One of Iggy Pop’s best friends — and his guitarist in The Stooges — died at his home in Ann Arbor, MI. He was 60.

I was lucky enough to catch Ron play at The Wiltern Theater in the Spring of ’07. It was a Stooges show, and Mike Watt was on bass, and Iggy was all over the place, and Ron just stood there and fucking jammed.

I went with Gia Paloma. This was in her crazier days. Days I kinda miss, and I kinda don’t.

I’m sure Gia doesn’t miss them.

I think I blogged it.

Well, I didn’t. I just searched my blog, and nothing turned up. But Gia and I went and caught the Stooges, and I remember getting fucked up. We ate at the Denny’s right next to the Wiltern before the show, and I think we saw Ashley Blue and her dude Dave Naz there. We drank and a few times we had to go outside so Gia could smoke. After the show, we went to some fancy bar, and Gia grabbed a glass off the bar, stuck it in her pants, and handed it to me a few seconds later.

Oh! That golden nectar!

After that, standing on Wilshire and waiting for the bus, Gia asked me to pull my wiener out of my pants — which I did, cause I’m easy like that — and then she proceeded to put her cigarette out on it. I caught this terrible incident just in the nick of time, so there was no ween damage, and then the bus came, and we jumped on it, and ended up at Vons, where Gia demanded Vodka and a bucket of fried chicken, to which I agreed — wholeheartedly.

If I’m not mistaken, that night Gia tried to stick a Hitachi Wand up my butt, but I nicked that, too.

We ate fried chicken and drank some more and then we both passed out.

Yep. Just telling you this now makes me realize Gia doesn’t miss any of that nonsense, and come to think of it, I don’t either.

Well, sometimes I do.

Poor Ron. I hope he passed in a quiet, peaceful way.

I’m on Mike Watt’s e-Mail list (and his band, Banyan), and here’s what he said:

friends,

I’m thinking of ron asheton, a beautiful
man who I learned from much and shared many
joys w/and always played my heart out for
him. he was a pioneer w/a guitar sound all
his own and was very very kind to me…
“you’re a good sailor” he would always say. I
can’t find the words to really put it right
here but he was truly a righteous brother,
much deep respect. I miss him so so much.

big big love from watt