Iggy Pop Reflects on Scott Asheton, Discusses Stooges Status

The music world is mourning the death of legendary Stooges drummer Scott Asheton, and perhaps no one more so than his longtime musical partner and Stooges frontman Iggy Pop. The iconic rocker, who revealed Asheton's death over the weekend, took the time to reflect on his history with Asheton and his plans moving forward in an open letter penned at RollingStone.com.

In speaking about Asheton's prowess behind the kit, Pop wrote, "Scott played drums with a boxer's authority. When he wanted to, he had a heavy hand on the drums. He hit the drum very hard, but there were never a lot of elbows flying. He wasn't showy. He didn't have to make a physical demonstration to get the job done. When he played with you, it was always swinging. He brought a swinging truth to the music he played and extreme musical honesty."

Pop also revealed during the course of his missive that Asheton died of a heart attack. With the death of Scott Asheton and Scott's brother Ron a few years prior, Pop says he's unsure of what future there would still be for The Stooges. He explains, "I don't want to say that I'm done with the band. I would just say that I feel like the group has always included the Asheton brothers. When Ron passed away, Scott represented him. Nearly everything we play, Ron played on originally. I don't feel right now like there's any reason for me to go jumping out onstage in tight Levi's. What am I going to scream about?"

He added, "I just can't see the band playing in the near future. It would just be wrong. But if something comes up, you should be open to it. It depends on the feeling of the family and the surviving members. James Williamson was in the group and I've been there since it started. It would depend on the realities and the musical truth."

As for continuing his own solo career, Pop also stated that he intends on taking some time away. "I have no plans to tour solo. I definitely have no plans to be a touring musician for the next couple of years," says the singer. "I've toured almost every year out of the past forty years. I'll probably tour again at some point, but I don't know when and I don't know how."

To read Pop's full article about Scott Asheton, The Stooges and his musical future, check out the Rolling Stone piece here.