Pitchfork

Iggy Pop and the reunited Stooges (with former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt replacing the late David Alexander) began recording their previously reported first studio album in 33 years last week at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studios, and, true to his description as "a sort of internet Pepys or Boswell, except without the gout and the syphilis" from the Stooges' rider dug up by the Smoking Gun last week, Watt had quite a bit to say about it.

Amidst detailed accounts of meals ("I'll go down all the breakfast meats, one at a time, each morning!"), an illness, digestive/excretive issues, worrying about playing his bass with a pick and "keeping my body flagpole-straight" while doing it, and lots of gear talk, Watt also wrote about the band's new songs in a series of diary entries on his website under the heading "'Secret Plan': Iggy Pop + The Stooges record an album". We assume "Secret Plan" is just the title he's given his diaries and not the name of the album. But who knows?
About the sessions as a whole, Watt said, "Seems this band is good and practiced so more takes don't make it better but kind of wears it out instead... Makes sense-- less takes is always more happening anyway, right? More feel that way, less robot."

Watt also had a little bit of insight into the habits of producer Steve Albini: "Steve looks like he relaxes with some online poker. He's got a laptop 'puter in front of a TV that uses TiVo to record card game and cooking shows and unwinds... Steve Albini makes the day's reference CDs and talks about his poker winnings. He said he made more at that the first six months of this year than from recording!"

In a recent interview with the Chicago Reader, Albini himself had some interesting things to say about another rumored Racon-tributor to the album, Jack White: "I really have no idea [if White will be involved]. There may be a point where an Edwardian carriage pulls up in front of the studio and Jack White and his footmen step out. By the way, I've never used the word 'footmen' in conversation before."