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With the Stooges set to return to the stage in 2010, Iggy Pop talked to the BBC about the legendary band’s latest comeback, which will reunite them with guitarist James Williamson for the first time in almost three decades. As Rolling Stone reported in early January, Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton passed away in his native Michigan after suffering a heart attack. “We’re all very sorry about Ron,” Pop told the BBC. “His spirit within the group remains with the rest of us and he is still a presence within the group without being on the physical plain.”
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While Ron Asheton played guitar for the Stooges’ first two releases, he slid over to bass and Williamson took over lead guitar duties for 1973’s Raw Power, so the upcoming Stooges tour will likely rely heavily on that material. The Stooges also feature original drummer Scott Asheton and Minutemen bassist Mike Watt. “The band have been rehearsing more without me than with me because I’ve been doing other things this year. But we have been rehearsing all together more recently,” Pop told the BBC. “We’re going to be doing a one-off show in Brazil in a few weeks but the real touring starts next year.”
Williamson, who didn’t play guitar for years while working at the Technology Standards office at Sony, talked to Rolling Stone in September about reuniting with his former bandmates. “I wrote a lot of those songs and it’s my style of guitar playing,” Williamson said. “It kind of naturally came back to me.” The band is currently scheduled to perform Raw Power in its entirety May 2nd and 3rd at London’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festival.
As Rolling Stone previously announced, the Stooges a...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily