In 2007, Asheton described his guitar sound: “I get a brighter and brassier sound than a lot of people. It’s almost painful. I’ve been told, ‘Your guitar sound is painful, man!’ And I go, ‘Hey, cool. All right!’”

I love this description of Asheton’s playing on “No Fun” from Tim Lucas:

For the first 2:43 of the song, Asheton anchors the song with steady, distorted, rhythmic riffing from the right channel—and just when we think we’ve heard everything this anthem to teenage boredom has up its patched denim sleeve, Iggy’s pleas prompt Asheton to launch into the fuzziest, dirtiest, squiggliest, squealingest, noodly guitar solo ever heard, absolutely merciless in its full-on drilling against the hard stone walls of ennui.”

The man who gave courage and inspiration to thousands of fledgling punk guitarists, launching a rock and roll revolution, the godhead of psychotic, six string, sonic sublimeness, Mr. Ron Asheton:
 

 
This is simply lovely. Iggy is such a gentleman.

“Iggy Pop speaks of his friend, Ron Asheton and the sings “Ron’s Tune” written by him and James Williamson at the Tribute to Ron Asheton concert.”

Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor. April 19, 2011.

Artwork by the supremely talented Jeremy Wheeler.
 

 
Iggy, Scott Asheton, Mike Watt, James Williamson and a fucking orchestra play “I Wanna Be Your Dog” in tribute to Ron Asheton at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor on April 19.

The sound is shit but the camera is so thrust into the meat and bone of Iggy’s performance that the end result is exhilirating and the bad sound actually starts to sound perfect. Distortion transcended.
 

 
The late great Stooge Larry Fine meets the late great Stooge Ron Asheton as photographed by either Michael Tipton or Jimmy Recca at the MGM country retirement home in Calabasas,California circa early 70’s. That’s Larry’s granddaughter in the photo also. The story of this unlikely, but poetically perfect friendship is documented in the excellent book Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk (An Evergreen book).
 
Collection of Rich Dorris, much thanks to Heather Harris and Kim Retro Kimmer Maki !