Silicon Valley's secret rock star

    Aside from the occasional query from his teenage son's friends, Williamson rarely confronted his old identity; it remained in the past, surfacing only in gritty YouTube footage and Stooges retrospectives. Things might have stayed that way had he not decided in 2001 to watch Iggy play a solo concert in the Bay Area. Iggy remembers his backstage encounter with Williamson: "I thought, boy -- he looks great. He looked clean-cut," he says. "Before he left, he said to me, 'Yes, Jim, it's true: I'm a nerd.'"

    They stayed in touch. Williamson told Iggy when he was named to the board of the IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Iggy joked that the former guitarist was also on the board of the "IGGY." The Stooges reunited in 2003 and toured until January 2009, when their original guitarist, Ron Asheton, died. Iggy called Williamson and asked whether he would consider rejoining the band to recreate the lineup from Raw Power. Williamson initially said no, but he kept thinking about the offer. "The band couldn't do this without me," he says. "They were running out of Stooges." A couple of months later he decided to take an early retirement package from Sony and spent the next few months practicing with local musicians.

    The guitarist, now 60 years old, hasn't completely switched gears again; he still consults with Sony during the day and keeps in touch with his former colleagues, some of whom have attended Stooges shows. The band, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last spring, now performs for arena-size crowds -- a far cry from the cramped, jeering rooms they used to play in. Williamson is currently touring in Europe. He says his return to rock music, while somewhat belated, has been seamless. "I was like Rip Van Winkle," he says. "I woke up, and it was a different time, but it was the same me." Only this time, he adds, he wears a suit jacket onstage.