RIP Scott “Rock Action” Asheton, Drummer for The Stooges

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The Stooges
Scott Asheton (PeekYou profile here), drummer for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Stooges, has died at age 64.

Scott co-formed The Stooges (originally The Psychedelic Stooges, eventually Iggy and The Stooges), in 1967, in Ann Arbor, Michigan; along with his older brother Ron, bassist Dave Alexander, and vocalist Iggy Pop (PeekYou profile here). Alexander died in 1975, and Ron Asheton in 2009.

After nearly 30 years broken up, The Stooges reformed in the early-’00s, and played to adoring crowds across the globe throughout the decade. Scott suffered a stroke in 2011, which forced him to bow out of subsequent touring.

More thoughtful and thorough obituaries will be popping up on the Web over the next day or so, we’re sure, and we won’t cheapen Scott’s life by attempting one here.

Here’s Iggy’s official statement from his Facebook page:

My dear friend Scott Asheton passed away last night.

Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Asheton’s have always been and continue to be a second family to me.

My thoughts are with his sister Kathy, his wife Liz and his daughter Leanna, who was the light of his life.

Iggy Pop

If you’re not familiar with The Stooges, but consider yourself any kind of a fan of rock and roll, we strongly recommend acquainting yourself as soon as humanly possible. Rattling off names of the likely thousands of artists influenced by them would do them no justice. Reducing their music to a list of adjectives would similarly sell them well short. They were The Stooges, and — for as troubled and tumultuous as their existence was — that was about the best thing you could be. And it all started with Scott’s pounding, pulsing, and pushing beats.

Scott played in other bands as well, but none — other than The Stooges — better, or more noteworthy, than Sonic’s Rendezvous Band; alongside the late Fred “Sonic” Smith from Detroit’s legendary MC5. Below we’ve included that combo’s one official release, the scorching single “City Slang”.