Formed in 1964 by guitarists Kramer & Smith as the Bounty Hunters they recruit Rob Tyner on vocals (originally wanted to be their manager) who comes up with the name MC5 and recruit Michael Davis (bass) and Thompson (drums). The name MC5 is thought up by Tyner and chosen because it sounds like a car part and also stands for Motor City 5 which is apt because the band emanate from the tough city of Detroit a city famed for its car industry and simmering racial tensions in mid sixties America. The band play play offs, battle of the bands and any gig they can get taking an aggressive, competitive edge to these events honing their skills, performance and solidarity but without much success. However with the burgeoning hippy scene the band's fortunes take a turn for the better when they take on John Sinclair, leader of the Trans Love Commune, as their manager. Sinclair was a major figure Detroit's counter culture and had served two prison terms for marijuana related offences.
It was a mutual need. Sinclair himself was looking for a rock 'n' roll band as the ideal medium to turn large numbers of young people onto the possibility for change. With Sinclair on board the band take on an increasingly overtly political stance allying themselves with revolution against a background of steamrollering metal music that incorporated elements of avant garde jazz, rock and blues. In terms of radicalisation Sinclair and the Trans Love Commune had now formed and become involved with the more radical White Panther Party based on the Black Panthers a new radial black paramilitary movement that had sprung into existence to protect the rights of blacks as tensions simmered. The belief was that armed revolution was inevitable! Events seemed to be bearing this out as they reached boiling point in Detroit in 1967 when the Detroit Race Riots occurred. Caused by the mainly white police force they were responsible for racial harassment and beatings and were known for their excessive brutality. In this period they became out of control and shot dead over forty people (mainly black). During the Riots 467 were injured, over 7000 arrests were made and more than 2,000 buildings were burned down. In the centre of all this the MC5 were living. As the riots progressed troops and tanks were brought in and Kramer recalls coming out of his door to find a tank pointing directly at him. Troops also assaulted the house though perhaps not surprising as the graffiti below was painted on the side of the house.
With Sinclair ostensibly the leader and Minister Of Information for the White Panthers a higher profile of propagating revolt was being undertaken by both him and the band and and the congregation of large groups of people and conveyance of a revolutionary counter society message through records and gigs. Around this time the group produce a series of promo shots (mildly homo erotic) posing topless with guitars and guns (and a sax!) This was a bold but dangerous move displaying themselves as hardened revolutionaries. In retrospect they considered this a mistake because they weren't. At the time they seriously considered death in an armed shoot out a possibility.
This and the publicised White Panther 10 Point Program couldn't fail to bring them to the attention of the authorities as a danger and their phones were illegally tapped and they were the subject of covert surveillance by the FBI. During the riots their group van was firebombed and their residence invaded by marines checking out reports of a sniper and who addressed Sinclair chillingly by name. They were marked men.
While they may not have been hardened revolutionaries, they had the cohones to go and play at the Chicago Democratic Conventioneer of 1968. While Crosby Still Nash & Young sang a song about it and the Doors name checked it in 'Peace Frog' other bands due to play failed to show. One band did and that was the MC5. As agent provocateurs mingled with the crowd and police and troopers massed ready to teargas and beat to a bloody pulp the protestors, the MC5 pumped out their hi energy white noise attuned to the whirring helicopters overhead. The atmosphere must have been incredible. Only the band held the crowd together.
As they finish their set and make a run for it violence and rioting erupt. The band make good their escape.
How much revolution was going on was questionable. For the MC5 as a young rock 'n' roll band point 2 of the Panther's 10 point program was perhaps the most pertinent and it annoyed Sinclair to hell that they actively pursued it and added getting wrecked on alcohol to it to boot. Unless stated quotes from 'Please Kill Me' by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. | ||||||||||||||
