I Wanna Be Your Dog

Iggy and the Stooges (or just the Stooges, if you prefer) were one of the driving forces behind the proto-punk era. Aside from The Who and The Velvet Underground, I don't think there's a single band that did more for the creation of bands like the Ramones, the Clash, and the Sex Pistols.

Iggy Pop is now 59 going on 90, so naturally the Stooges are re-uniting for a new album (with the Minutemen's awesome bassist Mike Watt joining them). Judging from one of the new songs, "Free & Freaky," the album will suck. But let's focus on the positive. I want to talk about what made the Stooges great in the first place: the band's seminal self-titled album, released in 1969.

The signature of the Stooges was Iggy Pop. He wasn't the only great thing about them, but he was the MVP of the band. He defined the punk frontman aesthetic that guys like Joey Ramone and Johnny Rotten strived to embody. You might say that Mick Jagger already defined that aesthetic with the early Rolling Stones records, but Iggy took that attitude to a new level. His growl on "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and his screams on "No Fun" were unheard of to that point.

The band nicks a lot of its style from the Velvets, of course, but while Lou Reed's style matched the DIY attitude that punk rockers would take to heart, his music lacked the visceral anger that Iggy and the Stooges provided. Going back to "I Wanna Be Your Dog," I don't think there was a song that sinister ever recorded to that point. I don't even know if there's been one since. The riff is heavier than anything Led Zeppelin ever did, but the bleak staccato piano in the background combines to make it sound just plain evil. And the jingle bells! There are jingle bells!

The Stooges were undoubtedly one of the most influential rock bands of all time. They've been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame six times, including this year, but still have yet to make it in. Ironically enough, if the new album flops, it might wipe them off the Hall's radar for a while. But seeing as the Ramones, the Clash, and the Sex Pistols are all Hall of Famers now, it's a headscratcher as to why the Stooges are still out in the cold. I'm sure they'll make it in someday, but hopefully that day comes before Iggy Pop's skin falls off his skeleton.