For the first time in many a year, Iggy Pop is planning on keeping a lower than usual profile."I definitely have no plans to be a touring musician for the next couple of years," Pop told Rolling Stone, "I've toured almost every year out of the past forty years," he continued, "I'll probably tour again at some point, but I don't know when and I don't know how."

This decision, no doubt, stems in part from the recent passing of Stooges drummer, and long time friend, Scott Asheton. The future of the legendary band, who reunited in 2003 and have been going strong ever since, seems very much up in the air.

"I don't want to say that I'm done with the band. I would just say that I feel like the group has always included the Asheton brothers," Pop explains. "When Ron passed away, Scott represented him. Nearly everything we play, Ron played on originally. I don't feel right now like there's any reason for me to go jumping out onstage in tight Levi's. What am I going to scream about?"

When original guitarist Ron Asheton passed away in 2009, Iggy recruited James Williamson, who had been a part of the band during the legendary 'Raw Power' years. But now with the passing of Scott, that leaves Pop as the sole original member.

Williamson, who is working on an album centered around previously unreleased Stooges songs, has issued a statement on the passing of Scott Asheton. "He was one of the good guys and a friend of mine," Williamson said in a press release. "My only comfort is that he reached out to me in an email about a week or two ago saying that he was thinking of me and the good times we had together and that he would like to make some music with me."

Iggy, obviously still shaken by the death of this friend, summed it up his way. "I just can't see the band playing in the near future. It would just be wrong. But if something comes up, you should be open to it. It depends on the feeling of the family and the surviving members. James Williamson was in the group and I've been there since it started. It would depend on the realities and the musical truth."

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