Stooges devotee: Henry Rollins reflects on the enduring influence of Iggy and his matesBy Martin Bandyke, Detroit Free Press Special Writer
Apr. 16, 2011
http://www.freep.com/article/20110417/E ... -his-matesHenry Rollins didn't have to think very long when he was asked to be part of the upcoming Iggy and the Stooges performance in honor of the band's founding guitarist, the late Ron Asheton.
"I said 'yes' about as fast as humanly possible," says Rollins, the former front man of famed hardcore band Black Flag who has gone on to success leading his own band and as an author, publisher, actor and spoken-word performer. "You don't have to twist my arm too hard to see the Stooges."
The ticket buyers who sold the show out in five minutes apparently didn't need their arms twisted, either. On what promises to be an electrifying and emotional night at Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater on Tuesday, Iggy and the Stooges will perform in the town where the band was founded. It's all in remembrance of Asheton, who died of a heart attack in 2009 at his Ann Arbor home at the age of 60.
Punk rock before punk rock even had a name, the Stooges were formed in the late '60s by vocalist Iggy Pop (James Osterberg), guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton (Ron's brother) and bassist Dave Alexander. Entrenched in the Detroit scene that also spawned the MC5, the band had an uncompromising, assaultive approach that didn't win over large audiences at the time, and things imploded in a fireball of drugs and personal issues. But the group's first three albums paved the way for the punk rock movement and went on to influence countless other musicians.
Some 30 years after first dissolving, Iggy Pop and the Asheton brothers reunited as the Stooges in 2003 and finally found the widespread recognition that eluded them the first time around -- a turn of events that Ron Asheton much enjoyed before his passing.
At Tuesday's show, the lineup will include Iggy Pop, Scott Asheton, James Williamson (who played guitar on "Raw Power"), Steve Mackay (who played sax on "Funhouse") and bassist Mike Watt (who has been with the group since the 2003 reformation), along with several other special guests.
Tying everything together as emcee will be Rollins, whose insanely energetic stage presence was obviously shaped by Iggy Pop's pioneering work. The Free Press caught up with Rollins at the tail end of his latest spoken word tour to reflect on the Stooges and why the group's music is still so important.
QUESTION: How did you become involved with the tribute concert?ANSWER: Iggy's manager Henry (McGroggan) wrote me and said that we wanted to do this thing and we'd like you to host it and be part of it. ... I'm just completely honored that they asked me to be involved. Kathy (Asheton, Ron's sister and concert organizer) and I have gone back and forth quite a bit working on what my contribution will be. I've been working on a bit of writing where I'll talk about Ron at the beginning of the thing. It's very easy to write about Ron and the Stooges. They're a part of us, and I've played those records so much. Writing about him is almost like writing about yourself, you're so close to it.
Q: Will you be singing as well?A: Yeah, that's what Iggy wants (me) to do. We could probably do a good "I Got a Right" (from the "Raw Power" album). It's fast, and two guys can sing it together -- or not -- and even if you mess it up it would still make sense I think. So that's an idea. I'm getting out there a couple days early and we'll see what Jim (Iggy) and company want to do, and whatever it is I'll do my best to see if I can hang in there. I'm up for it, I'm loose and I'll do the best I can.
Q: When did you first see the Stooges perform?A: I only saw the re-up; I never saw them back in the day. I was probably only around 11 when they (originally) broke up.
They were at the Big Day Out (festival) in Australia in 2006, and I saw them play every night of that except for one. Then I saw them play a few more times back in America, and every time it was stunning, just unbelievable. ...
So that first (reunion) show they did at Coachella (in 2003) -- someone gave me a bootleg of that and I was very curious to hear if they were going to pull it off. I knew that I would know within a few seconds if it was going to work. It was going to depend on how Mike Watt and Scott Asheton locked up. The key to the Stooges for me is that pocket, that thing they do in the rhythm section. I don't think they could have found a bass player who better understands why that music sounds and does what it does than Mike Watt. He knows that music and he knows the why of it. I forgot what song they opened with at Coachella, but halfway through I said, "Yep, this is gonna be really good."
Q: When the Stooges played their first Michigan reunion show at DTE Energy Music Theatre in August of 2003, it was beyond anybody's expectations. It's still routinely described as one of the best shows of the past decade.A: Those get-togethers, when bands re-form, might be good, but they're rarely great. I've seen a few bands of note reassemble and you go (to see them) and walk away with mixed feelings: "Well, that was mildly depressingly and somewhat bizarre." But with the Stooges I've always walked away dumbfounded and wanting to go watch it again. It's that good, terrifyingly good. This one holds water for me. You just want to see it three days a week.
Q: Not many rock singers are so physically committed to their stage presentation as you and Iggy. How important were the Stooges as an influence?A: I cannot overemphasize what an influence they were on Black Flag; just monumental.
I've always tried to expend as many calories and lock in with the music to make sure that I would have to crawl away from every show. And on an international year-long tour, get back to me on the 60th show and tell me how you feel. Everything hurts and you live with pain until showtime. Then all of a sudden it just goes away and you're out there in that moment, just killing it as hard as you can -- and that kind of inspiration I got from him.
But Iggy is singular; they broke the mold with that guy. I always call him the heavyweight champion of rock. He's Number 1. There are many imitators and they all pale, and it's because he's just being himself. It's all natural and he's not copying someone's thing.
You play that music now and it still does that thing to you. It doesn't sound dated, it loses no velocity. You put on "Funhouse" and it's still better than anything I'm ever come up with. It's been my favorite album for over half my life.
Q: So many musicians have had their careers derailed by drugs and alcohol. Iggy almost died from those issues back when the Stooges were dissolving in the '70s. How have you avoided self-destruction?A: I never did any. I've always been very ambitious, just trying to get somewhere, and I've always been a live performer, making my name onstage. It was never going to be record sales with a guy like me. It's going to be proving it every night, and every single night you're playing the away game, and every night it's Super Bowl Sunday. Every night is the big one; every single night. So why would you go into a heavyweight boxing match drunk and expect to win? That edge never interested me because of the potential for inconsistency, and oh, death ... it never really held value for me.