Lust For Life....Insurance?

Well...yes, and here we go again. Almost an epic week for Rough Trade to have started its new blog, what with David Bowie, Scott Walker and Arthur Scargill all having their birthdays (Syd Barrett too, if he was still with us) and Florian Schneider leaving Kraftwerk after forty years - strange to see him listed as a 'former member' on their wikipedia page, let's just hope that Ralf doesn't start talking about him like he was Ross McLochness. I imagine them being pretty much like an old married couple, bickering away for years until finally Florian snaps, "It's the bikes or me!" But these events were obviously overshadowed by two other, strangely connected, events. The first is me spitting out half a cup of tea when Iggy Pop bounced onto my Tv screen halfway through 'Coronation Street', with the express aim of selling me life insurance. Now hold on here, Ig, I'm not the one cutting my chest open onstage and picking fights with Hells Angels, so don't be telling me that I need life cover. The second is obviously the death of former fellow Stooge Ron Asheton, aged 60, from a heart attack, hopefully not bought on by him seeing Iggys advert. Though who knows? Imagine having been the guitarist in The Stooges, one of the most insanely uncompromising bands that ever roared out of Detroit (and from that city, you've got some pretty stiff competition), having made a record as out there and on-the-edge as 'Fun House' only to have your ex-vocalist turning up in some weird MTV editors nightmare of an advert telling you to buy life insurance. Surely the ultimate two fingers to that notion is to have a heart attack and not bother with that 'life' shit anymore? Not that I'm recommending this as a lifestyle choice, you understand, just that when you're Ron Motherfucking Asheton, you always have to go just a little bit further than anyone else. So, Ron R.I.P. - more rock 'n' roll than Iggy right to the end.