Ron Asheton, founding guitarist for proto-punk pioneers the Stooges, was found dead at his home this morning. Asheton’s buzzsaw guitar, combined with Iggy Pop’s snarling vocals, shaped the sound that would come to be known as punk rock, as other mold-breaking bands they influenced — including the Ramones and Sex Pistols — took up their mantle in the mid-70s. To me, he was one of the guitarists whose playing I sought to emulate — and I still stand in awe…









