The Stooges - The Weirdness

As much as personal perception can influence facts, it can only go so far; in this case, not far enough to overshadow the fact that The Weirdness is terrible.

I’ve never been a big fan of the Stooges. I’ve heard a decent amount of their songs, and enjoy most of them, but I only know Raw Power well. I’m more familiar with the Stooges as a historical term: as a band that helped define, if not outright create, punk rock. Since I’m more familiar with the Stooges as a part of history rather than as an experience of music, it’s difficult for me to grasp just why their first record in 30 plus years, The Weirdness, is so bad. 

Reunion records, generally speaking, are never a good idea. But, I don’t think this was exactly a “reunion record.” Sure, it was their first record in many years, but the term “reunion” implies that a combination of money and nostalgia led to a band reforming; and I don’t think that was the case with the Stooges (though, again, this is mostly from my concept of the Stooges). The Weirdnesshas the feel of natural reunion. The Stooges sound like they’re having fun playing together, not playing together for the sake of making money. It’s just their fun turned out to be a pretty shitty record. 

Iggy Pop’s lyrics are absolutely the worst part about this record. Thousands of examples from The Weirdness show just how awful Pop’s lyrics are, but the chorus of “My Idea of Fun” perfectly encapsulates his dreadful lyrics: “My idea of fun / Is killing everyone.”  Not that I expected poetry from Iggy Pop, but these lyrics sound like a suburban middle school kid wrote them, not somebody who’s pushing 60 years old. Though, it’s tough to notice what he’s saying; his vocals just sort of drift by, unnoticed within the music. Though Pop’s presence on The Weirdness is awful, the rest of the band does little to pick up the slack. Where their earlier recordings had chaotic, noise-for-the-sake-of-making- noise energy, The Weirdness sounds forced. Instead of being the dangerous band they were, it feels like they are trying to be the band they were. 

I wouldn’t have expected a band like the Stooges to make such an unlistenable record. Their legacy would suggest they are incapable of making something so inexplicably bad. Of course, it’s my concept of the Stooges that makes this hard to understand. As much as personal perception can influence facts, it can only go so far; in this case, not far enough to overshadow the fact that The Weirdness is terrible. 

(Virgin Records)