Do I have to spell it out for you? It means The Stooges just finished recording that reunion album they've been talking about for so long. Iggy Pop, the Asheton brahs, and some replacement dude named Mike Watt are calling their new LP The Weirdness (Virgin). You've probably already guessed that Steve Albini produced it.
Obviously, all the kids are wondering how it's gonna sound. Speaking to Billboard, The Ig offered the following somewhat worrisome quote:
"At times, [the songs have] a lot of going for the fences," he continues. "But there's a great deal of structure and attention to detail. We were very prepared, and we always have been any time we stepped into a studio. Even the song 'L.A. Blues,' the last cut on 'Fun House,' was pretty much exactly what you would have heard if you'd seen us live the week before we recorded it."
Um, call me crazy, but isn't that the best thing about Fun House? Isn't that the very element that makes Raw Power live up to its name? I know Iggy's been clean for years now, and I'm nothing but happy for him — I mean, shit, the guy's a national treasure — but wasn't half the thrill of The Stooges the knowledge that performances were accompanied by gratis gore, courtesy of a broken cocktail glass? I reserve my judgment until I hear the album, though — and for the record, I really hope it's good.
In lieu of any real information about the track names that were recently revealed, let me give you my professional hypotheses on what the songs are about:
"Trollin' " — Little known fact: Iggy spends much of his now ample spare time on internet message boards. I don't think it comes as any surprise that he's kind of a bully.
"ATM" — This is Iggy's pet name for David Bowie. And yes, it's a love song.
"You Can't Have Friends" — And we can't have nice things.
"My Idea of Fun" — Is obviously performing shirtless.
"The Weirdness" — Refers to the fact that this album has actually been made.
"Greedy Awful People" — The arch nemesis of "Shiny Happy People."
