The Stooges/The Cynics
‘Austin City Limits’ studio/Antone’s Records, Friday, March 16
Seeing the Stooges perform for a morning radio broadcast on Seattle’s KEXP was a bit like watching Iggy Pop yuk it up with Dinah Shore. Nevertheless, the band created a formidable racket in plowing through four songs off their middling new album, The Weirdness. “ATM” and “My Idea of Fun” packed more punch in a live setting thanks to bassist Mike Watt throwing himself into the songs as the group’s legendary frontman contorted about the stage. Still, the Stooges should’ve spent more than eight days recording The Weirdness, as Iggy revealed in the interview segment. Heading up the Drag, their were no such hairs to split at the Cynics‘ Antone’s Records in-store, where ? & the Mysterians were a no-show. Guitarist (and Get Hip Records impresario) Gregg Kostelich and bug-eyed/tambourine-torturing vocalist Michael Kastelic were joined by members of Austin’s own Ugly Beats on a mad run through crowd-pleasing faves like “Baby What’s Wrong, “Get My Way,” and “Yeah!” By set’s end, not getting to hear the Stooges do “No Fun” wasn’t such a big deal anymore.
This article appears in March 16 • 2007.
