Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton passed away from a heart attack last night. He was one of the nicest guys you ever wanted to meet. Very unassuming about his place in rock and roll history.

Ron Asheton was the guitarist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop for the rock band The Stooges for their first two albums, and later appeared as bassist for their third, Raw Power, when he was replaced in both instrument and songwriting prominence by The Stooges' new guitar player, James Williamson. However, with the Stooges reformed, he once again appeared as the band's guitarist.

Apart from The Stooges, Asheton also played in the bands The New Order (not the UK band of the same name), Destroy All Monsters, New Race, and more recently with Mike Watt, J. Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr.), Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Mark Arm of Mudhoney among others (as The Wylde Ratttz), on the soundtrack for the Todd Haynes film Velvet Goldmine, which starred Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Asheton also acted, appearing with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre star Gunnar Hansen in Mosquito which came out in 1995 as well as in two other films, Frostbiter: Wrath of the Wendigo and Legion of the Night.

Ron Asheton already had five years practicing the accordion behind him when he began playing guitar while he was ten.

He is ranked as number 29 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.[2]

One of the godfathers of the punk era. Thanks for the music, Ron.

Stooges guitarist helped transform rock
RON ASHETON | 1948-2009

by Brian McCollum and Steve Byrne
Detroit Free Press
January 7, 2009



The world didn't always give Ron Asheton his proper dues. But the Stooges guitarist certainly paid his dues to the world, helping transform the sound of rock music.

Fans and fellow musicians are mourning the death of Asheton, who was found dead early Tuesday at his home in Ann Arbor. The death remains under investigation, though foul play is not suspected, said Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Brad Hill.

Asheton was 60.

"I am in shock," said Stooges singer Iggy Pop. "He was my best friend."

Ann Arbor police had taken a call from a friend of Asheton, who said he had not heard from the guitarist in a few days. Police entered Asheton's home and found his body.

As a musician, Asheton was no technical virtuoso, and his career never brought him a glittery celebrity life. But his electric guitar work, which was the starting point for most of the Stooges' songwriting, was widely influential within hard rock and punk music.

With his brother Scott Asheton on drums and local wild kid Iggy Pop on vocals, Asheton cofounded the Stooges in his parents' Ann Arbor basement in 1967. The raucous group went on to become an area sensation, making its name at venues such as Detroit's Grande Ballroom.

The Stooges, who reunited earlier this decade, are widely recognized as one of the most important rock acts to have emerged from the Detroit scene. The group found little commercial or critical success during its initial run with Elektra Records. But by the time the Stooges disintegrated in the early '70s amid infighting and drugs, its primal sound -- with Asheton's droning, guttural riffs at the core -- had helped etch the template for punk rock. The band's body of work later proved hugely influential during the alternative-rock revolution of the 1990s.

Early Stooges classics such as "I Wanna Be Your Dog" were cited by guitarists as varied as Kurt Cobain, Thurston Moore and fellow Michigan rocker Jack White -- who once called the Stooges' 1969 album Fun House the greatest rock album ever. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named Asheton the 29th greatest rock guitarist of all time.

He made the "Stooges' music reek like a puddle of week-old biker sweat," the magazine wrote. "He favored black leather and German iron crosses onstage, and he never let not really knowing how to play get in the way of a big, ugly feedback solo."

Asheton's post-Stooges career in the 1970s included stints with the bands the New Order and Destroy All Monsters, where he played with members of the MC5. His real comeback came in 2003, when the Stooges reunited for a series of shows and wound up as a regular touring act. In 2007 the group released The Weirdness, its first new album in three decades.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the surviving Stooges paid homage to a "great friend, brother, musician, trooper."

"For all that knew him behind the facade of Mr. Cool & Quirky, he was a kindhearted, genuine, warm person who always believed that people meant well even if they did not," read the statement.

The Stooges' future is now unclear, though a single word in the band's tribute statement -- "irreplaceable" -- provides a possible hint.

Von Bondies guitarist Jason Stollsteimer, 30, is among a younger generation of rock musicians who soaked up Asheton's influence.

"To me, he was the epitome of raw punk," said Stollsteimer. "He wasn't flashy or over the top. It was raw. The riffs he wrote stood the test of time."

Stollsteimer's band opened for the Stooges at a 2003 homecoming show at DTE Energy Music Theatre. It was a triumphant reunion that brought the Stooges a level of attention and respect they hadn't previously enjoyed.

"He was like a kid in a candy store, just so excited," Stollsteimer recalled of that night. "He wasn't afraid to show it. Some people are too cool, but he was obviously very happy and proud."

The Stooges have been regular nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the past decade, but have yet to triumph in the final round of voting. Amid a growing outcry about the band's rejection, many music insiders expect this to be the band's year. The 2009 inductees list will likely be released later this month.

In a 2003 interview with the Free Press, Asheton said he got great satisfaction from the recognition the Stooges had begun to receive -- even if it was a long time coming.

"When I was a young guy coming up, going to the Grande Ballroom every weekend, I got to see my heroes play. Jeff Beck, the Who, everyone. I didn't want to be a fanboy, but I'd stand there and wait -- 'I just want to say hi, this was great.' I saw them walk by me with blank stares like they were zombies. I said to myself, you know, if I ever make it, I've got at least one minute for everybody who wants to say something. So I talk to people, and that's what's exciting now."

Musicians share memories of and tributes to Stooges guitarist

Compiled by Brett Callwood
Free Press special writer
January 7, 2009

"My earliest memory is of the Stooges playing at the Grande Ballroom and their manager, Jimmy Silver, playing oil drums. The band wase completely designed to blow people's minds -- give them something that they've never heard before. The Stooges were breaking boundaries and people have been trying to imitate them ever since, but they can't quite get it right. Detroit, Michigan and America were privileged to have enjoyed Ron's artistry.

"His playing style was almost subliminal -- he could put you in a trance and hypnotize you with his guitar."

-- Leni Sinclair, photographer who documented the rock scene during the Stooges' early heyday

"Wherever great musicians go when they pass, Ron is there and they're better for it. He was a decent man."

-- Russ Gibb, former manager of the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, where the Stooges often played

"He was one of a kind and he marched to his own drum. ... He tended to use not a whole lot of chords, but he had a certain style of chording where the E strings would drone and then he would slide up and down the neck and then there's the volume of it -- the wall of sound that he was able to produce from one guitar. He was very inspirational and he'll continue to be so."

-- Steve Mackay, saxophonist for the Stooges

"It's minimalism and it's purity. Rock 'n' roll can get too complicated like it did in the '70s. It doesn't speak for us when it gets that complicated. I think Ron's music had raw emotion and went straight to the heart. That was missing in rock 'n' roll and Ron nailed it."

-- Dennis Thompson, MC5 drummer who was also a member of the New Order with Asheton

"Here it is -- Ron was the Christopher Columbus of rock 'n' roll. He knew there was a new world out there and from Day 1 when he was a teenager, he knew that was what he wanted to do. That was his calling, his mission in life. ... Ron didn't have a musical background playing in bar bands and that sort of rootsy stuff -- he taught himself everything.

"It turned out to be something that was completely unique. It was a breakaway from the traditional way of playing guitar. He had a great sense of rhythm and harmonics. The whole thing always sounded good. That's the bottom line -- if something sounds good, it is good. The Stooges guys weren't great musicians, that isn't what it was about. It was about the spirit. ... They approached everything from a very primitive level and it struck a chord with people. Ron lived for that band. It was everything to him."

-- Michael Davis, MC5 bassist who was also a member of Destroy All Monsters with Asheton

"The thing about his playing is that, unlike the MC5, it wasn't based in blues or any rock 'n' roll that had come before. There weren't any Chuck Berry licks in it, there weren't any recognizable blues licks in what he did, it was something that he totally invented and came directly from his soul. There was no precedent for it. It was almost like John Lee Hooker where you can't discern any influences. It seemed to have come from a primal place. I've tried to imitate his style and been semi-successful, but it's a really idiosyncratic style of playing. His playing totally blows me away."

-- Danny Kroha, guitarist for Detroit bands such as the Readies and the Demolition Doll Rods

"To me, the Asheton brothers were the stars of the reunion. They deserved it. Ron's playing was so direct. When you look at the Fun House album ... everything that he played was great. It's the same with the other guys, too. They had their own sound, and it was totally to the point. In later years, maybe because people had put down his guitar playing, Ron started playing a million notes in his solos and it was frustrating. Nobody could play those rhythms like Ron. You could have a million people covering 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' and they would all sound like (profanity) except when Ron played it.

-- Bootsey X, Detroit rock singer and a member of Dark Carnival with Asheton

This is tragic, so young and The Stooges had reunited for a fine album. The Stooges were one of the very first punk pands, in fact I think only The Monks were older, formed in 1966. The Stooges arrived on the scene in 1967 IIRC. I should have seen the Stooges when I had the chance.

R.I.P. indeed. The Stooges ruled then and now. Ashton was no guitar genius but he was perfect at what he did and achieved a great sound. It's very nice the Stooges reunited before it was too late.
What's not nice is Jan Wenner and his Hall Of Shame once again not recognizing a band that should've been inducted years ago and sadly watching members of those bands die before they get their due. Wenner is a fucking tool.

Watt had a nice piece in today's LA Times

Mike Watt riffs on Ron Asheton and the Stooges
The Minutemen and Firehose bassist talks about Asheton's innovations, inspirations and lasting influence.
January 8, 2009

Mike Watt, bassist for the Minutemen and Firehose, was invited in 2003 by Iggy Pop to join the Stooges when the seminal Michigan band reunited for its first performance in nearly 30 years at the Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival. He continued to perform and record as a Stooge alongside founding members Ron Asheton, the guitarist who was found dead this week; his brother, drummer Scott Asheton; and saxophonist Steve Mackay. Watt spoke Tuesday to The Times' Randy Lewis about his close friend.

As a musician, he was a pioneer -- very singular, very unique. To get to be onstage with him was incredible for me. We all looked up to Ronnie with that guitar sound. Man, it was a sound, but especially in those days in the early '70s. Most people at my high school, they didn't like that sound. They were like, "You like them?" We took a lot of [flak] for liking them, in a way.

Then the punk scene comes, and the Stooges was the common ground. That scene, which was not very popular here in Southern California, was just all these different weirdos from different places. The one thing in common was the Stooges. It was kind of anti-arena rock -- more like Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard than what was happening in the '70s. I can't even imagine our scene without that band.

And then I get to play with these cats. So much stuff comes third-, fourth- and fifth-hand, but I got to go right to the source. I was born in '57, so I was 10 years behind them. I'd never been in the little brother role before, but especially being around these guys, my ears grew to the size of elephants' and became like sponges -- I just wanted to absorb everything.

In 1997, I got to make an album with him in a group called the Wylde Rattz, which had a song on the soundtrack for "Velvet Goldmine." We did a whole album, but then London Records folded and it never came out. The song came out in the movie, but that's when I actually got to spend a bunch of time with him in the studio.

In 2000, J Mascis [of Dinosaur Jr.] asked me to go out on tour with him -- after I almost died from an infection and used Stooges songs to get strong again -- and sing some Stooges songs with him in a project called J Mascis -- the Fog. When we got to Ann Arbor, he says, "You know Ronnie, right?" I called him and he came down to jam and then ended up touring with us.

He'd come to see me in my band, whenever I was in Ann Arbor. Ronnie was up on stuff because he was in a bunch of bands: Dark Carnival, Destroy All Monsters. After the thing with J and later with Scotty as Asheton, Asheton, Mascis and Watt, this is when Ig called him and his brother to do a few songs for "Skull Ring" [Pop's 2003 solo album].

I was on tour at the time in Tallahassee, Fla., and I get this call. It's Ig, and he says, "Ronnie says you're the man." He said, "They're gonna get the Stooges back together for Coachella. Can you wear a T-shirt? I know you like those flannels." I said, "How about Levi's and Converse?"

It was a mind blow. Them songs had been living in my head for all those years, so I would just stand there onstage and stare at them. I had to struggle to keep focused because I was just like one of the gig-goers, but I've got this bass on. I felt deep in my heart I owed these guys the best notes I could ever play. Still, when I think about it, it seems impossible that life had put me in this situation.

On the last tour, Ig gave me a 16-bar bass solo in "Little Electric Chair." I played with D. Boon and he would get all trebly and chicken-pluck and leave all this room for me, and I'd play a lot of stuff up high on the neck. It sounded really lame, but then Ronnie helped me construct a solo down in the low end one day on tour in Slovakia and that fit really well. The Stooges taught me about being a bass player when it was time to record "The Weirdness" album. Ig said, "Mike, I want you to get in touch with your stupid side."

I just feel so indebted to them, as musicians and as people too. They were so kind to me. They knew about a lot of stuff. Maybe because of the name the Stooges people didn't know that, but Ronnie was a lot about history, Scotty about nature, Iggy about culture, Steve Mackay about politics.

They told me they got "Little Doll" from Pharoah Sanders. "Fun House" is actually their take on James Brown. Ig said, " 'Shake Appeal,' that's me doing Little Richard." All these trippy things, as though they invented this whole thing -- and they did, their way, but they also were in touch with a lot of the stuff that happened before them.

I'm going to get more intense with my work, my music. That's what I was thinking when I paddled out today. I went in the kayak after somebody told me they found him. I'm in San Pedro Harbor and I'm always running or kayaking.

This is going to push me with music ever more. It's a shame it takes something like this to do that, but I know all the playing with him has rubbed off on me big time.

I loved being his bass player.

Great tribute by Watt, and LOL at Iggy's "Can you wear a T-shirt? I know you like those flannels."

For those of you in Detroit on Saturday...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / SHORT NOTICE!
Ronnie…Thanks A Million.

An elegant farewell to a beloved friend.

Ron Asheton Remembered, Saturday, January 17, 2009 9PM Music Hall Center For The Performing Arts

(Detroit) Niagara and The Colonel invite friends to pay tribute to the late Stooges guitarist, Ron Asheton as they host, “Ronnie…Thanks A Million”, Saturday, January 17th at 9PM at the historic Music Hall Center For The Performing Arts in downtown Detroit. There is free admission but attendees are encouraged to donate what they can to help cover the night’s expenses and Ron’s favorite charity, The Michigan Humane Society.

Niagara, Asheton’s former Destroy All Monsters and Dark Carnival band mate and muse will host along with Colonel Galaxy a celebration of Ronnie’s life and a chance to express their love along with all of his friends and fans with a tribute for a guy Rolling Stone called, ‘One of the greatest guitarists of all time”.

Tributes from those who knew him- and some who didn’t, but were influenced by him will speak from the stage where such legends as WC Fields, Miles Davis and Billy Holiday performed, Ron’s music will be played and a tribute film retrospect by Tim Caldwell will be shown. Music Hall is Detroit’s oldest performing arts venue (1928) and is a beautifully restored facility, appropriate for this memorable night.
There will be a cash bar in the Hall as well as in Jazz Café for attendees.

Plus, a special Jazz Café performance- A Dark Carnival alumni performance led by BootseyX & The Lovemasters and some VERY special friends will play in honor their late band mate and friend, in the Jazz Café following the main stage tributes at 11 PM.

Ron Asheton was more than an innovative guitarist, he was an easygoing, subtly hilarious guy- who, simply and effectively created a sound and aesthetic, which will forever reverberate as long as there are guitar players. Ron maximized his early work into postmodern art of the highest order. In retrospect, Ron’s influence cannot be overstated, only imitated.

Ronnie used to like to say, “thanks a million” in mock gratitude when joking with friends. Now here’s our last chance to say, “Ronnie… Thanks A Million.”

More info for this tribute may be found on http://www.myspace.com/niagaradetroit
Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts 350 Madison Detroit, MI 48226
313 887-8500
http://www.musichall.org