The almost unbelievable story of the band that invented punk rock, entirely in the words of Stooges founder, Iggy Pop. Includes over 200+ images, many published here for the first time, and contributions from Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, Joan Jett, Johnny Marr, Jack White, Ben Blackwell, Johan Kugelberg, and Jon Savage.

Formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967, the Stooges are icons of modern rock, influencing the fledgling sounds of punk, heavy metal, and hard core. From the beginning, lead singer and provocateur Iggy Pop (b. James Osterberg) astounded audiences with his outrageous stage performances, accompanied by guitarist Ron Asheton, his drummer brother Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander with their raw and bracing sound. The group disbanded in 1974, but reunited in 2003 to play before a vastly expanded fan base of over 10 million devotees worldwide, and they continue to tour today. In this book, rock photographer Robert Matheu compiles the first ever authorized book about the band, including iconic photographs, classic interviews, and vintage articles and ephemera dating from the band's breakout performances in Detroit in the late 1960s through their most recent shows in 2009. With new interviews from every significant member of the Stooges, past and present, previously unpublished photography, and a Stooges discography, The Stooges is the definitive book about this trailblazing band.

A photographic history of Iggy Pop & The Stooges during the recording of their 1972 album Raw Power by legendary photographer Mick Rock.

The story of seminal Ann Arbor punk rock band the Stooges, told through original interviews with the band members and associates. If the MC5 were Detroit’s political spokesmen for the disenchanted youth of the 1960s, then the Stooges were the loutish kids, heckling from the back of the room. While conventional wisdom says they could barely play their instruments, the Stooges left an indelible mark on the world of punk rock, and the band’s initial three albums—The Stooges, Fun House and Raw Power—are bona fide classics. In The Stooges: Head On author Brett Callwood treats the band’s story not just as an early chapter in the career of its famous front man, Iggy Pop, but from the Stooges’ beginnings at the end of the 1960s, to its end in the early 1970s, and to its reunion in 2003 through the present. In compiling this exhaustive account of the band’s history, Callwood interviewed all of the central and sometimes Stooges members, including Iggy Pop, Ron and Scott Asheton, James Williamson, Mike Watt, Steve Mackay, and Scott Thurston, and largely lets the band tell its own story in numerous long quotes. Callwood details the band’s genesis as teenage friends in Ann Arbor, their time living together in their legendary party houses in the 1960s, and the recording of the three original Stooges albums. He examines the addition of James Williamson to the band on Raw Power and how it changed the band’s sound and dynamic, along with the band’s fateful meeting with David Bowie on its first British tour. As Iggy broke out as a solo artist during the 1970s and 1980s, Callwood charts the Asheton brothers’ post-Stooges experiences, with Ron’s turns in The New Order, Destroy All Monsters, and Dark Carnival, and Scott Asheton’s time with the Farleys and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band. He also provides an overview of Iggy’s solo career, the seeds of a reunion that were planted with a collaboration on Iggy’s Skull Ring album, and the eventual reformation of the band and the recording of their fourth album, The Weirdness, in 2004. Originally published in the U.K. in 2007, The Stooges: Head On has been revised to expand on the original story and also to consider Ron Asheton’s untimely death in 2009 and his musical legacy, the band’s fate without Ron, and the Stooges’ long-overdue introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Fans of the Stooges and those interested in the roots of punk music will enjoy this intimate and informative volume.

* Never before published photos of Iggy Pop and The Stooges at the height of their fame* A must-have for any dedicated fan* Incredible stills from this phenomenal gig, hidden away and unseen until now "Ed's photos take us behind the scenes and in the middle of the action. I always felt like I was being transported to the location of the shot, and was experiencing it all first hand. The Stooges Funhouse sessions are my favorite rock photos of all time. I wanted to be those guys. Those images have stayed with me my entire life and continue to inspire me to this day !!!!!" - John VarvatosIn May 1970, The Stooges were in the middle of recording their celebrated album, Fun House at Elektra Records Recording Studio in Los Angeles. That same month, they appeared at the Whisky a Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard for two incredible nights. Ed Caraeff, a new rock photographer who had burst onto the scene three years prior with his now-iconic image of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar onstage at Monterey, happened to be in that crowd, and took a plethora of wonderful pictures. Only a few stills from that phenomenal gig were ever reproduced. Most famously, one was used on the cover of Fun House. The rest were filed away. Until now.Ed Caraeff's coverage of this monumental moment is reprinted here for the first time in book form. He not only captures the energy, madness and raw power of Iggy Pop's performance, but also the preceding minutes before the band stepped onto stage and made history. Along with images and contact sheets, original interviews shed new light on that unforgettable night. Interviewed by pop-culture historian Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, names include Jac Holzman, Head of Elektra Records during the recording of Fun House; Mikael Maglieri, son of Mario Maglieri, owner of the Whisky a Go-Go when The Stooges played in 1970; Danny Fields, a DJ/publicist credited for signing MC5 and The Stooges; and Jeff Gold, music historian and noted Iggy Pop biographer. A tribute to the band that rocked the world, Iggy & The Stooges: One Night at the Whisky, 1970 will revolutionize your view of music.

The Stooges were formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, outside Detroit. They created three classic albums between 1969 and 1973: The Stooges, Fun House and Raw Power. Despite a lack of commercial success, the band attracted a small, devoted following and laid a musical foundation that would influence generations of artists. The Stooges' music was raw, primal, exciting, and the unique, but it was the compelling stage presence of the band's singer, Iggy Pop, that made them legendary. Stooges' performances were unpredictable, with the singer inciting audiences to react and making it impossible for them to remain complacent. He was passionate, fearless and, at times, expressed himself in genuinely frightening ways, performing self-mutilation, stage dives, crowd surfing and rushing into the audience to confront hecklers or spontaneously interact with anyone offstage who struck his fancy. Iggy tore down the barriers that traditionally existed between audience and performer, forcing the audience to become part of the overall performance. But by 1974, he was locked into an orbit of self-annihilation and drug abuse which led, ultimately, to the demise of the band in February of that year. This book explores, in depth, all the concerts the Stooges played 1967-74, bringing the live experience to life through eyewitness accounts, press reports and other source materials, to present an unprecedented account of the Stooges' performances during this period.

"A narrative and photographic account of the career of the popular slapstick team in vaudeville, movies, and television"--Amazon.