“I Wanna Be Your Dog”
by Sky Sunlight Saxon
2008 song
It’s not often that Sky Saxon’s version of a song is anything less than the most insane version, but nobody could outdo The Stooges’ 1969 original of "I Wanna Be Your Dog". However, Sky’s 2008 attempt is spectacular thanks in large part to his excellent band and his wonderful vocals.
Sky’s take, on the LP The King Of Garage Rock, is actually meatier than Iggy and the gang’s. Meaning, the guitar has a heavy weight that the famous original, with its pinched and far fuzzier tone, avoids. It actually allows the chord changes, simple as they are, to be heard better. This new version of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" was never going to challenge the superiority of the original and it wasn’t mean to; it’s an homage to a style that Sky knew and loved well.
At any rate Sky could probably be coaxed into singing just about any song dealing with dogs since he worshiped canines and sang about them often. And despite Mr. Flower Power seeming to be from a different generation than 1960s-killing Iggy, don’t forget that their careers overlapped: when this song came out in 1969 The Seeds were still around and releasing good records. There is an admiration and a love in Sky Sunlight Saxon’s "I Wanna Be Your Dog" – it’s right up his alley and is arguably the best thing on The King Of Garage Rock.
