The Stooges: Rock originals

ALEX VAN DYNE’s snobbish indictment of the Stooges [Letters, March 11] is even less acceptable than Robert Hilburn’s snobbish idea that the likes of the Rascals and Blondie should not have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [“De-ductive Reasoning,” March 11]. It is not justifiable to degrade as insignificant any artist or song simply because of basic, crude, limited musical skills (or production). Otherwise, we might as well write off “Rumble,” “Louie Louie,” “You Really Got Me,” “Wild Thing,” “Wooly Bully,” and all early punk rock altogether.

Many influential artists in rock history received little or no airplay and sold poorly in their heyday (Velvet Underground, Big Star, New York Dolls, Nick Drake, e.g.). But this shouldn’t reduce their level of importance to below that of a garden weasel. Hit singles and mass popularity are not insightful, in-depth barometers by which to measure one’s artistic value.

I’ve heard loads of Stooges cover versions over the past three decades, which indicates that Van Dyne may not listen to as wide a variety of music as some of us “losers” do.

The major problem with contemporary bands is not a reduction in talent or musical virtuosity, it’s a lack of originality and the fact that rock ‘n’ roll is no longer a new music with fresh turf to strip mine, so individual listeners just have to latch on to whatever artists or tunes strike a responsive chord.

Lastly, Van Dyne’s comparison of the Stooges to Wynton Marsalis is crack-brained, since they work in two totally different musical genres and travel different roads emotionally and conceptually, though it should be pointed out that Iggy Pop is a confessed fan of Miles Davis.

JAMES NOLAN

Los Angeles