A man who really needs no introduction...However, he is 1 of the hottest guitar players of all time who put the "raw" in 'RAW POWER,' played a major role in the making of that record which is now considered a bonafide classick, and along with Iggy Pop, pretty much wrote the book on "sex, drugs, and rock n' roll"; James "The Skull" Willamson!

We had a rare oppurtunity to send James these 10 questions...and he was gracious enough to answer them. Thanks to him for his time in doin' this!

This is an exclusive feature of 'the official stooges my space page.' Reproduction of this interview is only upon the written consent of 'the official stooges myspace page' and it's administration. Unauthorized reproduction is punishable by law.

Without further ado..."Anytime, James...anytime!"

The Stooge Staffel: Take us back to 1972...you arrive in London with Iggy Pop hungry for blood, so to speak. What was going through your mind at that point?

James Williamson: Well, first off..."hungry for blood" was hardly the situation. I was just getting over a case of hepatitus and hadn't really played in a band for several months now since the Stooges broke up.

We had both been detained by customs since neither of us had much money on us and looked fairly undesirable.

Once we got settled, we set out to put together a band. We were thinking that we could certainly find some guys among the many musicians in London at the time. However, since the Stooges was a sort of "home grown" style, we couldn't find anyone we liked. So, as you know, we asked the Asheton Brothers to come over, switching Ron over to bass in the process.

I personally felt very excited to be rehearsing and eventually recording an album as this was my first real studio effort.

London at this time was all about TREX and before him Rod Stewart. Later it would evolve (while we were there) to David Bowie. We were in the midst of this yet were very alienated at the same time as this highly stylized approach was very different than our "lay it on the line" approach.

But, we were in our twenties, getting paid, getting laid and having fun....what more can you ask for?

The SS: What were the 'Raw Power' sessions like as a whole?

James: They were incredibilly effortless and fun for me. I had never made a real studio record before so this was all pretty new for me. Of course, we had done many demos up to that point so the studio itself wasn't new per se, but the whole experience was wonderful and we liked the studio (Columbia) and the engineer very well. Things went very smoothly on that album.

The SS: How long did the album take to record, and why?

James: Honestly, I can't recal how long it took but I'm guessing between 3 and 5 weeks if you include the mixing and so forth. Of course the album was remixed in LA by Bowie, but that's a differant story.

The SS: What were the main inspirations for the 'Raw Power' album, and why?

James: Rock and Roll...I wrote most of Raw Power's music in my room on 19 Seymour Walk (near the Kings Road) which is where we lived much of the time while in London.

I was inspired by all of the usual interests in wine, women and song. I just felt a certain way about things and was able to express this in my songs. Later, Iggy would put the lyrics to them and some of them we hung onto and recorded as Raw Power.

The SS: Why was most of the public as well as the music biz frightened and even repulsed by you guys?

James: Well, first off, it was London and the English seem to be frightened by everything back then...they've toughened up since.

Also, we were a very upfront, in-your-face band and there really weren't any others like this at the time. The thought of having a rock and roll singer get into the audience and get up close and personel as unheard of prior to this.

The repulsed part might have been that most people wanted to be entertained and we weren't really about that...we were more about the "experience" of us and our music. It wasn't a show, it was the real thing we were doing and we would make it up as we went along, to some degree.

The SS: In seeing photos of you from back in '72 to '74, you're wearing black nail polish, white make-up, ratty black hair, and the like. In your opinion, did you invent or inspire a look that many bands have since copied (most notably Marilyn Manson, Motley Crue, and the Murderdolls)?

James: I have no idea. I guess I could have (is that a good thing?) Certainly many people wore black nail polish and so forth....I did try a very extreme use of makeup which must have been a little different, but worked somehow.

The SS: A lot of bands nowadays claim influence from your work with Iggy and the Stooges. Which band (or bands) actually does a credible job of carrying on the legacy without just copying what you guys did?

James: Yea, I've heard some of them. I think that best one I've heard is the Red Hot Chili Peppers doing Search and Destroy...that was good. I didn't much care for Guns & Roses Raw Power, but was glad they did it.

The SS: There's a long standing rumor that Columbia Records professionally recorded your gig in New York on New Year's Eve 1973. Is this true or false and how did this rumor come about?

James: Perhaps where that came from is the we rehearsed at CBS studios (Columbia) for that gig. Maybe the two got confused.

The SS: Speaking of the above gig, a band (who would later became 1 of the most popular acts in the world) called KISS was on the bill. Did you see them becoming as big as they got, and why or why not?

James: I don't even remember them at all.

The SS: Nikki Sixx, bass player/songwriter of Motley Crue (and a long time Iggy and the Stooges fan)is releasing a book called 'The Heroin Diaries' which chronicles his drug addiction. Would you be interested in writing a book of a similar nature, why or why not?

James: No, I wouldn't be interested and if I was, such a book wouldn't be very interesting as I was never a herion addict, so while exposed to many drugs...my drug use was very exagerated by the myth. I certainly hope I haven't perpetuated drugs to other generations, but I probably have.

The SS: Please rate the following guitarists in order...

James: The top 3 are interchangable

Jeff Beck
Jimi Hendrix
Keith Richards
Jimmy Page
Marc Bolan-underrated for guitar but very innovative.
Lou Reed-but mainly for his songwriting not so much for guitar playing
Johnny Thunders-Cool guy and my friend

Thanks again to James Williamson for doing this interview...and ya never know, you might see another 10 questions from James in the future...so stay tuned.

Sincerely,

-The Stooge Staffel.

© 2006 The Official Stooges My Space Page.