Ron Asheton, R.I.P.

Ron Asheton, guitarist for the legendary Stooges, was found dead in his Ann Arbor, Mich., home this morning. Asheton certainly performed with a number of acts between 1973 (when Raw Power, when he was bumped to bass guitar in the Stooges was released) and 2007 (when the Stooges reunited for The Weirdness), but in the end, what he was most known for was his songwriting and tough sounding guitar on the Stooges’ self-titled album and its followup, Fun House. Although I feel like I’m way too acquainted with frontman Iggy Pop, all I really ever knew about Asheton came from his contributions to his band’s records; even a recent interview with his hometown paper isn’t all that revealing, focusing on how the band reformed and the fact that they haven’t made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So, probably fittingly, I’ll remember Asheton in death the way I thought of him in life: through the music of the Stooges. A few selections are after the cut.

“TV Eye”:

“”Cool Time/No Fun” at Glastonbury 2007:

“I Wanna Be Your Dog”:

Asheton was 60.

Stooges’ guitarist Ron Asheton found dead in his Ann Arbor home [MLive.com]