In 1972, David Bowie offered Pop a chance to record in London; Pop promptly enlisted Williamson as a collaborator for the project. Having failed to find other suitable musicians during an intensive search, they eventually invited the Asheton brothers to join them and reformed The Stooges, with the elder Asheton reluctantly moving from guitar to bass. Ron Asheton would harbor a longstanding animus toward Williamson for several decades. In a 1997 interview with "Perfect Sound Forever", he reflected upon his relationship with Williamson at length, alleging that "James was into bad stuff. He wasn't into junk at that time but he fell right in line with THE EVIL PROGRAM. He was supposed to be a helper for me but he totally usurped my position and eventually, kicked me out from playing guitar."