RON ASHETON

I photographed Ron Asheton thrice, once at the Coconut Teazser club in L.A. sitting in with The Empty Set (you actually can order a legit cd of that gig here http://birdcagerecords.com/?page_id=3460 ;) once with Dark Carnival at another venue (middle photo with the inimitable Niagara;) and once at a recording session with Scott Richardson (SRC,) and Ray Manzarek (The Doors) (third pic above with yours truly by their producer, Harvey Kubernik. It was eighteen years ago, and I hardly resemble that now, although I still wear the same Death Cult t-shirt with Mickey's skull.)

The aforementioned SRC/Stooges/Doors confab alligned for Richardson's 1992 spoken word release "Tornado Souvenirs" on New Alliance Records, a SoCal punk label. Scott also corralled his former father-in-law Robert Mitchum to contribute dialogue. Ron and Ray noodled interesting musics behind Scott's prose-poems.

There were a few very late night phone calls to me as well that annoyed my better half, who had to arise at 5 a.m. for work. I regret that I never was able to get the two of them together to talk guns and military history from similar well-informed, warped/witty, rock and rollers' P.O.V.s. Ron was always photogenic slamming into his guitar. July 17 is the anniversary of Ron's birthday. R.I.P.