The Weirdness

by

The Stooges

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The only thing disappointing about this album is the critical reaction to it. People who claim that "The Weirdness" tarnishes the Stooges legacy apparently aren't (or weren't) paying attention. What we have here is another critically panned record that rocks really hard. The same thing can be said of their first three records. The majority of people hated the Stooges the first time around and it looks like nothing has changed. So it looks to me like that particular legacy is pretty much intact.

If you don't think that this album rocks hard enough then I think that you may not be listening to it at the correct volume setting: maximum. Every song here hits hard and fast and is overpowering at high volume. If people tell you this album has no balls, or that the production is poor, don't believe it.

The truly disappointing thing about all of the dismissive reviews is that no one is actually bothering to analyze the material on the record. They seize on some of the dorkier lyrics and give the thumbs down. What we have on this record, as one of the better reviews has put it, is a profound cynicism. Iggy express hatred for mankind and human nature ("You Can't Have Friends", "My Idea of Fun"). He attacks religion ("Greedy Awful People", "No Christianity") and war ("My Idea of Fun") and links sex with money ("ATM" and "She Took Money"). Songs like "I'm Fried" and "Free and Freaky" also express the disaffected drop out attitude that we are familiar with from past Stooges material ("1969").

More important than the cynicism expressed throughout the album is the recurrent theme of weirdness that's explored in "Free and Freaky", "Mexican Guy" and, of course, the title track. "The Weirdness", one of two Bowie-esque tracks that add a touch of class to the proceedings, makes the point that modern life is inescapably weird. "Free and Freaky" celebrates that weirdness in an anthemic way, while "Mexican Guy" shows us how we got here. In "Mexican Guy" Iggy recounts a history of experiences that were influential to him. He mentions seeing Scarface in '75, and going to see Chuck Berry and Bobby Boris (Monster Mash). One line states "Saw Frank Zappa eat a lonely hot dog / heard Wild Thing played by the Troggs". Based on their influence on modern music you could argue that the Stooges are harbingers of the weirdness that we live with today, but this track suggests that the Stooges are part of a larger (counter) cultural continuum that has helped free us from the straight jacket of 50s squareness and left us with the bizarre world of today.

Stylistically this album is a lot like "Raw Power". In fact there is so much here that is Stooge-like that I'm baffled by reviewers who aren't seeing it. My favorite song, "She Took My Money", has Iggy delivering some sleazy lyrics while hooting and hollering the way we all know and love. Other songs, "I'm Fried" in particular, display the standard Stooges formula of ferociously grinding through a repetitive riff while the guitar and sax freak right out. Steve Mackay's horn work is great, adding the right touch of atmosphere or sonic blitz as needed, just like the old days. "Greedy Awful People" even has the old school hand claps!

I have to admit that the first time I heard this record I too thought some of the choruses sounded dorky, "Free and Freaky" in particular. It didn't take me long to realize that this song is to a great degree an MC5 tribute that would fit right in on "Back in the USA". (Why is it that no other reviewer has made this connection?) No one should go into a Stooges album looking for poetry. There's a reason they are called the Stooges. With additional listens, at increasing volume, I have fallen in love with this record. The sillier lines don't bother me at all. I actually get a kick out of shouting along to them as I'm trollin' down the street in my car playing the record at, you guessed it, full volume.

It seems to me that a Stooges record will always separate the men from the boys. I can't help but wonder if self proclaimed Stooges fans who hate this record are actually Stooges fans at all. It took 30 years for the first few critically panned records to become regarded as classics. Maybe if we give this one 30 years it will be safe enough to be embraced by all. In the meantime I'll be rocking right out. I've got tickets for the Boston show and I really feel sad for people who are passing on the opportunity to see such a great band that, 34 years later, are capable of a truly ferocious attack.

This is not the disaster some reviewers think it is. But the album disappoints because the band still is so much better than this record would lead you to believe. The recent live shows rank with the best shows ever - by any artist. The album on the other hand does not reflect the true power of the Stooges, which is a shame because obviously a LOT of work was put into the making of the album and the Asheton brothers' playing is as great as ever. The main problem I think lies with the production/the choice of producer and the mix. It's all just loud, but never hard, tough or aggressive. It's too clean, too perfect. It has none of the organic feel to it that the live stage sound has. Check "Telluric Chaos" (Live in Tokyo 2004) for the true Stooges sound. The recordings they did in 2005 for a Junior Kimbrough tribute CD also sound SO MUCH better than this album. Another problem is the songwriting, with some awkward lyric choices and weak hooks. Why is "Mind Room" the truly transcendent new song they did on tour last year not included? It's up there with their best work. It has everything this record lacks. The problem is not that the band are past their prime (which they are not - they are at the top of their game), the problem is that this record does not capture their true sound, their true qualities. One wishes Rick Rubin had produced the record, as originally planned.