The death of the Stooges drummer Scott Asheton over the weekend has left vocalist Iggy Pop unsure about the future of the long-running proto-punk outfit, claiming in a new interview that playing with the band without his co-founder anytime soon "would just be wrong."
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Pop eulogizes his longtime bandmate, who died of a heart attack on Saturday, March 15. Remembering over 40 years of friendship via various anecdotes, Pop noted that Asheton "played with a boxer's intensity" and helped hold together the band's "real simple vocabulary."
The death of the drummer follows the 2009 passing of guitarist Ron Asheton, who also died of a heart attack. While Pop hasn't said the Stooges are over, the loss of both brothers has him considering the band's future. For the time being, he's stepping away from the group to put things in perspective.
"I don't want to say that I'm done with the band," he said. "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?"
Pop went on to say that he has no plans to tour, solo or otherwise, "for the next couple of years," but left the option that he may one day make his return to the stage.
"I've toured almost every year out of the past 40 years. I'll probably tour again at some point, but I don't know when and I don't know how."
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Pop eulogizes his longtime bandmate, who died of a heart attack on Saturday, March 15. Remembering over 40 years of friendship via various anecdotes, Pop noted that Asheton "played with a boxer's intensity" and helped hold together the band's "real simple vocabulary."
The death of the drummer follows the 2009 passing of guitarist Ron Asheton, who also died of a heart attack. While Pop hasn't said the Stooges are over, the loss of both brothers has him considering the band's future. For the time being, he's stepping away from the group to put things in perspective.
"I don't want to say that I'm done with the band," he said. "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?"
Pop went on to say that he has no plans to tour, solo or otherwise, "for the next couple of years," but left the option that he may one day make his return to the stage.
"I've toured almost every year out of the past 40 years. I'll probably tour again at some point, but I don't know when and I don't know how."
