THE STOOGES RAW POWER MOVIE

My illustration is based on a photo of Iggy and James Williamson by Robert Matheu. I could try to act cool about it, but honestly this is a dream come true for me. Perhaps one of the most ferocious albums ever recorded, the Stooges third album deviated from their first two in a number of ways, perhaps most notably David Bowie remixed. This exchange resulted in me being asked about designing a poster for the Raw Power deluxe package and the Raw Power tour. Iggy, not knowing Robert and I already knew each other, asked Robert to send me the Stooges book. Anyway, Robert was working on the deluxe re-issue of Raw Power, as well as a book on the Stooges. In a ridiculously fortuitous convergence for me, I was in touch with Iggy about doing a portrait of him for my show at Deitch Projects, and I also worked with photographer Robert Matheu on the Billy Idol greatest hits album “Idolize Yourself”. Their reunion has resulted in a Raw Power tour. This tragedy however seems to have brought Iggy and James Williamson back together. Don’t get me wrong, the first two Stooges records are great, but I always wanted to hear material from Raw Power. To even hear the rhythm section on co-producer David Bowie’s 1973 mix of Raw Power, you need to crank the volume until it feels like James Williamson’s reckless. When the Stooges re-formed in 2003(I think) they only performed material from their first two albums because return member and original guitarist Ron Asheton did not play guitar on Raw Power. Raw Power added guitarist James Williamson to the line-up and his leads made the Stooges sound even more aggressive. During my days of listening to punk almost exclusively, all three Iggy and The Stooges albums were in heavy rotation, but the one I tended to skate to was Raw Power.

The more I learned about Iggy, his music with the Stooges, his solo material, and his collaborations with David Bowie and many others, the more I realized what a diverse talent and icon he is. Coincidentally, former Sex Pistol Steve Jones contributed lead guitar to the track.

THE STOOGES RAW POWER MOVIE

I also loved the Iggy Pop solo song “Repo Man”, the title track from the movie Repo Man directed by Alex Cox in 1984. I discovered the Stooges after hearing The Sex Pistol’s cover of their song “No Fun” from The Stooges first album. I have been a fan of Iggy and The Stooges since the mid eighties.

The stooges raw power