unusual influences

I've been listening to Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express album and there's that great line in the title song "From station to station, to Dusseldorf City / meet Iggy Pop, and David Bowie."

And it got me thinking about how Bowie and Iggy met Kraftwerk at their studios in 1976. Bowie loved Kraftwerk and Iggy was soon a fan too. Especially when Ralf Hutter revealed his love of the Stooges, the MC5 and all aspects of US punk. The 1,2,3,4, count in (in German) at the start of "Showroom Dummies" was an homage to the Ramones.

The use of drum machines and motorik beats on The Idiot came about partly as a result of Iggy's keeness on Kraftwerk and NEU! during that summer of 1976. "Nightclubbing" really brings up the Krautrock influences. Interestingly there is a bootleg of Kraftwerk from 1971 when Rother and Dinger (who later formed NEU!) were in the band. The opening of "Mass Production" is almost identical to the opening track from this concert and I find it inconceivable that Iggy and Bowie didn't have a copy of this gig when recording "Mass Production."

Certainly Iggy has been influenced by many artists / bands over the years, but rarely do these influences show through so strongly as on the The Idiot.

Anyone got any other instances of obvious influences on Iggy and on the Stooges?

Cheers,
Richard

I hear some Stones influence in James' playing here and there, on Raw Power. "I Need Somebody" is pretty obvious that he's Keefin' it on that one.

There is some artist who the whole stooges first record vibe is largely copped from but in my advanced age I can't recall the name. Back in the tape trading days there was a snippet on tape a friend had that made this abundantly clear but on the copy he gave me this cool bit was left out. Maybe it will come to me who the guy was.

mc5nrg: Bo Diley something?

i love james williamsons guitar playing. he does keef it a bit , but fuck me in the 70s everyone was keefing it from the alice cooper band to the sweet. at least he played it properly , unlike keef. who just detunes so he can play wasted

mc5nrg/ borntohula, Bo Diddely?

who do ya love

It's sometimes said the first two Stooges albums were influenced by The Sonics and VU.

The Byrds (1969)
96 Tears & Johnny Cash (no Fun)
Pharoah Saunders (Little Doll)
Venus In Furs (I Wanna Be Your Dog)
Bo Diddley (just about every song)

zeke wrote:

i love james williamsons guitar playing. he does keef it a bit , but fuck me in the 70s everyone was keefing it from the alice cooper band to the sweet. at least he played it properly , unlike keef. who just detunes so he can play wasted

Well....I agree with a lot of that, but Keef didn't always play "wasted". He kept his shit together on the road, and in the studio. It was those between times where he was always fucked up.

Getting back to James though...the man sure could sear your eardrums.

And now, back on topic..

Of course I hear a little Doors in there (No Fun), Ron has a little Jefferson Airplane vibe in the guitar on the debut.

Beyond that, it's a bit hard for me to pinpoint any strong influences in particular. Just like any great band, they took a few pages from the music they grew up with and made it their own.

I hear Jefferson Airplane in the solos, wannabe Hendrix, too. But the biggest influence I hear in ROn's guitar playing is Pete Townshend, specially in his chord and rhythm playing.

Famously, Ron and Dave Alexander fled Ann Arbor for London to meet the Beatles, and got to see The WHo...

Paul T wrote:

I hear Jefferson Airplane in the solos, wannabe Hendrix, too. But the biggest influence I hear in ROn's guitar playing is Pete Townshend, specially in his chord and rhythm playing.

Famously, Ron and Dave Alexander fled Ann Arbor for London to meet the Beatles, and got to see The WHo...

That right there can change a band's direction, eh? And for us, that was a GOOD thing. The Stooges were never meant to be a pop band.