Memories of Ron

I thought I'd start up a thread for people to post their personal experiences involving Ron. Whether its being inspired by his sound or being lucky enough to meet him in person. Please post!

RIP Ron

You will continue to be an inspiration

Unfortunately I never met Ron. Sure wanted to though.

But what Ron did for me, besides entertain me superbly with his playing, is to get me to change MY guitar style. I was always either a Keith Richards type riff dude, or aspired to play lead like Jimmy Page. Ron showed me that you could create a wall of sound with ONE guitar, without having to be too flashy or technical. And I've been playing like that ever since.

Ron showed me how to REALLY play a fucking guitar. And I'm grateful.

As soon as i heard "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "TV Eye" i was like WOAH, like i'd been smacked in the face.
I'll never forget seeing him live, he always enters the stage with his beaming smile
and getting onstage and being so close to him, i remember before the stage invasion at leeds i was chanting ron!ron!ron! because i always think iggy gets all the attention, Ron turned around with a look on his face like "who said that?" and smiling, will never forget that.
Gonna find my pictures of him from the gigs.

x

I've never met Ron either, but when they came back here I was going to practically stalk them. I planned on chanting "Ron" and "Scott" but I can't anymore.

I was dying to meet them when they came back, but now Ron isnt here anymore so I can't.

heavy liquid wrote:

I've never met Ron either, but when they came back here I was going to practically stalk them. I planned on chanting "Ron" and "Scott" but I can't anymore.

I was dying to meet them when they came back, but now Ron isnt here anymore so I can't.

Damn, I know what you mean. Depressing, isn't it?

Loose1969 wrote:

heavy liquid wrote:

I've never met Ron either, but when they came back here I was going to practically stalk them. I planned on chanting "Ron" and "Scott" but I can't anymore.

I was dying to meet them when they came back, but now Ron isnt here anymore so I can't.

Damn, I know what you mean. Depressing, isn't it?

Yes. I started to cry again.

i did the same the second time i saw them, first time i was shouting iggy, just cause it was iggy, i remember when he came out on stage i couldnt believe it was him

but anyway, yeh the first time i saw them i looked at iggy move and everything, second one i looked at the band, course iggy too, but i remember whenever iggy would jumo offstage or run over to a corner of the stage or go out of sight and all the necks would crane round i was probly the only person who didnt, i stared at ron, they couldnt hear or see me, but i was mesmerized, they lookedlike they were working, like at an assembline or steel factory or something, eyes on the bass, on drums on guitar, occcasionally looking at each other, then over at iggy to see what he was doin, then the crowd, and i was amazing cause they were working but they looked like they were having the time of their life - confirmed later by a post from mike saying they had a really great time!

they were amazing, and i remember the first time i saw them, i loved rons guitar playing already obviously but i never appreciated him till i saw him, the way his hands moved nad the sound it was mindblowing, iggys right his hands are like poetry, it looked like there were trails of his arms and hands when he moved as if he was moving that quickly, it was astounding, i will really miss him

Well, it seems by my nickname that I really appreciate James, but..I've got to say among my Top 5 guitarists Ron is on the 2nd place..right behind James..and it's not that I did it in memory of his passing away..it's because Stooges' guitar might really blow you away..even if it's that 'Scorpio'-attacking James' guitar or Ron's 'Marching Army' (as somebody on the forum described that perfectly)..And when it comes to music, I've got 2 mottos concerning that..none of them is at first place..they are just equal..first of them is what Hendrix said..MUSIC IS MY RELIGION..and the second one is what Ron said at the MOJO induction (or whatever)..MUSIC IS THE VOICE OF LIFE..and here I would like to thank him a lot for saying this truth..You were damn fucking right, Ron..

The thing i liked the most about Ron was that he never seemed bored with the music. How many times did he play "dog'', but you could see it in his eyes, he was always excitted to play. It was amazing to me to see the stooges after seeing iggy with so many other guitar players. He brought so much excitement and energy to the music. Sure , iggy was always great to see, but Ron and Scott made all the difference.

He captured the very essence of sound in a way no-one else EVER has, in my experience, I'm tempted to say he was music personified or something like that but that sounds silly...but it kind of gets at what I feel about him
I sure wish I had some personal memories to share of him.

"I Wanna Be Your Dog" was the first Stooges song I ever heard, I'd never been that bothered by music before but then it struck me. This was the best song ever written. It inspired me to take up guitar, "I want to sound like that", of course I never will but it did so much for me. It was naturally the first song I learnt to play because of that.

Then I bought "Fun House" which actually changed my whole outlook on things, it was Ron's playing that made me feel that way. I'm forever in his debt.

Its just way to soon.

Funny how I got introduced to The Stooges. The Fuzztones covered "Down On The Street" in 1989 w/Ian Astbury, that's the first version I heard. Just LOVED the song. So naturally I got curious about the original version and bought Fun House. I put that on..and HOLY MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!

Ron's guitar and Scott's drums smacked the shit outta me! Ron was a fucking WALL OF SOUND like I never heard before.

I'll never forget the day I cranked that up for the first time.

I know what you mean. "Down On The Street" is still the song I listen to when I'm feeling pissed off. Its so insane but so damn catchy, all Stooges songs are like that. Catchy, emotional, memorable songs that are played with a huge level of intensity and insanity.

Must be the only one here who listened to FunHouse after having heard the first album and who didn't remember any of the songs. Shame. BUT it's been like that with a lot of records.
I don't feel that sad, I mean it is sad, but I'm lucky I quickly recovered. Spoke about it with my mum, who understood, and with several friends and one of my teachers. I don't want to shock anyone, but now I'm looking forward, as said my teacher, things are probably gonna be released and all.
Still it's a void. Tried for hours to find something to wear as a tribute, made myself a shitty badge, no-one noticed. Feels really weird since Tuesday.

G, F#, E wrote:

"I Wanna Be Your Dog" was the first Stooges song I ever heard, :

it was the second one for me...after ''1969'

Would you believe, when I first heard '1969' I didn't even KNOW it was The Stooges.

Quote :

Would you believe, when I first heard '1969' I didn't even KNOW it was The Stooges.

i remember, after i'd bought penetration best of demos CD on impulse! the second thing i got was a million in prizes, and i remember being in the shop after i'd bought it lookin at the tacklisting and rading "1969" "search & destroy" "i wanna be your dog" and knowing them, even though i still hadnt heard them, it was strange

another odd thing, i dunno why, just all your comments about hot it hit you immediately, well strange thing happened to me, i listened and couldnt get it, i liked it, i thought i did, i wanted to like it, i wanted to love it, but i didnt know how, then over loads of listens, well it wasnt loads but gradually it happened, and everytime i go back tolisten to the first tow albums i just am blown away, i dunno how they do it, its just strange, im still finding stuff, eps on funhouse that i thought i've never heard b4, so mine is more a continued smack in the face than the initial lol

I didn't really get the whole of the first two albums immediately, it was just the quality of sound on the guitar that hit me, and that's the thing that just hasn't stopped impacting on me ever since. Like Angusyd said I didn't really get the songs at first, couldn't much differentiate between the first three on Fun House (as Mike Watt said when he first heard them) but the sound of the guitar, those waves of energy...just nothing else to compare.
I got into the Stooges because of Ron Asheton's guitar sound, I praise those first two albums mainly because of Ron Asheton's guitar sound, I haven't done much else since coming to this forum but talk about Ron Asheton's guitar sound, so ... well that just won't change!

it better not! we need to keep his memory alive, tho funhouse'll keep it alive for centuries to come

yeh, had to work to understand them, funny you should say that, but i thought i was the only one who thought, at first couple listens, that the songs were indistinguishable, but yeh, they taught me to appreciate music,not even, but just to give something time if it isnt inititally approachable sonically

which thank god they taught me that otherwise i wouldntve have discovered loads of music that doesnt seem even to my taste, i discovered alot thanks to them

Ron was a real fine man. Kind and gentle. On the other hand, he didn't mince words or play games.

When he'd come to LA he loved to stay at the Ramada Inn in West Hollywood and took full advantage of the bar......

He was kind to my daughter and I....even called me direct to make sure we'd get in to see his show when he was playing with Watt and that guy from Dino Jr.....also, made sure we got back stage...he even called me Radish....because of knowing him from Net 54....

After hearing him play with Watt...I knew I was hearing someone great.....his sound with Watt was mesmerizing....a much different type of intense, from what you heard with The Stooges...very very deep....kinda dark.....with much intention and purpose....

Before Ron was back with Iggy, Dara and Ron were a radio station in Mi.....I called in to surprise them.....it was craziness....so much fun and a great memory.

I'm thankful to have met him and always knew what an awesome musician he truly was......you will be missed Ronnie.....ox

I never met him. But he was so funny. All the quotes from him in books like when JFK's limo rode over his toes, and when Iggy passed out on a floor surounded by a bunch of groupies and they went to get his hog out and it went flacid! Ron was so good on Behind the Music (well, except when he said Iggy pooped on the stage, UGH). I did talk to him once on Network 54 message board. He actually called me a liar when I said I saw a Dutch video of Iggy talking about how he patterened a song after Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." I HAVE the goddam video! Anyhow we'll never see Ron again. I can't take it.

I can truthfully say that I was once mistaken for being Ron's girlfriend!!!

Which was very flattering (altho he was about thirty years older than me)

haha, elaborate Nadja!

i remember i was mistaken for scott

i had photocopied loads of photos from mick rocks raw power book nad stuck them up on my wall and my friend screwed his face up and pointed to the photo of scott scrathin his nose i think (ill post it in the scott photos thread soon) and asked if it was me, like i'd put a fuckin photo in black and white of me on the wall haha

cool all the same

it wasn't anything very exciting, just someone on this very board asked me if I was, I think he mistook my name for that of Ron's girlfriend, or who he thought was Ron's girlfriend...maybe 'Niagara' he was thinking of, don't know, think it was something like that

oh right, yeh the names are similar enough

you shouldve said yes and seen what theyve said lol

haha, yeh I should've...too truthful for my own good