The Stooges & The Weirdness

by Hilary Crowe

The weird thing about The Weirdness is that unlike virtually all other albums by well-respected bands, the more I listen to it, the less I like it – the more I want to bawl and claw my eyes out in sheer rage and insanity, yelling, "Why God? Why?!" until I am gladly smote and put out of my misery.

Don’t get me wrong, it pains me to feel this way, to have to say this. But I have never been one to deny my moods; I prefer to meddle and marinate in them, no matter how high or low, until I have experienced the emotion with every last nerve fiber of my being. From Fun House to Raw Power, I get the sense that Iggy Pop does, too. And that’s why The Stooges have been my favorite band for years.

In their sonic exploration of carnal elation, rejection, nihilism, boozing, misogyny, materialism, and self-destruction, The Stooges were never afraid to push the limits of decency: unflinchingly, brutally honest. But they were never all those things all at once, nor did they necessarily embody any one of those things for more than the three minutes they had your ear. They abandoned the past and future, and let their mood in those moments, magnified and immortalized on their eponymous debut, drive the creative process. During a time when hugs and free love dominated youth culture and the narcissistic introspection and bloated guitar solos of music crowded the airwaves and stages, The Stooges were a much needed shot in the arm. Every time I listen to “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “TV Eye,” or “Loose,” I am thankful for every drop of blood, shard of glass, jar of peanut butter, bottle of beer, and one night stand that made Iggy’s life heavenly hellish and moments of true rock and roll revelry – not to mention punk and free jazz – possible.

But The Weirdness exhibits none of what that sinewy, serpentine, “streetwalkin’ cheetah with a hide full of napalm” that Iggy (real name: James Osterberg, Jr.) once was. It sounds a lot more like something the comparatively tame Ramones would craft rather than what Stooges fans know the band is capable of making. The title track is the only song that approximates their old stuff, with Iggy’s grim reaper groans blanketing half-assed beats and riffs. Iggy’s howling mating calls and Ron Asheton’s wah-wahed echoes of yore nowhere to be found. “Free and Freaky” is easily the worst song I’ve heard in a while, and frankly, it makes me and so many rock critics want to cry. And after forty minutes of hell, I must say “ditto” to the all too aptly named closer, “I’m Fried,” as well as Pitchfork’s scathing review. Unlike what some other overly reverent rock reviewers have suggested (Rolling Stone gave The Weirdness 3.5 out of 4 stars and for what? Because it’s The Stooges), it definitely does not grow on you.

According to the few lucky fans who snagged tickets to the reunion tour, The Stooges still know how to put on a great show. But what about the rest of us poor saps? Must we only be left with this atrocious release as the final farewell? To even think that this fourth, reunion album could approximate their first three efforts would be ridiculous. In fact, I dove into it with the lowest of expectations. Even those were too high. But I’m not angry with Iggy and his Stooges; I’m worried. Mostly, I’m worried about Iggy. The power of his music comes from his intense desire to stand out, and mark himself as different – jump off stage and on glass and into the audience, bleeding into the crowd and their memories. But all his long-time-coming fame and commercial success (aided by David Bowie) has dried up from Iggy’s memory all the nihilism that was the well of his work. He seems to have forgotten what it’s like to be, well…forgotten. And with The Weirdness, Stooges fans may want to remind him of that.

(The Stooges are scheduled to play D.C.'s 9:30 Club on Thursday, April 5.)

(Promotional photo from iggypop.com. To see Iggy & The Stooges play "I'm Fried" from their latest release -- note explicit lyrics included -- please check below.)




music
rock music
Stooges
Stooges reunion
Iggy Pop
The Weirdness
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