The Stooges

:Not to be confused with The Three Stooges.

History

Pop (b. James Osterberg) played in several Ann Arbor, Michigan-area bands as a teenager, including The Prime Movers and The Iguanas. Iggy was inspired to form the Stooges after witnessing a Doors concert in Chicago. Ron (guitar) and Scott Asheton (drums), two brothers, joined up along with their friend Dave Alexander (bass guitar). The band's debut was at a Halloween concert at the University of Michigan in 1967.

Related Topics:
Ann Arbor, Michigan - The Prime Movers - The Iguanas - Doors - Ron - Guitar - Scott Asheton - Drums - Dave Alexander - Bass guitar - Halloween - University of Michigan - 1967

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The Stooges soon gained a reputation for their wild, primitive live performances. Iggy especially won fame for acting crazy onstage, smearing his naked chest with steak and peanut butter, and cutting himself with shards of glass. At one concert, he played a vacuum cleaner like a musical instrument. Pop is also sometimes credited with the invention or popularization of stage diving.

Related Topics:
Steak - Peanut butter - Vacuum cleaner - Stage diving

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In 1968, the Stooges were signed by Elektra Records, who had sent a scout to see MC5 and wound up signing both acts. (That scout, Danny Fields, would later go on to discover and manage The Ramones.)

Related Topics:
1968 - Elektra Records - MC5 - Danny Fields - The Ramones

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1969 saw the release of a self-titled debut album, but it did not sell very well. By the time Fun House (1970) was released, the Stooges had begun to disintegrate, primarily due to heavy drug use by the entire band.

Related Topics:
1969 - Self-titled debut album - Fun House - 1970 - Drug use

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With the band in limbo, Iggy met David Bowie in 1972 and the pair became good friends. Bowie, then at the height of his Ziggy Stardust-era fame, helped the reconstituted Stooges (with new lead guitarist James Williamson) score a record deal with Columbia Records and then produced their third album, the massively influential Raw Power (1973). This album would go on to become one of the cornerstones of early punk rock, although the album sold rather poorly and was regarded as a commercial failure.

Related Topics:
David Bowie - 1972 - Ziggy Stardust - James Williamson - Columbia Records - Raw Power - 1973 - Punk rock

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After several months of touring, the Stooges disbanded in early 1974, partially as a result of Iggy's ever-present heroin addiction. After going through rehab, Iggy Pop began a solo career in 1976 (most influentially with 1977's The Idiot and Lust for Life). The Asheton brothers formed a band named New Order (not to be confused with the English band of the same name), which quickly fell apart. Ron Asheton later joined Destroy All Monsters, while James Williamson worked with Iggy Pop during his early solo career.

Related Topics:
1976 - 1977 - The Idiot - Lust for Life - English band of the same name - Destroy All Monsters - James Williamson

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Iconic punk writer Lester Bangs was especially fond of Iggy and the Stooges, and championed them in many of his magazine columns.

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The Stooges reunited in 2003, appearing on the Skull Ring album with Iggy on vocals, Scott Asheton on drums, and Ron Asheton on both guitar and bass. The Stooges have performed a series of live shows in the United States and Europe with Mike Watt of The Minutemen and fIREHOSE on bass completing the lineup, and Fun House saxophonist Steve MacKay rejoining it as well. Their Detroit homecoming show, postponed by the 2003 North America blackout, was immortalized on the DVD Live In Detroit. They have since contributed a cover of Junior Kimbrough's "You Better Run" to a tribute album for the late blues artist, and are also planning to record an album of all-new material for 2006 release with Rick Rubin producing.

Related Topics:
2003 - Skull Ring - United States - Europe - Mike Watt - The Minutemen - FIREHOSE - Fun House - 2003 North America blackout - Live In Detroit - Junior Kimbrough's - 2006 - Rick Rubin

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On August 16. 2005, Elektra Records and Rhino Records reissued newly remastered 2-CD editions of the first two Stooges albums, featuring the original album on disc one and outtakes (including alternate mixes, single versions, etc.) on disc two.

Related Topics:
August 16 - 2005 - Elektra Records - Rhino Records

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In September of that same year, the Stooges were nominated to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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