RIP: The legendary Ron Asheton

(Wallflower David Rinck remembers the man who pulled the Stooges’ strings.)

Ron Asheton on stageEveryone who grew up rocking to “T.V. Eye” and “No Fun” should pause for a moment of silence tonight: Legendary Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton was found dead in his Ann Arbor home. Another sad day for underground music. This guy was seriously one of its real giants, possibly the greatest underground guitarist of all time…

Okay, on second thought, forget the silence! Silence and Ronny Asheton do not go together. Instead, throw that dog-eared old copy of the first Stooges album on and reverently play “1969” with the volume turned up to 11!!! I think that’s way he’d want to be remembered.


— David Rinck

13 thoughts on “RIP: The legendary Ron Asheton

  1. I knew you would come through with this post,Dave,as soon as I heard the news last night.I’m really sad that I didn’t catch any of their shows in the last 5 years,I was still hoping to see them someday.
    Did you(or any of you) ever see them play.I’ve been in a bit of a funk about this all day.These were the records I would play over and over again and they have never left my side in the past 25 or so years.

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  2. I never got to see the Stooges play, but luckily they made some pretty good videos before he died, some of which have good footage of Ron on the fretboard.

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  3. I finally got to see the recent lineup in April 2007 at the Warfield Theater in SF, a couple days before he turned 60. I saw Iggy many times before and loved every show, but this was different as they only did Stooges songs (mostly from the first 2 albums, but a couple new ones as well). Of course they were amazing!

    Here’s a review from the Chronicle of that night:

    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/21/DDGPQPC9BR1.DTL&hw=iggy&sn=001&sc=1000

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  4. From the Wikipedia entry on the Stooges:

    • Spanish gothic band Parálisis Permanente included a cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” translated into Spanish “Quiero ser tu perro” in their debut album El acto in 1983.

    Paul Kaufman: We should’ve sung it like that at Emilio’s in Tijuana!

    Estoy muy solo te quiero aqui
    tirado en el suelo, te quiero aqui
    verte cara a cara, mirarte bienverte cara a cara pegandome
    Ahora quiero ser tu perro
    tumbado en mi cama te quiero aqui
    sola en mi cuarto, te quiero aqui
    ahora quiero ser tu esclavo
    tenerte cerca y hacerte daño
    Ahora quiero ser tu perro

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  5. I’m bummed. The Stooges were a great band. I’d like to think they’ll live on, but with only two original members… I got to see the same show Dean was at. It was non-stop energy. Iggy really gave of himself that night. The band was tight.

    I lived w/the Stooges sax player, Steve Mackay, for awhile. In fact he got me started being an electrician. He has been touring w/the Stooges for the last several years. He’s an amazing rock ‘n’ roll/R&B/jazz saxaphonist. I don’t know where I’m going with this. I’m just bummed. Long live the Stooges in our hearts.

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  6. I’m in utter disbelief. Nobody will ever be able to fill Ron’s Wah Wah playing boots. Wish I’d caught their reunion show. Oh well, would of, could of, should of…

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  7. Yes, very sad! It’s funny how someone you have never met can feel like an old friend….I love Ron he was the a true rock and roll under dog, someone a lot of us can relate to.

    I heard about Rons death on the radio in San Diego of all places, the morning they found his body, they played “I wanna be your dog” as a tribute.. I could not believe it The Stooges on major radio station, times have changed.

    I posted the news of Ron’s death under the “this we dug Iggy Pop” thread right after I got the news, a few people chimed in, Dave Doyle wrote that he met Ron in Detroit while touring with The Unknowns in 82. Very cool, when I read this I wished I was Dave Doyle.

    Dave Rinck is was great meeting you and your friends!!

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  8. Dylan, it was great meeting you as well! Great job last weekend. We’ll send you a souvenir shortly…

    Well said on Ron. Rock and roll underdog is something I’m sure we can all relate to. He seems like he was definitely a guy that stuck to his guns.

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  9. Nicely done David and nice seeing you again in the studio with Kristi last weekend, it’s been awhile.

    We (The Front) use to play “Search And Destroy” live. More than once, someone would come up and say “Woa, that song was great! You guys are writing some great songs.” I’d smile, pause, and deviously think about accepting the praise for writing the song; because I wish I had. But the thought of Stooges sacrilege would bring me back to reality. So, I’d tell them, “It’s by the Stooges kid, go buy their album”, and walk away feeling good that I had planted one more Stooges seed. RIP Ron Asheton.

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  10. Dude was loudness incarnate. And, by all accounts, a swell guy. This hit me harder than just about any rock oriented death. He was the soundtrack for more memorable events in the past three decades of my life than anyone else. In any genre or sub-genre, there may not be a more original architect of a sound…

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