David Michael Alexander (June 3, 1947 – February 10, 1975) was an American musician, best known as the original bassist for influential

protopunk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated wi ...

band

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

Biography

After his family relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan, from

Whitmore Lake, Michigan Whitmore Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community spans the boundary between Green Oak Township in Livingston County and Northfield Township in Washtenaw County. The popul ...

, Alexander attended Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, where he met brothers

Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

and

Scott Asheton Scott Randolph Asheton (August 16, 1949 – March 15, 2014) was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band the Stooges. Asheton was born in Washington, D.C. and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan with his family at the age of ...

. "Zander" (as Alexander was known) dropped out after 45 minutes on the first day of his senior year in 1965 to win a bet. Later in 1965, Ron sold his motorcycle and they went to England to see

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

and to "try and find

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

". Alexander and the Asheton brothers soon met Iggy Pop and formed The Stooges in 1967. Although Alexander was a total novice on his instrument, he was a quick learner and subsequently had a hand in

arranging In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

, composing and performing all of the songs that appeared on the band's first two albums, ''

'' and ''

Fun House A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fu ...

''. He is often credited by Pop and was credited by the late Ron Asheton in interviews with being the primary composer of the music for the Stooges songs "We Will Fall", "Little Doll" (both on ''The Stooges''), "Dirt" and "1970" (both on ''Fun House''). Alexander was fired from the band in August 1970 after showing up at the

Goose Lake International Music Festival The Goose Lake International Music Festival held August 7–9, 1970 in Leoni Township, Michigan, "was one of the largest music events of its era", and featured many of the top rock music bands of the period. History Facilities and planning The ...

too drunk to play. After his dismissal, Alexander was replaced by bassists

Zeke Zettner Thomas "Zeke" Zettner (September 21, 1948 – November 10, 1973) was a member of the American rock band the Stooges. Zettner had originally been a roadie for the band, but replaced original Stooges bassist Dave Alexander after their second album ...

and

Jimmy Recca Jimmy Recca (born 1953) is an American musician known as a former bass player in The Stooges via an incarnation that existed from early 1971 until their first break-up on July 9, 1971. After a brief period of non-musician roadies filling the vacan ...

, though Ron Asheton played bass on the first studio album post-Alexander, ''

Raw Power ''Raw Power'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Stooges (credited as Iggy and the Stooges), released on February 7, 1973 by Columbia Records. The album departed from the "groove-ridden, feel-based songs" of the band's first two ...

''. Alexander remained close friends with both Asheton brothers, as well as with

Bill Cheatham Bill Cheatham was a roadie for the band Stooges, and in 1970 joined the group on second guitar. Cheatham was a childhood friend of Ron Asheton, and was a member of the group during the time in which the band played at Ungano's Club in New York Ci ...

, who was a

roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This ca ...

and high school friend of both Alexander and the Asheton brothers. Alexander did not join another band after his dismissal from The Stooges.

Death

Alexander died of

pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive liquid accumulation in the tissue and air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia and respiratory failure. It is due t ...

in 1975, at the age of 27 in Ann Arbor, after being admitted to a hospital for

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic pancr ...

, which was linked to his

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

.''Open Up and Bleed'',

Paul Trynka Paul Trynka is a British rock journalist and author. He was the editor of the music magazine ''Mojo'' from 1999 to 2003, and has also worked as editorial director of '' Q'' and editor of ''International Musician''. In 2004, he edited publisher D ...

(Little Brown 2007)

References in songs

Mike Watt mentions Alexander by name in his song "The Angel's Gate," on his 2004 album ''

The Secondman's Middle Stand ''The Secondman's Middle Stand'' was Mike Watt's third solo album and the first full-length recording that he had made under his own name since the release of '' Contemplating The Engine Room'' in 1997. The storyline for the nine-track album par ...

'', by which time Watt had replaced Alexander in the reformed Stooges. At Watt's first performance with the Stooges at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in May 2003, he wore a Dave Alexander

t-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are general ...

as a tribute. Iggy Pop references Alexander in the spoken intro to "Dum Dum Boys" on his 1977 album ''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69. The title is an ...

'':

References

External links

The Lost Stooge: Chasing the Ghost of Dave Alexander
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Dave 1947 births 1975 deaths American punk rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Musicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan The Stooges members Protopunk musicians Guitarists from Michigan American male guitarists 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Deaths from pulmonary edema Alcohol-related deaths in Michigan

Biography

Death

References in songs

See also

References

External links