New James Williamson Interview

Hey, the Stooges are BACK. Sure, I miss Ron. But James is no slouch either. Not hardly. That, and I'm happy for the other guys, particularly Scott. I have a feeling he may have felt totally lost until now, not knowing what to do. Problem solved. And lastly, if Ron could do James tunes, why not the other way around? I admit I was very hesitant about this myself, but time does indeed heal. Time to move on.

Let's just dig the tunes! I know I sure will.

They should play with Scott Thurston on piano too!

And Jimmy Recca if anyone knows where he is.

Quote :

Hey, the Stooges are BACK

i think this is the best comment on this, whether you like the raw power band or not or whatever your opinion is, Loose said it perfectly;

STOOGES ARE BACK!

homesickjameswilliamson wrote:

Quote :

Hey, the Stooges are BACK

i think this is the best comment on this, whether you like the raw power band or not or whatever your opinion is, Loose said it perfectly;

STOOGES ARE BACK!

Exactly

Totally, and I'd really like to hear Dog, Ann, Dirt, 1970, Gimme Some Skin, Head On, Johanna, Open And Bleed - well any fuckin' Stooges at all. Even We Will Fall would be welcome to these ears but I'd put odds they don't do that one.

Hi all-

Derek from Careless Hearts here.

WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR JAMES TEAR IT UP ON GUITAR. It is absolutely INCREDIBLE. I have had to pinch myself numerous times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. His tone, power and attitude on guitar are there in full force.

I have not only had the pleasure of playing guitar next to James for the last few weeks in rehearsal, but last night we added Steve MacKay to our, ahem, "Careless Stooges" lineup.

Official word is in for the Sept 5th show. Taping (audio and video) is allowed. All we ask is that everyone PLEASE be respectful of audience members and the band. Flashes from cameras is very distracting so please try not to use them. Also, the club is small and will be completely packed so we ask that photographers are respectful of audience members and don't push or shove. No soundboard audio feeds will be allowed. Word from James is that everyone should have fun documenting this gig.

dereksee wrote:

Hi all-

Derek from Careless Hearts here.

WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR JAMES TEAR IT UP ON GUITAR. It is absolutely INCREDIBLE. I have had to pinch myself numerous times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. His tone, power and attitude on guitar are there in full force.

I have not only had the pleasure of playing guitar next to James for the last few weeks in rehearsal, but last night we added Steve MacKay to our, ahem, "Careless Stooges" lineup.

Official word is in for the Sept 5th show. Taping (audio and video) is allowed. All we ask is that everyone PLEASE be respectful of audience members and the band. Flashes from cameras is very distracting so please try not to use them. Also, the club is small and will be completely packed so we ask that photographers are respectful of audience members and don't push or shove. No soundboard audio feeds will be allowed. Word from James is that everyone should have fun documenting this gig.

Ok, now this is sounding REALLY GREAT!!!

You are one lucky guy and band!!!

I'm getting desperate and hungry...
Thank you very much Derek! That's just fantastic news

JW82 wrote:

I'm getting desperate and hungry...
Thank you very much Derek! That's just fantastic news

Memo to self:

Sept 6
Check youtube and torrent sites every 15 mins until things start to show up!!

Hectorlovesthestooges wrote:

They should play with Scott Thurston on piano too!

Agree hector, you couldn't have Pinpoint Eyes without the piano, now could you. I don't suppose anyone knows anything about whether he's likely to come back.
Also, just because some people mention Ron doesn't mean they're dissing the whole new Stooges thing.

Absolutely. All of us in the band just shake our heads in happiness at how lucky we are. A real thrill of a lifetime, and it'll be a HUGE thrill to see these guys up there with Iggy.

mg196 I know what I´m saying is unrealistic but I can´t shake the feeling The Stooges are becoming a backing band especially with the addition of Iggy´s solo stuff. Studioguy I understand how they´d want to respect Ron but I honestly don´t think this is the way to do it. Ron kept playing only his stuff till he finally gave in (with a pay raise I expect) in his last year. James just seems to want to play again which is great. But come on it´s not even a year since Ron died and he seems to have been disregarded. "One guitarist gone get another" mentality. And I don´t like that.

Quote :

It´s not even a year since Ron died and he seems to have been disregarded. "One guitarist gone get another" mentality. And I don´t like that.

i thought that too when this was first announced (along with being happy that the raw power band was getting back together - mixed emotions)

i also think its just a mentality, esp an older mentality; iggys generation, people work through grief, i think that could be what it is

its also a survival mechanism, iggy said that in one of the interviews after Rons death, that he was both extremely annoyed and sad at his death, but mad too, that he left him without a band and no backup or contingency plan

so i dunno, i think it goes higher than us, they knew Ron personally, so they've been hit harder than us, they dont want to destroy the memory of Ron either

they know what theyre doing, also they need to keep the band going, i was reading a thing about the stones doing/not doing another tour and i was thinking about the forum, i wouldnt want them to say 'yeh, we made enough money, we're retiring, thanks' without an active band the forum wouldnt really last

so i think even just in terms of a survival thing, that its a good thing they're going on, in any form, with or without james or steve jones or whomever

again, have to quote Loose again; Stooges Are Back - and thats the main thing in my mind

Like Iggy said recently, "Fuck that shit, yo. Muthafuckin' JW can play the fuck out this bitch."

G, F#, E wrote:

mg196 I know what I´m saying is unrealistic but I can´t shake the feeling The Stooges are becoming a backing band especially with the addition of Iggy´s solo stuff. Studioguy I understand how they´d want to respect Ron but I honestly don´t think this is the way to do it. Ron kept playing only his stuff till he finally gave in (with a pay raise I expect) in his last year. James just seems to want to play again which is great. But come on it´s not even a year since Ron died and he seems to have been disregarded. "One guitarist gone get another" mentality. And I don´t like that.

But the Stooges weren't a backing band for Ron either. If his own brother doesn't have problems with it neither should we.

The same logic then says that since Dave is gone, nothing from the first two albums should be played. Having been a writing musician for 35 years I know for a fact that Dave and Scott had a part in writing or at least arranging the songs on the first two albums. I know that every drummer and bass player I've ever played with would come up with something cool that would make me alter my riffs and or songs. That's just how bands are especially in the early stages.

studioguy wrote:

G, F#, E wrote:

mg196 I know what I´m saying is unrealistic but I can´t shake the feeling The Stooges are becoming a backing band especially with the addition of Iggy´s solo stuff. Studioguy I understand how they´d want to respect Ron but I honestly don´t think this is the way to do it. Ron kept playing only his stuff till he finally gave in (with a pay raise I expect) in his last year. James just seems to want to play again which is great. But come on it´s not even a year since Ron died and he seems to have been disregarded. "One guitarist gone get another" mentality. And I don´t like that.

But the Stooges weren't a backing band for Ron either. If his own brother doesn't have problems with it neither should we.

No truer words have been spoken. If Scott is cool with it, why shouldn't we be? All I know is that I'm not gonna miss out!

Another thing. Would Ron have wanted the Stooges to hang it up? And leave his brother out in the cold in the process? Nah. I think Ron's spirit is up there smiling.

dereksee wrote:

Hi all-

Derek from Careless Hearts here.

WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR JAMES TEAR IT UP ON GUITAR. It is absolutely INCREDIBLE. I have had to pinch myself numerous times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. His tone, power and attitude on guitar are there in full force.

TEASE ...

Thanks for getting the go ahead on cameras, Derek!
It's the only way I'll see James on stage again and I'm a thankin' ya.

hey, thanks for posting this. im personally really excited about (hopefully) catching the stooges next year w/ james. hes said in the past that he wouldnt be interested in playing w/ them again unless it was an r'n'r hall of fame induction show. glad he reconsidered.

also..new book sounds interesting.

James coming back has surprised me to be honest.

I can be pleased for the new Stooges but I can't pretend to be excited about them.
Maybe it's all down to my Ron-tinted glasses.
It's great for Scott and all the rest of them and the fans etc and yes probably Ron is happy too if he is still anywhere, but this rather trite phrase 'moving on' which always crops up, doesn't mean I have to stop regretting the fact that we couldn't get to see and hear Ron for several more years yet.
Or maybe if there could have been a reunion with James AND Ron, at the same time, wish it could have happened that way

I remember there were quite a few people saying several months ago that there could be no more Stooges without Ron, although of course things do change, and feelings change. Maybe I'll get more reconciled to it all further down the line.

I just hope they do some US dates and not just do the euro festival thing. I dont blame them, its a lot more money, just throw the US fans a few bones!

Nadja wrote:

I remember there were quite a few people saying several months ago that there could be no more Stooges without Ron, although of course things do change, and feelings change. Maybe I'll get more reconciled to it all further down the line.

I know I was one of those dead set against it. And still, they will never be quite the same without Ron's guitar. But, as time goes by you realize you have a choice. No more Stooges ever, or a modified lineup with the second guitarist in the band being the only change. After some time passed I realized that I still want more Stooges. Anyone else but James? hell no. But James does belong in this band. So I think we'll all enjoy the new Stooges too. Give it a chance.

It's not really a case of giving them a chance, I just hope I can work up my passion again. Although for me it'll never hit the same levels without Ron's guitar around. Oh, well.

Same as nadja, I'm kinda glad that the Stooges carry on, but I don't feel that excited about this new reunion... It's not only because of Ron's death to me (I have always managed to overcome things quite easily), it's also due to teh fact I know far less songs from the Williamson era (I don't have a lot of non-official stuff), and also because it all sounds different. To me the first reunion sounded like a little "miracle" - like, they were back to get what they deserved - while this one looks more like business. Or, well not exactly business like "money money money", but business like "we can't stop it". Less spontaneous.
Still, I guess that, if I have the possibility to go see them at a reasonable price, I'll go.