Remembering Ron

Just a thread to talk about what Ron meant to you or how he affected you or when you saw the stooges, or just anything you want to say about this great man

this is my post from a different thread about the man, edited for this thread


Its impossible for Ron to be forgotten. Its all there on the CDs and vinyls and tapes and whatever else, youtube etc etc

and for everyone who listens to it and says its just noise or 'he cant play' theyre still always be someone who goes 'holy shit this is the best thing ive ever heard!" i know i was lol

i know i will never ever forget Ron, personally i dont think im over it, I still feel sad listening to the records, esp the recent live stuff, but more so pictures of him, it just reminds me of when i looked up at him three yars ago, for the first time, and saw his hands move so fast it was almost a blur, it was the best experience in my life, and he also taught me that you dont have to be the 'best' player as long as you feel it when you're playing, thats a key thing i notice thats different in my playing from my friends playing, its heartless but technically 'better' or more accomplished, they still go how do you do that, or it sounds good and bad at the same time lol, they cant replicate that sound, and thats what Ron taught me

he was an amazing player, better than most, but never for how many notes he could hit in a short space of time, even though he probably could do that, and did, i've never wanted to play like Ron, i hold him up too high, he's like Hendrix, that style of playing, someone who looks like they were born with a guitar only comes around every so often, i cant do that, i'll stick to trying to replicate keith's style or crafting my own

Ron will never be forgotten, the records say more than all the words we've ever typed while on this forum



HJW

My favorite place at all the many Stooge concerts I had the good fortune to attend was directly in front of Ron's amp.

thats a good place to be, its given me permanent hearing damage i think lol, i was right in the middle, in front of the stage for the first time, and closer to Ron the second

i saw them in Montreux, at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006 and again at Royal Kilmainham Hospital in 2008

I couldnt believe i was seeing them, i couldnt believe i was seeing Iggy, he was the main guy for me back then, my eyes couldnt believe, well maybe my mind couldnt, i dunno, i just couldnt believe i was seeing iggy, but i noticed my attention - my eyes again - moving over to the right side of the stage, to Ron, and not gawking at Iggy like everyone else, i thought it was funny the second time i saw them, eveyone turning their heads to see what iggy was doing, as it was such a bad view you couldnt see, so everyone was looking at iggy, i think he was on all fours or something in the mud,

but i was just staring at Ron soloing to funhouse i think it was, and it was phenomenal, it was as if everyone else became static, like cardboard cutouts, and i was just focused on Ron and he was communicating with me through the guitar or something, sounds stupid i know, but unfortunately this is the only way i'll be able to 'talk' to him

and the same happened with Scott, such power, i couldnt believe i was seeing the stooges

both great gigs, but the one at Montreux was unbelievable, like an out of body experience or something, i cant even describe it, i was a changed man after seeing it, i said in my letter to Scott and Kathy after Rons death, that that memory alone is something i will be eternally grateful to Ron for, let alone the CDs etc, just that one gig i will treasure forever

I never got to see the Stooges live, which I'll always regret until my dying day.
How did I get addicted? I bought a copy of Guitar World from July 2007, and read Ron's interview thoroughly. It was a gem. Shortly before that, I heard the Fuzztones do a cover of "Down On The Street" and loved the hell out of it. What a KILLER song.

So, after reading Ron's interview, I HAD to hear the real deal with Ron on guitar. Two words: HOLY SHIT!!!! I was immediately drawn in. I bought the first two albums and The Weirdness within 3 months, and really got to know Ron's style. This is how I wanted to play guitar. Not like some damned Steve Vai or any of that shit. Raw, loose and all over the place, while never losing the melody. Damn...

Ron, without knowing it, has made me a much better guitar player. Bless you, Ron. Love ya, man.

Thanks for posting Loose, its a pity you never got to see them live, i think those that did back as the original band and as the reformed band know how great it was

thats why, not only do i feel grateful and happy to have seen them, like the stones or tom waits or neil young or dylan or something, but i feel 'blessed' almost, with the other bands im happy ive seen them before they stop touring, and im glad ive seen them (esp tom waits) but the stooges was something i was determined to see, i had to, i'd read about it, i'd loved this band, and i HAD to see them, and they didnt let me down, i'd been to gigs before but this was like a baptism or something, as i've said like an out of body experience, i've always posted on this forum,a nd told people that this isnt just a band i 'like' or even 'love', i AM them, it sounds weird to say, but its true, they are like a limb, and it was amazing finally finding that missing part of me

always wanted to see the stooges three times, always thought that would happen, spose it might now with this new incarnation, and it'l be great to see what happens with that, but im still annoyed i wont get to see Ron again, let alone the sounds coming from the guitar

which makes me more grateful for having seen them, theyre a force of nature

I never got over Ron being forced to play bass. Please don't misunderstand, I love bass guitar and when Ron and Scott were really in sync, the sound was phenominal. I will admit that when Ron and James both played lead it was a powerhouse but I always liked Ron's style more.

One time I saw the Ig at a signing at this record shop near Phila. It was 1980 or 81. After he was finished talking to the crowd, he came over to me to say hello. I had not seen him for about 2 years but he knew I had seen him with Bowie and the Sales boys because I brought him some of my Stooge stuff as he requested and we had a visit at his hotel during that tour. He asked how I liked his new stuff and I said I liked it but it was not like the old days. He got very serious and looked at me and said in an accusing tone,"well you only liked the original band, you never got over Ron switching to bass". I told him that I really did like most of his newer stuff but he had the best (Ron) and he let it go. After that we changed the subject and just chatted for a bit.


Thinking about how I felt all those years ago, I never did get over it. Even now I wish it had not happened. RON WAS THE BEST.

I have to say that I am so happy that Ron was vindicated with the reunion. I just wanted it to last longer.

Unique. Innovative. Inspirational. Thrilling!

Sadly missed, but leaving a truly monumental musical legacy.

RIP Ron. The music lives on.

You'll always be the best Ron, forever an inspiration. Thanks for EVERYTHING.

Agree that nothing ever sounded as compelling as Ron Asheton's guitar. I sure would like to know his secret!
Ron will NEVER be forgotten. This world needs more musicians like him.

I have no real words, it's just the feeling that Ron's guitar makes inside me. So special. On guitar on bass, I love him.

mc wrote:

I have no real words, it's just the feeling that Ron's guitar makes inside me. So special. On guitar on bass, I love him.

Now how the hell can ya top THAT? Well said, my friend.

There's plenty of great musicians out there but only a rarified few who have the ability to create their own language on their instrument the way Ron did. To this day I'm just as blown away by his playing as I was the first time I heard him. I will love you forever, Ron.

Got into Iggy before The Stooges after buying Lust For Life, then bought The Stooges, and nothing prepared me for the guitar that came through the speakers.
At that time, I didn't know much about The Stooges or other guitarists that Iggy had played with.

At the time, early 90's, I tried to get as much info as I could on this guitarist called Ron Asheton.
Bought Funhouse. Ron's guitar was a lot more aggresive, amp screaming.
Then bought Raw Power and Metallic 2xKO...the guitar just wasn't the same.
Good records in their own right, but not the Ron Asheton sound.
Over the years, and thanks to the internet, and more recently this forum, I got to know more about what Ron played guitar on.
Destroy All Monsters stuff I really enjoy. Ron had a different sound, but still as powerful.
No-one played the guitar like Ron, and no-one ever will.
Ron was the reason I took up playing guitar.

That's Ron the musician, as for Ron the man...
Well, it was mostly after reading Paul T's book that I realised how calm, dedicated and talented Ron was.
He seemed like an all-round mellow guy.
Loved the band, and wanted to be part of it and see it successful, despite being fucked over being moved to bass. Though his bass was great, too.
Only member to not miss a show.
Took care of the band when they were all fucked up.
A quiet, guy living a simple life.
An animal lover.

It annoys me that people haven't heard of Ron, but claim to be rock fans.
If I mention The Stooges guitarist, they might go on to say that they have Raw Power, thinking Ron plays guitar on it.
It does piss me off.

I feel he had so much more to offer, and he got some credit in later years, but not enough.

Don't know how it will be to see The Stooges on stage next...part of me thinks the Stooges died with Ron.

Beautifully said, Sheddy.

What literally knocked me out for the first time when I heard the Stooges, was Ron's intro to 'I Wanna Be Your Dog'. Intense, especially that feedback right before 'Dog' kicks off with the riff. I remember I started checkin' out any info about Ron. At first I found his rank as no. 29 among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. So I thought 'wow, this guy must be pretty damn good'. I also read about him listening to Ravi Shankar in the early Stooge days, etc. And Ron's solo in 'Dog' is the perfect example of that. It thrilled me. Actually I am also into such 'exotic' sounds when it comes to playing music. So for me, Ron became another guitarist after Robby Krieger of the Doors, who shared fascination with Indian stuff.
Honestly as a James fan, I think it was quite impolite of him and Iggy to make Ron play bass during Raw Power era. Most people would hate that sort of a transition. But maybe Ron had no choice. I suppose it could have been like 'you play with us and get money or leave'. Still I believe Ron would have done a great job being a rhythm guitarist in 1972-1974, 'supporting' James leads. 1971 gigs are the proof, period.
And even though James is said to have been more accomplished, in my opinion riffs to 'Down On The Street' or 'No Fun' ain't as easy to play as they seem. Their sound is so 'marching'. You've just gotta have Ron's hands to do that.

I guess I can't say anything more about the music. But Ron was perhaps the person who influenced me the most. I have always thought that the Stooges were really cool (and they always were!), but reading Please Kill Me, with all those Ron/Stooges stories, I felt like I had really found someone "like me". It feels weird, and very presomptuous to say, but finding out he had been an outcast at school helped me. My other big influence at that time was Joey Ramone, but it was completely different. I felt I could relate to what Ron talked about - like this impression of being the only one to try to care about "real" things. And listening to the Stooges makes me feel really good, not only because the music is good, but because of that great mix of arrogance and... belonging to a different world, belonging maybe not to a band, or a gang, but to a "movement". Like, they all think you're not cool, you're a joke, but you know you're cool. Because you're not afraid to think so.
To me Fun House is a little better than The Stooges because it has that feeling : whereas the first album sounded more like Iggy and a band, FunHouse sounds like a gang.
So, to me, Ron is a little like a hero... sounds stupid, but reading his interviews, I felt he had managed to live his life like he wanted to while staying somewhat "connected" to the "normal" world. I can't explain better.
I still feel sad knowing Ron is dead, but there is more than sadness, it's that great Stooges energy. W'awright.

I'd say that Ron is the nearest I'll ever get to having a hero.
Mostly because of the music, but also other things. I just wish I was good at expressing how I feel.

Ron's birthday is coming up -- July 17th.

I remember finding an old Iggy "Best Of" belonging to my dad after hearing a solo track on a TV show, the first track on it was "I Wanna Be Your Dog". No words can describe it. Before that I'd not been into music but I was blown away. I could feel the music.

I listened to that song for weeks constantly repeating the intro. Only afterwards listening to the next track, "No Fun" which to my suprise was just as amazing. At this point in my life I had no friends and was picked on alot at school. So wanting to do something productive I decided to try and learn "I Wanna Be Your Dog" on the guitar which took me a long time but I've not looked back since.

I downloaded the first album from iTunes some time later and I could relate to it. All other music I heard before that it seemed that the musicians were pretending rather than being. To me The Stooges (and Ron in particular) were a TRUE band.

Next I bought "Fun House" and it captured how I was feeling, all angry and depressed. I was able to connect with it in a way that no other album ever has. I can honestly say it helped change the way I think as corny as that sounds. I was listening to it and thought "I can stand up to these people", the next day when I was picked on I didn't take it. After being verbally and physically abused for years I said things back to these people, I punched one of the worst of them in the face while listening to "T.V. Eye"

I have to say "Raw Power" was a bit of a disappointment for me and I was always angry when I found out he demoted Ron to bass. Still his basswork was brilliant but I always found Williamson's style more generic if that makes sense. Ron was (and still is) a hero to me, he kept going even when humiliated, saved the band's lives countless times and was just a good guy.

When I saw him play in 2007 it was unbeleivable, it's still my fondest memory. My greatest regret is I never got to meet him but those first two Stooges albums are the greatest music made by anyone. He also made some great music with Destroy All Monsters and especially the Wylde Ratttz which shouldn't be forgotten about.

Ron was The Stooges. Ron was what music is supposed to be.

This something I just found that I wrote in 1970 while discussing FunHouse:

"Ron has done some killer things on lead guitar with the graceful genius that assures you his guitar is his best
friend. "


Almost 40 years later, I still feel the same.

Natalie

Well, Ron was a very dear friend of mine and I miss him terribly. I know he was unhappy with playing bass after Funhouse and I know it always bothered him. That said; he was a great bass player and the recordings with him on bass (Raw Power album, I Got A Right, I'm Sick Of You, etc.) are so much better because of his bass playing. It is interesting to speculate on what those records might have sounded like with he and James on guitar and another bass player, but they are nearly perfect as they are and I wouldn't want to change a thing. Except maybe his feelings about the whole episode.

Anyway, RIP Ron.