The next album was 'High
Times'. With a
hot reputation across the UK and Europe For the five the conquest of these
territories was the next big adventure. Paris, Germany. But...
A final
blow was Atlantic dropping them leaving them with no record company no
manager and no John Landau or Danny Fields to support them. The only thing
holding it together was
Ronan O’Rahilly ostensibly their manager from 1972
and owner of pirate ship Radio Caroline. The man according to Wayne Kramer
who ‘almost saved the MC5.'
It was
all going wrong; there no money, they were disconnected from home, their
fan base, country and they had lost the spiritual connection to the music and
each other. Fred smith and his wife lost a baby in a crib death. Michael
Davis got involved and lived with a gangster and a watched murder being
committed in his living room. Add to that a nice line in addictions - Dennis
had a junk problem as did Wayne . The band would play a gig then drive 250
miles back home just to cop some more dope. For
the more straight edge Rob Tyner watching this dissatisfaction was welling
up.These weren't fun times. Then
the five became 4 as Michael got fired from the band for yes junk. They got
an English bassist in Derek Hughes and went off to do some German gigs. 3
months later he went over to the states to join the band.
And then
the Five/Four were back in the UK for perhaps their strangest gig. A massive
gig at the Wembley stadium on a rock 'n' roll show that was full of 1950’s
Teds. There were 60,000 people there. So the MC5 unveiled their next move
for the future! Fred came out as Sonic Smith super hero, Kramer had painted
all his skin gold and Rob was in a gold lame jacket, massively backcombed
afro with glitter and tons of makeup. The teddy boys didn't like it and
threw cans and Rob made the fatal error of throwing one back which heralded
the onslaught of a rain of cans. “It was us versus them and there was way
more of them! Sometimes we made tactical mistakes (laughing)” Wayne Kramer
Back to
the US for more gigs then on the next visit to Europe Rob bailed out and at
the same time Dennis bailed out. The band got in another drummer – Ritchie
Dharama and they went over to Scandinavia and did the gigs as the MC5 except
there was four and really in all respects it was the MC2. Footage from the
time show Fred and Wayne looking at each other wearily knowing it was neither right
or righteous.
Getting
back to Detroit they were offered $500 to play the Grande on New years Eve
and the other guys came back and played. Wayne Kramer recalls wistfully the
night in 'A True Testimonial'.
The
scene of the great triumphs of the MC5, the wonderful gigs, the huge
crowds 3000 people would show up...the coloured lights and the promise
of the future, youthful enthusiasm, spirituality, John, White Panthers
and now ...same room...there might have been 250 people there and I had
a heroin habit.
As Wayne
Kramer played everything he hated about the band welled up and midway
through the gig he upped and walked out offstage and went to the dope house.
And that
was the end of the MC5...
Afterwards...
Fed
Smith formed Sonic Rendezvous and married Patti Smith. He died on Nov 4th
1994
Rob
Tyner formed a new MC5 and even recorded a single with the Hot Rods. He died
in September 18th 1991 and was buried in an MC5 Tshirt.
Michael
played with Ron Ashton in Destroy All Monster and served 2 years for drug
possession
Dennis
Thompson joined New Order
Wayne Kramer formed a
number of bands including Gang War with Johnny Thunders and is releasing
solo records to this day.
Recently
2006 the surviving member have been playing as DKT/MC5 and
ripping venues up still!
When the
shit was hitting the fan, at its most intense, when the police were at the
door, when the firebombs were flying when the riots going off , when the
Grande ballroom had 30000 crazed youths in it ...this was big fun, this was
fun...you don’t know fun until you’ve just finished having the wildest most
bizzarrest sex of your imagination to go downstairs and see your van being
firebombed! We’re talking fun! Wayne Kramer
Radical activist band or band caught in a
moment where their electric playing and act synergise with the time? The
below from Charles Shaar Murray gig at The Fox Croydon in 1972 captures it
perfectly. The band had that indefinable magic and music was the weapon for
change not allied to guns.
'The important thing in any revolutionary
activity' says Fred Smith, 'is the communication of the real
values'.'What we're concerned with is not so much a revolutionary
consciousness', continues Tyner, 'I think the consciousness that we're
concerned with, if you summed it up in a word, would definitively
encompass revolutionary in the sense of the change in the sense of
values that is needed right now, and that would be something that we
would term loving awareness, as opposed to a defensive awareness, which
is what most of the world functions in today, and always has. That was a
prime example of where John Sinclair's head was at, and that's why we
didn't agree with it. We knew it wasn't right, we knew it wasn't gonna
change things...''The most important thing for us to do', says Smith,
'is to try to project a loving awareness attitude. If I come to you and
I'm projecting a defensive awareness attitude, then I'm totally blocked
off to you, and there is no communication. In our situation as a group,
in our music, in our stage show, in the things we say on stage, we wish
to project this openness, this loving awareness, this sensitivity
towards a higher level of communication.' 'Vibrations, the art form we
are dealing with is literally vibrations', says Tyner, 'because we
produce sound vibrations. These sound vibrations come out of us, through
the circuitry of our instruments, out into the air and into you. You
don't have to know that rock and roll's being played, you just open the
door and walk in and immediately it comes into you. If it says something
to you on a vibrational level, you stay and you become more opened up by
it.'
In theory, the MC5 are just another
multi-megawatt heavy band. Kramer and Smith seem to concentrate on
playing with all the speed and volume they can muster Tyner's range is
minimal, and bassist Mike Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson are just
about adequate. Technically it sucks, and the whole thing is crass as
hell. But it works, I'm dancing. Something happens when the MC5 get it
on that only happens when the very best bands get it on. What makes it
happen is that the MC5 understand rock and roll, and they understand it
well. They are masters of kinetic excitement, they know how to open a
song at maximum power and then build from there, and that is what makes
them a better show than many a band whose technical ability may be
infinitely higher. Charles Shaar Murray
http://makemyday.free.fr/cream.htm
Remember the MC5 like below and if don't fail to move
you - you really don't understand music
"Truth and Love are my Law and Worship
Form and Conscience are my Manifestation and Guide
Nature and Peace are my Shelter and Companion
Order is my Attitude
Beauty and Perfection are my ATTACK." "Poison" - Wayne Kramer
