Wednesday, January 7, 2009

maybe call mom on the telephone...



ron asheston: july 17th, 1948 - January 1st, 2009.

My son's mother communicated this information to me by text some time last night.

That his body should have lain undiscovered for several days over the new year's period - of alleged celebration - saddens me deeply.

No fun. These days we all wait in for the bells, and toll they do.

lain
past participle of lie 1 .

lie 1 |lʌɪ|
verb ( ly•ing |ˌlʌɪɪŋ|; past lay |leɪ|; past part. lain |leɪn|) [ intrans. ]
1 (of a person or animal) be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface : the man lay face downward on the grass | I had to lie down for two hours because I was groggy | Lily lay back on the pillows and watched him.
• (of a thing) rest flat on a surface : a book lay open on the table.
• (of a dead person) be buried in a particular place.



ron asheton; looking oddly - with keen irrelevance - like gerry rafferty from the cover of "city to city", as painted
by scottish artist, john byrne.

stooge |stuːdʒ|
noun
1 derogatory; a person who serves merely to support or assist others, particularly in doing unpleasant work : you fell for that helpless-female act and let her make you a stooge.
• a person who is employed to assume a particular role while keeping their true identity hidden : a police stooge.
2 a performer whose act involves being the butt of a comedian's jokes.

verb [ intrans. ]
1 move around aimlessly; drift or cruise : she stooged around in the bathroom for a while.
2 perform a role that involves being the butt of a comedian's jokes.

ORIGIN early 20th cent.: of unknown origin.


"The Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton has been found dead at his home in Michigan. He was 60.

Police told Ann Arbor News that the musician may have been dead for several days before he was found. Although unconfirmed, initial signs indicate that Asheton died of a heart attack.

Asheton was one of the founding members of the Stooges, along with his brother Scott, bassist Dave Alexander and their charismatic frontman Iggy Pop. With Pop, Asheton helped write songs that would set the template for punk rock, including No Fun and I Wanna Be Your Dog. As befits a band from Ann Arbor, their music distilled the experience of being a bored suburban teen and bottled it as a furious and snarling sonic assault. Their feral take on rock'n'roll, full of feedback and clatter, was the perfect backdrop for Pop's wild stage antics, another big influence for punk performers."

Tim Jonze, The Guardian, Tuesday 6 January 2009 16.12 GMT.

This song, produced by Don Gallucci, was culled from The Stooges' second album and originally released as a 45. Recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders, LA between May 10th and May 24th, 1970.

Ring out.


"
C'mon an' lemme hear you tell 'em..."

THE STOOGES: DOWN IN THE STREET from "Fun House" LP (Elektra) 1970 (US)

ANN ARBOR REMINISCENCES BY KIM DIJULIO, VIA POETRY IS FOR ASSHOLES

8 comments:

Brushback said...

Seriously great song.

ib said...

Yeah. Ironically, I didn't play it this new year; which is something of a first.

Usually it's either this or "Loose" off "Fun House", and the Stooges regularly make their appearance on the Hogmany playlist.

Brushback said...

This is the best song I've heard on a blog all week.

Empire Hancock said...

He certainly didn't look 60, unlike Iggy, who appears to be a spry 193. A spring chicken!

Several months ago, I downloaded that whole "Complete Funhouse Sessions" box set from some blog. Still never listened to it. Maybe soon. I love the idea of the thing more than I really like "Fun House" (not that I don't like "Fun House", but, you know.)

Hope you're having a pleasant year so far, ib. Myself, I'm trying to be a little less fat.

ib said...

Yes! I've heard some of the "Complete FH Sessions" - some good false starts on both "Loose" & "Down On The Street" - but not the thing in its entirety.

I'm with you on the weight loss shit, too, EH; high time I shed some of those stealthily gained excess lbs and got back to my "fighting" weight... It's impossible to take the stairs in this apartment block. The smell of urine and the sticky slap of soles on the concrete will kill you in no time at all.

ib said...

Of course. I could just stop complaining and start doing stomach curls again!

Anonymous said...

Ron, compositor, guitar, bass, vocals...eternal musicien forever.

ib said...

Agreed, Germt; a fine and innovative musician only marginally upstaged by Iggy's firecracker antics.

He will be missed.