1974 Iggy Flyer from Annie's Collection
I got this great email from Annie in Hollywood who has a lot of history to share on some of our favorite rock musicians (some of my personal friends...). I thought I would share Annie's stories with my readers... KIM
I was close to the Stooges and the New Order. Here's how it went:
Sunset Blvd
I lived in this apartment in Hollywood called the Coronet in those days. When Iggy was deep in his heroin bullsh*t one night he needed money to buy dope so he came over to my place to borrow $25 (sounds like not much now, but minimum wage was $1.65 an hour then so do the math- office girls used to make $50 a week so that was a LOT of cash)
He was gonna leave me his famous pleather leopard jacket as 'colateral' for the loan. He had Max, the famous hollywood dope dealer and Stan Lee (later the lead singer of the punk band The Dickies) with him. I actually knew Stan from high school. When Max realized Iggy was about to hock that famous jacket to me for a hit (the jacket is featured on the Raw Power album cover...) he figured it was worth more than that. He stepped in, gave me back my cash and the group left my place. Stan ended up with that jacket and wore it until it was shredded.
Whatever else, that night, Iggy had noticed that we were in the middle of moving out. The stooges rented the place after I left. I had to come back for one last load (and it wasn't the first yet) but the landlord let them take the place and GAVE them what was left of my stuff.
So the stooges moved into 404 and got given a bunch of my sh*t. I used to go over there and get stuff from them as needed and pick up my mail. I thought it was great that the stooges were living in my old apartment... and truth to tell I never put in a change of address form at the post office so I could use getting mail as an excuse to visit the stooges. I was only 17 at the time, you know? It worked, I did get friendly with them. :)
The Stooges had this road manager at the time, a longtime old friend from Ann Arbor named Doug Currie... who became a lifelong friend of mine. Later, was still living in '404' (as the apartment was known) and the stooges were done and over with.
Then Dennis "Machinegun" Thompson of the MC5 was there (403) and it was now the time of Ron Asheton's New Order. Doug and I had an apartment nearby to them now, and we spent a lot of time hanging out with them while they were in LA around the spring of '75.
In late spring that year the New Order moved back to Michigan, and later I heard they broke up. Sad, because that band was a LOT of fun. I am still in touch with Doug Currie, but that is all.
I stayed in touch with Ron Asheton for years.... only in the last 2-3 years did I stop at least calling on his birthday and I am really cut up over Ron... *sigh* I don't know how much about me Machinegun (MGT) remembers. I have great memories I'd love to share if you care.
One that is hilarious: the weekend that MGT was staying at my apartment, there was a big movement afoot for all of us to scam free tickets to a concert... it was famous British band The Pretty Things.
Eventually, one of the bands from the lineup for the upcoming Pretty Things concert was playing another gig about 40 miles away so me and a friend went out there to hook up with someone connected with that group so we could have an "in" to get everyone (as in all the New Order crew) in to the upcoming gig (at the Shrine Auditorium) here in LA a few days later. Pay dirt.
I met this guy who was working with Blue Oyster Cult (Eric Weinstein) who was hassling me and my friend for being what he assumed was dumb groupie girls and he says you guys don't know real rock and roll... and I said "Sure I do." He said "Oh yeah? Ever herad of the MC5?" (what a silly crazy moment) and I said "Sure I have. They're my best friends. Machinegun Thompson is at my house right now."
Guy pretty much didn't believe me,, but got in our car and came home with us so I could walk him into my living room and introduce him to MGT. The guy was a big fan, and the upshot was he put us down on the guest list for that upcoming show as MGT plus whoever he shows up with.
Eric went on to be a big wheel at Interscope as far as I know... and had something to do with Dickie Manitoba's band the Dictators... (NYC) SO much fun.
So we all went to that show, and not only were the Pretty Things there, but Zeppelin were all backstage, it was a fantastic night.
Also funny that night was that I idly wandered by the backstage entrance at one point and Iggy was out there and wasn't on the list and he called out to me "Annie - tell them I'm OK" and I did so... what a feeling of power to say "yeah, Iggy's OK..." but that's how it was in those days.
Kimmer, I'll write you more stories when I think of them, glad we're in touch. Keep doing what you do and keep on rockin'.
Cheers,
annie
10 comments:
Question, is this the L.A. Annie of the same era mentioned in Paul Trynka's book?
And wow, a San Francisco Bimbo's flyer, cool.
wow* I remember seein' The Tubes at Masonic Aud?? and Fee Waybill comin' out on some Harley Chopper with some Chic in a Bikini singin' White Punks on Dope and yeah we were!! ;P
I was thinking New Order of Joy Division who we saw at St. Andrew's Hall - cool small Venue*
and Iggy at Motor City Roller Rink - unreal!! ;)
"GREAT STORY!"
In case you didn't know...I live vicariously through you!!!
wow very interesting .
oh by the way i went to see the Bermondsey Joyriders on saturday they were quite good very 70's feel to it ( i thought they would be more punk ) they had rat scabies on drums ( he's a mate of mine )
"Victim of circumstance ! Really good song (and good band)
If this was the Swan Song Label record company party for the Pretty Things to which Annamaryse refers, I was there too. I was almost knocked over by a drunken John Bonham careening across the room...
"WHOA! I had no idea that Iggy & Stooges played Bimbos San Francisco - with the Tubes! WOW!"
Thanks as always for your input. The original release of "Raw Power" was
done in 1973 so I am assuming that is when they changed their name if your
contact is correct. I tend to think that would be about the right time
frame for the change myself but just wanted to check with a few other people.
I sent a message to James but haven't heard from him yet. I am looking
for a date but no one I know seems to really know even though I have a ton of
Grande handbills and other flyers that mostly call them "The Stooges" or
"Psychedelic Stooges".
They are having a "roundtable discussion” here in Cincinnati on Sunday,
downtown at the main library discussing "Iggy & The Stooges" performance at
the Cincinnati Summer Pop Festival on June 13, 1970. They are screening a
film documenting this festival called “Midsummer Rock” but are calling “The
Stooges”, “Iggy & The Stooges”, in all the publicity in the local music
rags and local papers. I am just trying to determine if that was what they
were really called by this date. If not I would like to correct them.
It should be an interesting afternoon since Cincinnati is such a
conservative “farm town”. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
Peace,
Electric Mike
Excellent story. Loved it as always!
E.
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