Greetings From Laurel Canyon!
After a lost week, The Idelic Hour is back in action. Fuck me, this year SXSW took its toll on many of us. I returned from Austin with a wicked cold. All the “vampire shots” in Erewhon market couldn’t shake me free of a massive headache this week. To boot, as SXSW wrapped Saturday, sad news reached Texas—Stooges drummer Scott Ashton had died of a heart attack.
It should come as no surprise that Scott “rock action” Ashton is this week’s Idelic Hour muse. Even by rock ‘n roll standards, this was no ordinary cat. His vibe and drum style were savage, scary, and downright druggie. His beats were the backdrop for a new musical context. A “dark wind;” a prevailing attitude where rock ‘n roll as “art” could for many of us take precedence over sound.
The Stooges (along with the Velvets and the Dolls) inspired with songs like “No Fun,” “1969,” “Real Cool Time,” “Not Right,” and “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Yes, if it were Lou Reed and Iggy who inspired punk, it was Ashton who pounded the seeds of punk out of our imaginations and into ritual.
The idea that anyone could pick up an instrument and make art must have come from the Ashton brothers. They made being in a band essential. I would have never loved music or played in a band if it wasn’t for these dudes. I carry their spirit and wear it like an old motorcycle jacket. A large Stooges photo hangs on the wall just to the right of the console where I record The Idelic Hour.
Scott, this hour of music is dedicated to you. You were fucking scary and you will live forever. May you rock to a cooler place.
Long live The Stooges. Long live “rock action!”
The Idelic Hit of the Week:
Fat White Family – Cream of the Young
