Although
nobody realised it at the time, the historic importance of the MC5 is
vast. Often considered a ‘post-punk’ band along with fellow
Detroiters The Stooges as well as Big Apple natives the New York Dolls
and the Velvet Underground, the influence of the MC5 reaches far and
wide, with everyone from Green Day, The White Stripes, Motorhead,
Ramones, Rage Against The Machine and Bad Brains citing them.
Fuelled
by the radical politics of the White Panther party, the MC5 preached
revolution and were often a target for the authorities. Having released
three albums between 1969 and 1971, two of the band passed away and
guitarist Wayne Kramer spent time behind bars for drug-related offences.
Thirty years of low-key solo projects followed, before the band reunited
in the new Millennium for a one-off show that turned into a full-on
reunion. The book details not only the seismic impact that they’ve had
on music, but also the social climate in which they evolved.
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