James Williamson
Following his reunion with the Stooges, JW returns with The Pink Hearts, his latest crew of ne’er–do–wells.
James Williamson sealed his legend as a punk-presaging lead guitarist on
Iggy And The Stooges’ landmark 1973 album Raw Power. Following The Stooges’ collapse, Williamson temporarily abandoned rock’n’roll for a second career as an electronics engineer in Silicon Valley. After reuniting with The Stooges in 2009, he released Re-Licked with guest vocalists (Bobby Gillespie, Lisa Kekaula et al), before getting together with the
Pink Hearts, who are about to release their debut album, Behind The Shade.
Your guitar provides Behind The Shade’s backbone, but its rhythmic and melodic elements predominate. Was Raw Power’s incendiary style the sound of a young gunslinger forging a reputation? That’s what it was. It wasn’t conscious, just the way I was playing in those days. But by the same token, I don’t have anything to prove any more so I’m not trying to impress. I design my soloing now to best serve the songs.
How intense did things get during your first era with The Stooges?
Were there moments when you feared for your life?
Some of that stuff with the bikers at The Rock ’n’ Roll Farm [in Wayne, Michigan, 1974, when Iggy offered to take on the entire Scorpions motorcycle gang] and Metallic KO, those were some scary shows. We were lucky to get out of there with our lives. And we certainly didn’t get paid. It’s tough being a musician, especially one that’s playing small venues.
Your aggression on Raw Power is extraordinary. How did you channel that highly charged, emotional side of your personality during your years working outside of music? I just grew up and learned how to deal with things. I was a very emotional teenager, and that guitar style evolved from me using the guitar as an emotional outlet for myself during some really troubled years.
You can hear the teenage angst, but I guess playing in The Stooges was enough to make anyone grow up fast. [Laughs] Well, it was a fine experience, but I’m glad it’s over.
Why did Straight
James go straight? Moving from Motor City rock’n’roll to Silicon Valley electronic engineering is a complete change of career and lifestyle.
I was fed up with rock’n’roll. The band had been a complete failure – we couldn’t make a living. So Bowie took Iggy under his wing, over to Europe, and I decided to stop flogging the horse. I got interested in electronics while working as a recording engineer, and happened upon an Imsai 8080, a really primitive early computer with front-panel switches, and decided, “Wow! This is cool. Where did this come from?” It was exciting to me in a way rock’n’roll wasn’t any more, so I decided: “I wanna design these things.”
“I don’t have anything to prove any more.”
It’s another way of reinventing the future by your own creative means.
I lucked out because, as it turned out, it was, and I was able to get a front-row seat at the birth of the personal computer, the internet. It was an astonishing place to be and I had a small role, so it’s been a good ride. But now here I am, back playing rock’n’roll. I’ve got a new album out, so it’s all come full circle, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. IF
The Pink Hearts’ album Behind The Shade is out now via Leopard Lady.