Stooges Storm Sin City - Creem, July 1970

Found this review while looking for something else...

Stooges Storm Sin City

Anne Moore, Creem, July 1970

(While the Stooges were out on the West Coast to do their second album, they decided to play a couple of gigs. The first was a gala press reception at the Whisky A-Go-Go, with wall-to-wall media, including Andy Warhol and entourage. Andy split in the middle of the set, why no one really knows, but it definitely wasn't because he had any trouble with old wounds (at least not physically).

L.A. is possibly the only other place in the world that could have nurtured a band like the Stooges (though it would then produce Alice Cooper actually) and it seem only fitting to have a little not on the Stooges in the land of the plasticburger. So here it is. Ed.)

THE STOOGES were a dare. We've heard of you, now let's see how great you are. We've seen the best at the Whiskey Au-Go-Go. We've seen Little Richard swagger on out and Morrison fall off the stage. Dare you Detroit boys to do better.

The musicians walked, no, sauntered on stage. They sat down. They started to play. Iggy walked on stage, dressed in faded, over washed blue jeans, bare chest with long, gold encrusted evening gloves. Impressive? Well, perhaps, but let's see some more.

Iggy started singing, moving, working the audience, looking more like a Body Shop stripper than a musician. He'd grimace, then smile with eyes that played on physical contact. His attitude demanded attention, while the music said fuck off.

See me, watch me ... you can't help it.

The audience was there to gape, to giggle, to laugh. They were there to find truth or fiction to a hype-dream.

Iggy jumped down from the stage, claiming the area as his private property, defying the right of groupies and photographers to get that close.

The music had the remembrance of seeming sameness, but then who listens to the flutist when the cobra dances?

Iggy wandered about into the audience, staring, screaming, conjuring up weird movements, firmly introducing himself to the Hollywood audience.

The audience reacted in a cold, precise way, only clapping when specified – too blasé to see who really held who in contempt.

© Anne Moore, 1970

'His attitude demanded attention, while the music said fuck off.'

...great line!

too bad that nobody ever credits the music in the stooges shows... it would've not been the same if iggy had played with some crappy psychedelic band or a blues band, don't you agree?

the stooges' sound experience was an essencial part of the show

It was due to the snobbish attitude of the audience at the end of the 60s. When I ran into rock in 1970, all the freaks (except a few) were regarding non-virtuoso type of rock as coming from people that couldn't play. Too bad for them. I listened to all the music I could but slowly started to be disgusted by the pretense of bands like Grateful dead, Pink Floyd and the likes. In fact, I was happier to spend a day collecting coins from the college girls the day School's out was released to buy it and go listening to it LOUD, and went crazy when Raw Power hit the streets. No wonder I loved The Stooges, The Seeds and a whole lot of the pre-punk pioneers. my two-cents anyway