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Farewell, then, to another legend. Ron Asheton, guitarist in proto-punk US rockers The Stooges, has passed away aged 60 at his home in Ann Arbor.
In terms of influence, Asheton has to take his place in the hall of fame, his style being adopted (and adapted) by legions of future heroes. Meanwhile, his best work sounds a fresh as it did when the band came kicking and screaming out of Michigan at the end of the '60s.
To pay tribute, here are five of Asheton's finest moments, and why they still matter. RIP big man.
[Photo Gallery: a tribute to Ron Asheton]
1. I Wanna Be Your Dog
After kicking The Stooges' best-loved song off with a flurry of explosive feedback, this glorious three-note descending riff encapsulates Asheton's 'less is more' style, which without question helped define punk's early sonic blueprint.
2. No Fun
Sex Pistols liked this tune so much they covered it regularly in their heyday – and continue to do so. Evolving from a stoned jam where frontman Iggy Pop was improvising lyrics based on Johnny Cash's 'I Walk The Line', Asheton again cranks out another hi-energy rock 'n' roll riff so dumb the Ramones are thought to have learned how to play by strumming along to it.
3. 1969
Evolved like many of the songs on the Stooges' self-titled debut album – there would be roughly two minutes of 'conventional' songwriting followed by wild improvisation. Here, Asheton's choppy style dovetails perfectly with Iggy Pop's tale of impending apocalypse.
4. Down On The Street
Come the chorus, as Iggy howls 'NO WALL!!!!', Asheton conjures up a nerve-shredding, lurching riff. And then about two minutes in, we have what seems like two separate solos competing with each other, adding to the song's almost claustrophobic intensity.
5. T.V. Eye
Another wild, unrelenting blues-based riff (albeit hugely distorted), its raw, emotive power prefigured heavy metal. Combined with Iggy's vocal and the four on the floor drumbeat later favoured by disco divas, the results are almost impossibly exciting.
NME.COM blogs contain the opinions of the individual writer and not necessarily those of NME magazine or NME.COM.
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attaxwrongnes [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 16:07
this is a sad day in rock music, i am now listening to the funhouse album as my way of paying tribute. his influence in guitar playing will forever carry on.
FunHouseBoy [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 16:41
My favourite guitar player, an absolute inspiration. I picked up a guitar for the first time moments after heard I Wanna Be Your Dog for the first time.
brendan1976 [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 17:24
T.V. Eye is clearly the blue print for Rage's Sleep Now In The Fire. Listen to the intros.
groovy stee [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 17:35
Who could the opening riff to 'Shake Appeal'. Ron and the Stooges told flower power where to go! Rest in Peace
metrobloggen.se/jjn [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 17:41
Thanks for the best riffs and rocksongs ever Ron!
javier [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 18:11
dude was crazy...one of the true pioneers of punk guitar work..no doubt..god speed
Lepos [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 18:17
Funhouse is the best rock and roll album ever made.
Dan [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 19:07
A true loss to rock 'n' roll.
Ron was hugely influential to me as a guitarist and made the Stooges one the greatest and most unique bands ever.
R.I.P. Ron
geert [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 19:21
i first heard "Dirt" when i was barely 15 years old and was immediately hooked to the stooges, and the guitar style Ron Ashton represented. it probably all went down from there for me, but the music of the Stooges, and the riffs of Ron Ashton put a hook in me that i probably won't lose until i'm dead. Gig on, Ron !
Jim [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 19:41
It's criminal to leave out "Little Doll". Asheton had more than five good riffs. Maybe your fave raves are that limited, but the Stooges sure weren't and aren't; you know that dozens of bands owe their livelihoods to Asheton's guitar style. Sad to hear about this, he was another of the many legends of Michigan music...creativity is in our DNA here.
scott sterling [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 20:06
fucking awesome guitar! so cool that you posted these great songs for all to enjoy - and to feel the "raw" power of the stooges ! ron will be missed - but will live on thru their music ! love to stooges - family fans & friends !
Jimmy Jazz [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 20:15
He will be missed.
Psycho*Daisies [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 21:06
LONG LIVE THE STOOGES!
R.I.P. Ron
Thanks for the music.
chester [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 21:34
I still love Loose
A sad day
RIP Ron
jock blyth [Visitor] //January 6 2009 at 21:58
the master!i feel alright(1970)possibly the finest tune ever!salute!!!
Jonnny m [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 01:04
GUTTED
Colleen O [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 01:12
Thanks for featuring the tribute! It is well deserved, and Asheton's influence is already a permanent part of the musical landscape. I'm sure it will live on!
NX [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 02:52
The Stooges will go down as one of the most important rock bands of all time. They redefined what it meant to be in a band and carved a road that has since been travelled by many. Ron Asheton leaves a huge legacy not only as one of the great primordial riff masters of all time, but also as a kind hearted, genuinely sweet person who will be missed by those who lnew him and his music. At least The Stooges got to tour the world and receive the kudos that they so rightfully deserved. Go, now, and listen to Funhouse at full volume and remember him for the righteous soul he was.
Rilrod [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 04:43
I weep
Lowell [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 05:15
Growing up in Detroit in the 70's, The Stooges were the Shit. Many local bands bought Orange amps and tried to copy the sound.
Thanks for the great memories, Ron.
Dan [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 08:57
This guy helped me make it through highschool, and led me into a life of happiness through r'n'r, just as Bo and Little Richard may have done. Remember listening to "Down on the streets" minutes before hittin' the streets on a friday afternoon, 15 years old, FTW, get loaded, have fun; funhouse, probably in my top 5 records of all time. He really will be missed.
Markie Mark [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 12:48
I'm 53, bought Fun House when it first came out, still listen to it every day on the way to work. Ron was the best. It is great to read many others feel this way. A true Guitar hero.
RM [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 15:03
Ron created the soundtrack to my teen years - some of the very best moments had 'Down on the Street' or "Raw Power' blaring in the background.
L.F. [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 16:18
Thank you for contributing to my hearing loss. It is and will continue to be worth it.
badge [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 17:28
legend. Suffered a sense of physical loss when I heard it & then turned on Funhouse. Forever live The Stooges
Gary Stigmata [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 20:06
The Stooges were a landmark moment in the history of rock and roll. Ron's guitar work dispensed with all the over embellished rubbish his contemporaries were excreting at the time, instead distilling his guitar work down the the bare bone essence of rock music. Long live The Stooges, long live Ron Asheton! Thanks for the music!
seannnn [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 20:53
don't forgot his amazing bass playing on raw power
Q [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 21:56
Thanks Ron. You did it your way and left a great legacy. God bless you brother.
gypsy acattaca [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 23:07
the beautiful ron, hard lover of the guitar. sinuous, twisted and dirty. rust on, rock on, my shaman!
Gabs [Visitor] //January 7 2009 at 23:41
With Johnny Thunders is my all time guitar hero. Rest in peace Ron.
dannyv [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 01:21
I first saw the Psychedelic Stooges at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit in the summer of '68. I'd heard that the singer did strange effects to achieve his vocals, like bringing up a toilet bowl on stage and singing into it. This was well before their first album. They would jam along a steady riff for however long their set was. I didn't know they had "songs" until the first album came out. On this particular night, Iggy lured a cute girl to the front of the stage. Y'know everyone loves the lead singer. While she basked in his attention, he spat on her. Another show, one of the Stooges opened up a cut on his hand and smeared his blood on the white body of his Fender guitar. The thing I liked about the Stooges was they didn't go for any stage effect. They didn't have "rock n' roll clothes". They just came out in their blue jeans and t-shirts and laid out the most uncompromising sound they were capable of. Thanks Ron for making it all possible.
David [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 02:19
Don't forget the riff to Search and Destroy!
borbetomagus [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 04:36
Hopefully someone will remix 'Raw Power' and uncover Ron Asheton's great bass work. At least it can be heard on 'I Gotta Right'.
RIP
JOHNO ECCLES [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 10:13
ONE OF THE TRUE ROCK LEGENDS.R.I.P.
Mike C [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 10:34
A sad day....got Funhouse on in the background as I write this. A true legend. Saw them in Tokyo on their comeback tour a few years ago and still rate it as one of the greatest gigs I've ever been too. Not bad for a bunch of guys in their 50s!!
Suppose Iggy will have to lure James Williamson out of retirement now...
martin smith [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 11:04
R.I.P RON PUNK LEGEND
tom -amsterdam [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 12:45
He changed my musiclife when i heard the stooges when i was 12.
im happy i saw them live a few times the last few years
man-beast [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 14:01
The row he du make on guitar rok my world. That nasty, biting metallic edge. Ron ate lard, lived in a shack in the woods with his mam & collected nazi memorabilia - he was still the only Stooges guitarist that ever mattered. God bless Ron, ya crazy fucka!
A-Bomb [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 18:29
Since Ron Asheton redifined the rock guitar there have been many "eras" of rock. In each new invocation one thing remained contant and through the fingers of many guitarist, wittingly or unwittingly, Ron lived large and will live on. We've lost another author of rock-n-roll. It is like loosing a Beethoven of the 20th century.
Djunfitforwork [Visitor] //January 8 2009 at 22:18
Ron was a guitar machine - a true innovator and rock God.
Richard Ashton [Visitor] //January 9 2009 at 01:17
A nice tribute and some great tracks. I hope that some people currently unaware of the Stooges will hear these and be converted as I was the first time I heard them. I remember it was like an electric shock that just floored me and I knew things would never be the same again. To this day, Ron is still probably the biggest single influence on me when I play guitar. He'll be sadly missed by a great many folks...
andy stooge [Visitor] //January 9 2009 at 07:15
Most rock deaths have no effect on me - didn't know 'em aint gonna grieve now" thang. This one, though, really hit me.
I've been a Stooges fan since 1978 when I bough their first album. I liked it well enough, though it didn't pack the punch that Never Mind The Bollocks had, Then I was given Funhouse to listen to. "The heaviest record ever made" was his estimation. By the end of the solo of the third number -T.V.Eye - he had my total agreement. This record was a monster of heavy dread so thick you could choke. Is there a moment on any record as downright meat-chompingly heavy as TV Eye? Who on earth could write sucha' piece of music in 1970? The Man could. Ron Asheton could. He stood right up to your face and dared you to diss his playing as primitive, repetitive, tribal and deranged. He took everything that should by all rights have been drawbacks in guitar styling and made his own inimitable style from them.
I met Ron when he toured Australia with his band Dark Carnival. For me this was like meeting Hendrix - Ron's guitar work, particularly on Funhouse has been the primary influence on my guitar playing and remains a landmark of total take it to the edge and right on over rifferama heaven.
In person he was a soft-spoken and totally lacking in any rock star pretensions. He talked to all and any and was as funny as all shit remembering how Bowie grabbed his arse one day at the studio and how all-American straight guy Ron's reaction of "gotta keep it cool but what the f%$^$%" look of horror!
Getting to see the Stooges perform Funhouse was one of the highlights of a very long gig-going life. It was also great to see the Asheton Bros getting some payback for the huge influence they had on so many players.
It took history to catch up with Ron's playing, not the other way round. He finally got his dues and was able to lap up the applause and the well-earned dollars. God bless him for the endless hours of enjoyment he brought into my life.
Thanks Ron, the world caught up in the end
Andy
E [Visitor] //January 9 2009 at 14:20
Brilliant music, brilliant guys, totally authentic rock n roll
Dave Fleet [Visitor] //January 9 2009 at 21:16
Ron. Rest in Peace. It all still sounds as fresh as it did when I first stumbled across the stooges in 75
rockdentist [Visitor] //January 10 2009 at 08:50
Ron Asheton=God
Rob J [Visitor] //January 10 2009 at 12:04
Anybody who saw The Stooges
perform at The Hammersmith Apollo in August 2005 will tell you they saw the greatest rock and roll performance of all time. Ron Asheton left this world as a world champion.
Nearly forty years later after the release of their debut album, The Stooges laid the template for modern rock and roll. I am going to play "Down On The Street" LOUD in his memory.
Steve Sylvester [Visitor] //January 11 2009 at 03:40
The Stooges are the greatest rock band ever. No other band will ever match their power. Ron Asheton is a rock God, when he riffs you could put your head through a wall and feel no pain. From the time I first saw them at the Rock and Roll Farm to the Michigan Palace debacle to their reunion at GTE they always rocked. I love you Ron, I hope God takes good care of you.
Rock Action 2 [Visitor] //January 12 2009 at 16:19
No-one sounded like Ron - before or after. He invented it. You can't ask for more. Williamson was a 5th-rate metal guitarist by comparison. I've seen Iggy's bands play Stooges songs for 20 years but they never sounded right til Ron played em again.
Irreplaceable.
John in Manchester [Visitor] //January 12 2009 at 18:45
I have just discovered this terrible news - I feel sick. I loved the music and genius of the Stooges. I was so grateful when the reformed and toured again - managed to see them a few times and it made up for a hum drum life. God bless him.
pavlos the greek [Visitor] //January 12 2009 at 20:55
I'd have Loose in the list . When I saw them they opened the set with Loose and from there all hell broke loose - fantastic. RIP Ron - no one has ever matched your sound- I doubt they ever will
leeclark [Visitor] //January 15 2009 at 14:19
RIP Ron, what a guitarist. Saw him with J Mascis' fog at King Tuts in Glasgow a few years ago, kinda couldn't place him during the gig until Mike Watt took vocals for the encore and Ron leant over the guitar and knocked out TV Eye, or was it Down on the Street, jees I can't remember I was in heaven. Immense man, immense talent, and Funhouse is indeed the greatest rock n' roll album ever made.
Right Stuff [Visitor] //January 15 2009 at 22:54
Shocked by the news, i saw the reunion tour and ron was motionless on stage but his sound was immense, like nothing i have ever heard.
Kirk [Visitor] //January 18 2009 at 20:23
I saw the Stooges on some TV rock show when I was about 12.
Changed my life. I'm 51 now, and I still end every gig and jam with "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog". Ron is a guitar God, and will now take his place in the Pantheon with Jimi, Mick Ronson, Kurt, and all the rest. We love you Ron, RIP.
hyperpoesia [Visitor] //January 21 2009 at 00:19
There should have been mention of Ron Asheton at the recent inauguration. Especially in the inaugural poem. That would have picked up the energy considerably.
Qord [Visitor] //January 24 2009 at 02:14
Thank you Ron for what you helped music become.
steve [Visitor] //March 12 2009 at 11:41
for more ron asheton / stooges check outhttp://stoogesforum.freeforumboard.net/
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