Skip to content

News

James Williamson Interviewed By HitFix

Iggy and the Stooges
James Williamson talked to HitFix about producing Iggy and the Stooges’ new album, Ready To Die, and what it’s like to work with Iggy Pop and the band. Here’s part of the interview.

What’s the key to producing Iggy Pop?

(laughs) That’s a trade secret. No, you just gotta be patient and Iggy is actually a pro, in a way. I mean, he’s made a lot of albums, he knows what works for him and what doesn’t work for him and I guess I learned in “Soldier” to try to be a little more flexible with him and to basically let him be the boss of his vocals. I’m very respectful of his ideas about his vocals. That said, I also want to make sure we got the best sound we could out of him so I put what I consider to be the best vocal mic around; it’s a Brauner VM1, So I made sure we used that on almost everything and the rest was up to him. He stepped up and did his vocals.

You joined the band again in 2009. What is it like for you to be on stage with Iggy again?

Ah, it’s fun. It’s always been unpredictable. This is not an act. We’re kind of improvising on the run. We have a set that we do, of course, and the musicians are playing the numbers, but he’ll basically do anything to get over with the audience. I think there’s probably no other man or human alive that can even imagine doing some of the things that he’ll do. Being up there with him is really cool, but you gotta pay attention because first of all everything’s going fast and furious. If you lose concentration you’re screwed. Secondly he throws those mike stands all over the place and so occasionally, you might need to get out of the way pretty quick. I’ve actually been hit by one once, but luckily it was deflected off my guitar.

Read the complete James Williamson interview at HitFix.

Watch Iggy And The Stooges Full Concert From Le Poisson Rouge – Video

Iggy and the Stooges at Le Poisson Rouge
Iggy and the Stooges played an exclusive concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on April 28th, performing songs from their new album Ready To Die plus classics like “Raw Power” and “Gimme Danger.” The show was broadcast live, and you can now watch the full concert video at NPR.org. Also check out these concert reviews from Loudwire and Flavorwire, which wrote:

It’s a reminder of how real art transcends time and fashion, and it feels like a celebration of a career that’s pretty much defined everything that’s great about rock ‘n’ roll. Long may they prosper.

Iggy And The Stooges New Album ‘Ready To Die’ Available Now!

Iggy and the Stooges - Ready To Die
Iggy and the Stooges’ new album Ready To Die is in stores now and it’s getting great reviews. And just for good measure, those of us who talk the talk and walk the walk read Pitchfork for a laugh so here it is too.

Initial standouts on Ready to Die include “Sex & Money,” led by a wall of Williamson’s guitars and Mackay’s greasy, funky horn riffs; and the raucous “Job,” replete with its kiss-off lyric, “I don’t wanna talk to my coworkers/I think they’re a bunch of dumb c***-jerkers.” Iggy (James Osterberg) Pop may have just turned 66, but he remains as impulsive and outspoken as ever, bless his soul. – AnnArbor.com

It’s the Stooges sound that carries the album: Mr. Williamson’s riffs, guitars and old-school production. The beat has the muscle and fluctuations of a live rhythm section. The rhythm and lead guitars keep a distorted edge and they grapple and claw their way through the songs, affirming that the Stooges were as much post-Rolling Stones as pre-punk. … Iggy and the Stooges know they aren’t wild kids anymore, but they’re not going away quietly. – The New York Times

It’s classic “Raw Power”-era Stooges from the get-go on “Burn,” a heavy-duty groove that kicks off the collection. And there’s no letup for the next several tunes, including “Gun,” which skewers a violent culture that just might lead its lone-wolf protagonist astray. … Even after more than four decades, Iggy doesn’t go down easy — in all senses of the phrase. But the man and his band have some things worth saying before the cosmic end of the tour. – The Washington Post

Iggy’s delivery is too wry to exude rage, the songs rarely rise above a mid-tempo chug, and Mackay’s jovial sax blurts are way more roadhouse than Funhouse. But, unlike The Weirdness, the palpable lack of menace feels intentional, and more true to a band that, in the wake of Asheton’s death and their own advancing ages, has good reason to question its own mortality.
– Pitchfork

Ready To Die available now: Amazon | iTunes | Fat Possum Records

Early Reviews Praise Iggy And The Stooges New Album ‘Ready To Die’

Iggy and the Stooges’ new album, Ready To Die, will arrive in stores on April 30th, and the reviews are starting to come in! Read some of this rock & roll goodness:

The singing Stooge nabs another with this robust studio resurrection of his alliance with guitarist James Williamson, the axis behind the Stooges’ 1973 lethal-glam classic, Raw Power, and the battered jewels on the 1977 Pop-Williamson set, Kill City. Iggy is, as you can tell, in blunt fuck-you and just-try-to-kill-me form. – Rolling Stone

This is indeed a fine and worthwhile album. Somehow retaining the rough-edged innocence of its predecessor, the result is both unrefined and dirty, harbouring a clear desire to provoke. … The band set out to recapture the spirit of ’73 and have embraced that ethos with an admirable interpretation of where they should have gone next and therefore essentially have. … A time-bridging release that stands as an essential and timely reminder of just how rock ‘n’ roll ought to be played. – Clash Music

Ready To Die available for pre-order: Amazon | iTunes | Fat Possum Records