Mark Sisto's tribute to Ron Asheton at the I-94 Bar

Ron's contribution to the world went far beyond his music. His cheerful outlook and shining spirit never changed, even when he spent decades broke and tragically ignored while living with his Mom. He would buy you a drink with his last $5. He smuggled whisky and cigars in to Larry Fine, in Larry's last days in a Hollywood nursing home ... and learned his signature to help him answer his fan mail. He was a great storyteller. He loved animals, taking strays in and caring for them. Whatever negative thing was happening, I always felt better after seeing him or talking to him on the phone. I can't say how much I will miss him. He was a supporter of the Universe. - Deniz Tek

Ron Asheton changed my life forever when I turned on the TV the summer when I was 13 and saw the Stooges playing at the Cincinnati Pop Festival. The cameras focused on the shirtless guy in the elbow-length silver gloves doing his audience-walking bit, but the guy I was watching was the kid behind the Stratocaster in the sunglasses and the Ed Roth T-shirt, who made it sound as lethal as it needed to for Iggy's act to be something other than a topic for snide commentary by the TV sports guys that NBC had providing the play-by-play. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview him, to meet him in person and hear him play those songs (in 2000 at SXSW and in 2002 in his hometown of Ann Arbor). I'm especially glad that he got a nice "victory lap" the last five years, which will culminate in the Stooges' probable induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. I hope he checked out with a horror movie on the tube and a smile on his face. Goodnight, Uncle Ronnie. Much love and many thanks. - Ken Shimamoto

Ron and I met at a Monsters show at Second Chance in Ann Arbor. I was impressed with his intelligence as well as his open, friendly way with everyone. He never "played the star" or acted like he was too important to talk with anyone, no matter who they were. He would call sometimes just to talk. He was one of the truly underrated songwriters and a truly great bassist as well as the Power Chord King, matching and sometimes surpassing Pete Townsend. Ron brought James Williamson into The Stooges despite the fact that it froze him out of the songwriting for the "Raw Power" album. Too few people heard the songs he wrote for Destroy All Monsters; they were better than a lot of the Stooges tunes he wrote and it proved he never lost his ability to create, with or without Iggy. I never heard anyone ever say anything negative about Ron, which is almost a miracle in the Detroit music scene. Ron was truly one of the all-time greats and a genuine and sincere friend who never asked for anything but was always willing to lend a hand. - Ben Waugh, The Sillies

first time i heard about the stooges was in the mid '70s, i was 16 and playing in a covers band with a bunch of 20 year olds, the band played mostly USA southern rock 8 min epics, Foghat etc. During getting infected with Punk rock i was over the guitar players house drinking XXXX and perving on his girlfriend. he'd come to the conclusion himself that punk bands sounded like an old record he'd had for years, knowing how much i loved punk bands he pulled the record out, The Stooges. i sugested we play one of em, so we learned lose, was out of character for that band but set the precident for the rest of my life, as in if you add it up, i must have played 80% of stooges songs in all the bands i've been in over the years. when you cover a song you get to know it from the inside, add to that all the local bands i've seen who pulled out a stooges cover playing live, and you get what happened to us here in australia, pretty much a stooges cult religion, throw in the MC5 and it's apparent that a whole generation of us were fucking insane about it. it's immesurable to sum it up here, the influence, the good times, the volume, the sweat - the sheer fun. buying another copy of one of the records again and again. then hearing they reformed, fuck they were going to play the big day out, i paid 150 bux waited 5 hours up the front to see em, and i made sure i got a t shirt on the day. if ever the sentiment 'gone but not forgotten' ever applied... - Ashley Thomson, Sydney, Australia

I was 40 before I actually really listened to the Stooges. I had heard bits and pieces previously, but Jethro Tull, Lindisfarne, Yes and ELO were in the main frame until that time. I've been extremely fortunate as most of the bands I was introduced to in 1989 on moving to Sydney, have gone with their urge to do it one more time. I'm forever grateful for that. But I hadn't seen the Stooges. So after doing my bit for crowd control at the BDO, I then sat in the stand with my partner in Punk, Philip, and was completely and utterly in a state of bliss as The Stooges took to the stage. It is one of my most treasured musical moments and whenever I hear the Stooges I'm back there instantly. I didn't know Ron personally, but he gave me the greatest gift hearing him play those wonderful tunes that have helped me escape the normal pursuits of a woman my age. I will be forever grateful for that and of the many friends I've made through our love of the Stooges. When we meet in the dark in the pubs around Sydney, Ron will be spoken of with great fondness so he will always be a part of who we are. And all those who we've lost over the past few years will no doubt welcome him into rock 'n' roll heaven and he'll be in good company. I hope they'll let me in one day. If we play the music the spirit will never wane.
- Robyn Watkins, Sydney, Australia

Of course I never met Ron Asheton. I even only saw him live and kicking once, a couple of years ago when the Stooges reformed and toured Europe. I have to say that my attention was really caught by both Ron and Scott, it felt as if I were 30 years back in time and I let my imagination run. But I have had the chance to listen to great stories about Ron from Deniz Tek, Mark Sisto or Sue Rynski, and every time they were talking about the man, more than about the guitar player, probably because his guitar player status was a fact of life and that sharing emotions about the human being was so much more relevant.
Of course I never met him but I, like many other unknown who grew up with his guitar playing, feel the loss. Thanks for the memories.
- Eric Holy Curse, Paris, France

I really met Ron Asheton when his band Destroy All Monsters rehearsed at the State House on Blakely Court in Ann Arbor in the late 70’s. MC5 bass player Michael Davis was also in that band along with singer Niagara and drummer Rob King. Ron was always very approachable and shared Stooges stories with us youngsters about life & times on the road with Iggy, Dave Alexander’s death and David Bowie messing with the Stooges. Ron taught me how to play a ‘Monsters’ favorite; Meet The Creeper on the guitar. It is a cool but simple A-riff. It was the first song Michael Davis ever wrote…for any band. Michael Davis and I used to get in “turn-table wars” at parties after consuming many brews. We would battle each other over who had the best CKLW memory. All of the punk rocker types though us daft, but only now do I appreciate those days and how special those relationships were. After the ‘Monsters’ broke up. I ended up living on the same street as Ron in west Ann Arbor. He would take walks, ostensibly for his health, and didn’t mind my occasionally joining him. It did not last long. An job opportunity called me to Oakland County in ’89 and I saw those guys again only a few times after that. What did Ron do for us? He got us; The State, our first (of several) gigs at Ann Arbor’s Nectarine Ballroom; the premier place to play for punk acts. He gave lots of aspiring rockers his time, encouragement, and opportunities wherever he could to open for the Monsters. It opened many other doors for us. The greatest moment was seeing Ron play for the Stooges again. After falling hard from grace, but never being cranky about it, he was kickin’ ass big time playing Loose, Down On the Street, TV Eye, Dirt, and of course, No Fun & I Wanna Be Your Dog. After seeing Iggy solo, and the Monsters tons of times, I finally saw them all in their natural element, and it was all that Rock ‘n’ Roll is…a great time. If, only if Ron was still alive, and I had been able to get backstage at a Stooges show today, I know he would give me a few minutes. It sucks that he’s gone. Losing Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith and Rob Tyner hurt because they were great influences, this hurts because for me it’s even closer to home, Ron was a friend, distant indeed, but still a friend.
- P. Aaron, USA

There's something about trying to put it in words that just doesn't do it, can't measure up to the man or the feeling. The music he gave us is magnificent. His friendship, if you were lucky enough to have it, was even more so. The best times I spent with Ronnie were on the phone, usually midnight -2am Montana time (much later in Ann Arbor). He in his rocking chair at his mom's with his milk and vodka watching late night TV and me in bed in Billings trying without success to find some peace in sleep. We both knew how it felt to live in the dark and how important those who could bring us out of it were. I loved Ronnie and I'm glad to be able to say he knew it. He made me feel like a good person and he made me laugh when I didn't know how to find it for myself. He was the best friend a person could have, the miles be dammed. I will miss him for the rest of my life. Millions thank you Ronnie for so many reasons... the so many, many ways you touched our lives.... and made them better for it.
- Angie Pepper, Coffs Harbour, Australia

I first encountered Ron's presence and voice in the pages of Please Kill
Me, the wonderful oral history of US-based punk rock. His anecdotes were
vivid, wryly hilarious, insightful. He made me want to learn more.
Believe it or not, I had never listened to the Stooges before, though
i'd heard about them a bit, especially Iggy Pop. I instantly became an
iggiologist and Stooge freak at an advanced age, and it revolutionized
my life. I feel happier on a daily basis, I have more energy, I'm not
afraid to be more sassy and humorous and performative. The Stooges, one
could say, gave me my groove back. Ron's hypnotic guitar playing brings
me deep into myself and out into the world simultaneously. He plays
those riffs and it seems as if they have been in the world forever, but
they haven't. That, to me is the sign of genius: when something is
initiated into the world, like a three-chord riff, it suddenly seems so
obvious and right–natural even, as if ordained by the logic of natural
processes–but it never had existed before. That is the Stooge genius: it
sounds simple, but it is a whole concept, a unity, a total experience.
It's Life. And Ron Asheton, who gave so much to so many in not all that
many years, has made this enormous contribution to humanity.
My thoughts are with his friends and loved ones and colleagues as they
learn to fully internalize and pass on what he gave them.
deepest sympathies and warmest wishes. - maria d (hyperpoesia)

As a fresh-faced, newly minted punk rocker in 1977-78, it was my joy to be as up-close-as-possible to Ron’s amp whenever the Monsters played (when not distracted by Niagara, that is). I adopted the same pose with Sonic, but Ron knew my face and always had a minute or two to chat with us few A2 fans, whereas Sonic was aloof and unapproachable. I always chalked that up to the difference between Ann Arbor and Detroit, but really it was more about the man himself. Ron Asheton was down to earth and loved to pass on his lore. He was real.

And his sound was too. Ignore the “not technically proficient” nonsense and witness the millions literally worldwide who paid tribute to Ron’s prowess at 150+ Stooges gigs over the last few years. Ron’s sound was the Stooges sound, and there can be no greater evidence to the communicative power of music than the international adoration that met the band everywhere in the 21st century. Ron was truly a master of his instrument. From the first moment where Ron told us exactly how Iggy felt on “No Fun” to the brilliant fill on “Mexican Guy” (introduced again with Iggy’s off-the-cuff “Ron…”) on the excellent “Weirdness” lp, Ron’s playing was more about the space between than the exact notes themselves. Ron demolished the staid blues progressions already made cliché in the 60’s by posing hippies and later played to death by masturbating metal morons. He invented a whole new vocabulary for guitar that gave so much to so many, musicians and listeners alike. And let’s acknowledge his contributions on the bass as well, like the swinging Motown blast of “Head On”, for example. And sartorially, the guy was a legend.

Many times I wondered how Ron could maintain so much equanimity in the face of all the chaos, bad behavior, disrespect and hard times that accompanied the Stooges’ rise, fall, and rise again over 40 years. It seemed the only thing he truly resented was losing his pre-CBS Fender to the dopeman. When I saw him last in the hotel lobby in San Francisco after the Stooges’ triumphal two sold out gigs in April 2007, he charitably entertained with typical bemusement a fan’s dream (mine) of having the Stooges complete their planet-wide coverage with an unplugged gig in Africa. Ron Asheton – a real gentleman with a sound that changed music forever. Thanks Ronnie! - ig (eyegee), San Francisco, USA

I found Ron to be a kind man. He was a great guitarist who made his
mark in World Popular Culture History. He was an instinctive player, an Artist of great accomplishment who found his own voice at an early age, forged in the quarries of Detroit at a time when it mattered. He played bass. Great bass, in one of the best bands to take the stage, any stage.

He changed the world, my world. And I got to play alongside him, touring Australia in a band called New Race. He told great stories because he lived them. He made the sun cry. Rest in Peace Ron. - Warwick Gilbert

The first time I saw Ron was opening day at Forsythe Junior High School. He was just in from Davenport, Iowa. That's close to where my father grew up. When we both decided we were going to be musicians, come hell or high water, that's when we got to know each other better. Everyone thought they had the top card, but in realty it was all just a friendly game of cans, which was a game we used to play with Dave Alexander in the breezeway of Dave's house, throwing empty beer cans in the trash.

I don't think Ron's loss really hit me at first. I had just spent a quiet evening at his home on Christmas Eve. It was an annual tradition and very pleasant. We would have a holiday spread and a few small sips of his favorite whisky.

Ron loved his cats and even called me from London when he was worried about them. I admired him so much for taking care of Larry Fine in the actors' home. I think we're all in the Three Stooges fan club. We're coming to you're house to break up the joint.

As I've said before I believe Ron, Fred Smith and me were the first to use what I call a five chord. There is no third in it. Well, when we play 1969, Down on the Street, and I Wanna Be Your Dog, I believe the vibrations go straight to the Ashetons' basement. - Scott Morgan, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

My 'relationship' with Ron Asheton was purely about the music, about playing guitar and riffing so I just wanted to say something about his guitar work. He was so unique and such a primary part of how I and many people approach or even learnt how to play guitar. Hell, I can humbly say I learnt a lot of tricks from Ron's playing. Without getting too technical, his use of droning chords and strings captivated me from the first and still does today - there is some primal Delta blues thing about it all. His use of octave type riffs around the E, A and D chords was so simple but at the same time really powerful, original and hypnotic almost. The Stooges' first two albums are lessons in how one guitar can fill out the sound, just compare the clarity of those two albums to the mad clutter of "Raw Power".

I played a gig on the 10th Jan in my hometown - I made sure the guys in my band were ready to play "Down On The Street" but I hadn't played it for maybe 10 years. It all came back in an instant - it was a blast to play it again but what struck me was how ingrained in my head the riffs and licks were, definitely not
forgotten!! It was the obvious way to pay tribute but the best thing was that everybody there was into it and KNEW the song....I never got to meet Ron or see him play (re-unions aren't my thing) but he is right up there with Wayne Kramer, Fred Smith, Deniz Tek & Johnny Thunders as a seminal guitar player of this music we all love. At times like this it's really all about the person than anything else, so it's been good to read the personal anecdotes here.... but for me he was a truly original and influential guitar player.
- Stewart 'Leadfinger' Cunningham, Helensburgh, Australia