Iggy And The Stooges - Live in Sydney FULL CONCERT PREMIERES on YouTube: AEST: Friday May 17th 9am / UK: Friday May 16th midnight / US EST: Thursday May 16th 7pm SEE FULL CONCERT HERE
Iggy Pop: James Williamson is a 'brutal' guitarist
15 May 2013 contactmusic.com
Iggy Pop describes James Williamson as a ''brutal'' guitarist.
The Stooges frontman notices distinctive differences between his bandmate's instrumental skills compared to original guitar player RON ASHETON, who passed away in 2009, and feels there is more ''control'' in James' performances - unlike the late rocker's ''intuitive'' approach.
He said: ''With early Stooges, half of Ron's contribution was intuitive in that he just let the guitar and the amp talk in the spirit of [Brison] Gysin and [William] Burroughs' cut-ups.
''He was a volume player, but didn't control it like Blue Cheer or Ted Nugent. He found some beautiful places to go. James was a very controlled, brutal player
''Later in life, Ron became a terrific live player, because he never stopped playing, but he also became a lot more like everybody else.
''Williamson had 37 years off so he still has a lot to say - and he's articulate about what he wants to do. My contribution to this record is mostly in melodies.''
The band have recently released their new album 'Ready To Die' and the final song on the record, titled 'The Departed', makes references to their journey over the years as well as reminiscing about former members they have lost.
Iggy, 67, added to Mojo magazine: ''[It wasn't written] so much Ron as for a group of people. In Ann Arbor and Detroit in the late 60s, early 70s, some of us were more 'us' than others, with some dying a little on the young side.
''This was the first new piece James sent me after we started touring as Iggy & The Stooges again, and it was a giant pain-in-the-ass bitch m**********r epic to do! It started out as an instrumental, just James on dobro, and he called it 'Ron's Tune'.
''I didn't wanna write a personal song, so it's more like, 'The party's over,' or, 'It's getting late'.''
On the first episode of Guitar Moves, Matt Sweeney heads to Berkeley, CA to meet the Stooges' James Williamson. He learns about the history of the Stooges, the "Nashville Tuning," and how to achieve the bone-crushing guitar tone on "Search & Destroy." May 13 2013
The Washington Post - Age no obstacle as Iggy & the Stooges drop new album, continue late-career victory lap
May 7 2013 READ ARTICLE HERE
Iggy Pop - Super-human Iggy Pop April 30 2013 contactmusic.com
Iggy Pop is ''almost super-human'' according to his bandmate James WIlliamson, who is impressed by the performance the singer gives on a nightly basis. Iggy Pop is ''almost super-human''The punk rock singe ris still giving his all at every performance, despite being 66, and astounds even his own band, The Stooges, with his energy.
Guitarist James Williamson told FasterLouder.com.au: ''He is almost super-human. This will be about the 10th year that I've worked with him personally, on stage that is.
''I think the similarity between then and now is that he will do anything to go over with an audience, anything. He can't stand it if he's not getting to the audience. There is some power within him that draws on the energy of the audience, so if you have a better audience you get a better show.
''I don't know any human being who I've ever met who is willing to do what he does.''
Iggy and The Stooges have just released a new album, 'Ready to Die', and James - who is also joined in the band by Scott Asheton, Steve Mackay and Mike Watt - found it interesting to go back into the studio with Iggy, as he hadn't worked with him on a studio album since the 70s.
He added: ''I wasn't sure we could write anymore, you know it's been a long time. But we sat down a couple of years ago and started out playing bits and pieces. And then started saying let's try to write some new material.
''We have kind of a chemistry writing together, and we can write really quickly. ''I'll sit down and try to come up with a guitar riff that I like, and if I like it I'll try to sell it to Ig. If he likes it then he'll start putting some lyrics to it and we start going back and forth. That works very well for us.''
''I'll sit down and try to come up with a guitar riff that I like, and if I like it I'll try to sell it to Ig. If he likes it then he'll start putting some lyrics to it and we start going back and forth. That works very well for us.''
'Ready to Die' is out now.
Click CD for ordering through amazon.com
Iggy & The Stooges, Live In Concert
April 28, 2013: NPR Music and WNYC's Soundcheck present a First Listen Live concert from proto-punk band Iggy & The Stooges, broadcast from New York City. Watch the group rip through songs from its new album, Ready toDie, as well as a handful of old favorites SEE CONCERT HERE
from the archives...
James interviewed by National Public Radio (NPR) October 19, 2010 When James Williamson took an early retirement offer from his job as a Vice President at Sony Electronics he went back to an earlier career that his bosses knew nothing about … and one James never expected to repeat. James is profiled in Fortune Magazine August 2010 "Silicon Valley's secret rock star" article, CNN clip. For more than two decades James Williiamson worked at high-level jobs at places like Sony. Then his old boss Iggy Pop called again. MORE HERE
American Way's September 15th issue article "Punk Rock Exec" tracks James Forty years after he helped form what is arguably one of the most influential punk rock bands ever, James Williamson begin has returned to his roots and is once again the guitarist for Iggy and the Stooges. Talk about a lust for life. MORE HERE
IGGY POP & JAMES WILLIAMSON - New Kill City release Restored, re-mixed and remastered DIGIPAK Edition with 24 PAGE BOOKLET! DIRECT BOMPSTORE.COM LINK HERE Alive Records purchase LINK HERE The Stooges are inducted into The Rock Hall of Fame NY Times, LA Times, Detroit News, pix, video SEE NEWS
Jam for Ron Asheton: A Tribute to the late guitarist of the Stooges:LA TImes review and Heather Harris' coverage including live pictures of the showhere.
