. And Iggy is on record as saying that Ron was the main force behind <I>Funhouse</I>. Regardless, Ron joins a too-large group of rock musicians dead before their time...rest in peace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8921382.post-46999819840250975312009-01-10T10:41:00.000-05:002009-01-10T10:41:00.000-05:00I'm pretty sure, Steve (but, it is a little hazy ....I'm pretty sure, Steve (but, it <I>is</I> a little hazy ... heh) that, when I saw them at some club in Ann Arbor, Williamson wasn't yet Stooges in the band. He came in some time in the early 70s, right? His entry, though, you're right ... they became a little more, and I know it sounds odd, melodic. There were actual chords and a purpose to the songs. <BR/><BR/>They were all sound and show early on, assaultive and angry and crazy. Iggy couldn't have made that stick on stage without Asheton's wicked guitar. <BR/><BR/>I was never a huge fan at the time, not until later when they had more context. And I still love "Nazi Girlfriend" more than "Dog," so I'm not the best chronicler. <BR/><BR/>I revere them as part of a larger Detroit music scene that was amazing and not just for the bands everyone now remembers. We had SRC and The Rationals and Plain Brown Wrapper and god knows who else I can no longer remember. Lively nights, man.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8921382.post-72401466143600252712009-01-10T10:19:00.000-05:002009-01-10T10:19:00.000-05:00Not to downplay Asheton's accomplishments, but I'v...Not to downplay Asheton's accomplishments, but I've always felt that the secret genius of the Stooges was James Williamson, who's been pretty much written out of their history despite being the main guy behind "Raw Power."steve simelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247393763004076992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8921382.post-52935964396888376152009-01-10T09:48:00.000-05:002009-01-10T09:48:00.000-05:00I work in Detroit, so it's helped a lot the last f...I work in Detroit, so it's helped a lot the last few days to hear stories of colleagues who knew him and the whole circle of Detroit-area musicians or remember his shows from their youth.<BR/><BR/>First time I saw the band, I was pretty young and just sat gape-mouthed. Iggy's antics were one thing, but the cyclone that came out of that guitar was quite another.<BR/><BR/>Sad sad loss in a city that's a little depressed as it is. We took the loss of Levi Stubbs hard around here, but Ron was way too young to check out like this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8921382.post-85278043433871752352009-01-10T09:38:00.000-05:002009-01-10T09:38:00.000-05:00And let us not forget his great starring role in &...And let us not forget his great starring role in "Mosquito."<BR/>http://www.amazon.com/Mosquito-Gunnar-Hansen/dp/B00000JN2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1231598177&sr=1-1<BR/><BR/>The Sci-Fi Channel still shows it from time to time....steve simelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247393763004076992noreply@blogger.com