R.I.P. Ron "Rock Action" Asheton


While I was perusing Facebook, I noticed one of my Facebook friends had updated his status with "Rest in Peace Ron Asheton--punk is now dead." That was the first I'd heard of the Stooges' guitarist's death. Sad news, indeed. (One may make the argument that punk was already dead, but that's a matter for another post).

I don't have any personal memories of Ron Asheton, since I'm too young to remember him in his heyday and never saw him play live, but I love the Stooges. They were one of the best things to ever emerge from the State of Michigan. A product of the greasy, blue collar industrial Michigan, expressing their frustration in their loud-ass nasty primitive music. Truly one of the first punk bands before anyone had come up with a name for it. For a true appreciation of what a great guitarist Ron Asheton, go no further than the first two Stooges albums, particularly their second one, Fun House. It's the aural equivalent of an auto factory churning out cars. It sounds like the rust belt Midwest on tunes like "Down on the Street," "Loose," and "TV Eye."

Surely, Iggy was the focal point of the Stooges, but Ron Asheton's playing was integral to the band's sound.  
Besides being a great musician, Ron seemed like just an overall cool guy. I read this quote in the Detroit Free Press, which gives one some insight into the unpretentiousness of Ron Asheton, "When I was a young guy coming up, going to the Grande Ballroom every weekend, I got to see my heroes play. Jeff Beck, the Who, everyone. I didn’t want to be a fanboy, but I’d stand there and wait — ‘I just want to say hi, this was great.’ I saw them walk by me with blank stares like they were zombies. I said to myself, you know, if I ever make it, I’ve got at least one minute for everybody who wants to say something. So I talk to people, and that’s what’s exciting now.”

Anyway, thank you Ron Asheton for your mean sludgy guitar playing that has given me pleasure for so many years. Hope you're in Heaven jamming with Dave Alexander, Rob Tyner and Sonic Smith.

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