MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band

A riveting oral biography of the proto-punk Detroit rockers MC5, based on original interviews with the band and key members of their inner circle Few bands have dared to ignite a revolution through their fusion of activism and art like MC5. Managed by the charismatic radical and hippie spokesman, John Sinclair, MC5 wasn’t just a band; they were a thunderous proclamation of dissent, amplifying the voices of the marginalized long before it was fashionable. From championing racial equality to rallying for cannabis legalization, they fearlessly thrust their beliefs onto the world stage. For their efforts, the rabble-rousing musical arm of the White Panther Party, the scourge of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and other defenders of public decency, were often beaten with clubs, threatened at gunpoint, tossed into jail, and even unceremoniously dumped by their record company, right as their album was storming up the charts—and all while the Sex Pistols... A riveting oral biography of the proto-punk Detroit rockers MC5, based on original interviews with the band and key members of their inner circle Though theres long been a connection between music politics, few bands have dared to ignite a revolution through their fusion of activism and art like the MC5. The fiery progenitors of Detroit punk, didnt just straddle the linethey bulldozed through it. Managed by the charismatic Sixties radical and hippie spokesman, John Sinclair, MC5 wasnt just a band; they were a thunderous proclamation of dissent, amplifying the voices of the marginalized long before it was fashionable. From championing Black Lives Matter to rallying for cannabis legalization, they fearlessly thrust their beliefs onto the world stage fifty years before those topics became part of the mainstream discussion.And for their efforts, the rabble-rousing musical arm of the White Panther Party, the scourge of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and other defenders of public decency, were often beaten with clubs, threatened at gunpoint, and tossed into jail. The police regularly raided MC5 shows, record stores were busted for selling their albums, and the group was unceremoniously dumped by its record company, even as their record was storming up the chartsall this transpiring while the Sex Pistols were still on training wheels. What has been lost amidst this notoriety is MC5 itself, a band worth remembering not because they were bad boys, but because they wereso damn good. In An Oral Biography of Rocks Most Revolutionary Band,music journalists Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki invite readers to reconsider this legendary band in a new light. Centered around a series of interviews with MC5 and their inner circlemany of whom are no longer with usthat Tolinski and Uhelszki inherited fromCreem Magazine founding staffer and Mojo's US editorBed Edmonds prior to his death, this book presents a genuinely candid, funny, and moving portrait of rocks most uncompromising and articulate band. In addition to new insights on the band members and their manager,MC5also features a virtual whos who of Sixties rock musicians, including Iggy and the Stooges, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, promoter Bill Graham, John Lennon, the Jefferson Airplane, and political firebrands like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, and Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver. As innovative, insightful, and inspiring as the band itself,MC5is a fitting testament to the legacy of these iconic rock pioneerstold in their very own words.