“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” – Hunter S. Thompson

I don’t write much about music, largely because most new stuff leaves me unimpressed. I also don’t buy many CDs, since I hate giving money to such a filthy, corrupt industry. There is, though, a very short list of artists who always command my attention, and Iggy Pop is at the top of that list.

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new Iggy & the Stooges album coming out on March 6th, a month before Iggy’s 60th birthday and 34 years after their last album. Early reviews are good, and I am hopeful. To me, the Stooges ARE rock ‘n’ roll. Their original three albums are my personal Holy Trinity, and the tattered fragments of their never-recorded follow-up to Raw Power (as heard on Metallic K.O. and other live recordings) show that they still had unfinished business when they broke up.

The new album doesn’t include any of those earlier songs, which is a little unfortunate. I didn’t expect them to pick up right where they left off in 1974, but “Open Up & Bleed,” in particular, deserved a proper studio recording. Instead, they have a full album of brand-new material. And I know damned well that they can still play; I saw them here in Detroit in ‘03 and was thoroughly impressed. Iggy’s still a maniac showman, the Brothers Asheton are in top form, and new bassist Mike Watt isn’t filling in for anybody; he IS a Stooge.

So for the first time in years, I’m genuinely excited about a new album. Long live the Stooges!