ABSTRACT
In an interview by David Walley for Jazz & Pop magazine, conducted in September 1969, shortly after the release of the Stooges’ self-titled first album on Elektra Records, Walley asked the band’s singer Iggy Pop about their apparent success. In another interview, conducted in February 1970 for Crawdaddy, Jean-Charles Costa suggested that whereas some people prefer “syrupy” music, the Stooges are “stark.” Like the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the New York Dolls, the Stooges—originally, Iggy on vocals, Ron Asheton on guitar, his brother Scott Asheton on drums, and Dave Alexander on bass—are considered highly influential now but were commercial failures in their heyday. Too often, however, the Stooges are framed primarily as influences, precursors to some eventual apotheosis of their sound in future bands or movements, especially in regard to later punk rock.
