MC5: Sonically Speaking- A Tale of Revolution and Rock 'n' Roll

by Brett Callwood

Along with the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, and the New York Dolls, the MC5 are recognized in music circles as one of the bands that paved the way for punk rock. While the group did not reach the heights of national celebrity or financial success during their seven years together, their musical legacy has never been more celebrated―with recently reissued recordings and documentary footage, as well as an unlikely reunion tour. In Sonically Speaking, author Brett Callwood delves into the MC5's story from the band's beginnings in 1960s Detroit to its 1972 break-up, the post-MC5 fates of its members, and the eventual reunion that cemented its legacy.

Callwood interviews the band's surviving members and close associates to create a compelling firsthand picture of the MC5's history and its music. He introduces readers to the band's original members, Rob Tyner, Wayne Kramer, Fred "Sonic" Smith, Michael Davis, and Dennis Thompson, and links the power of the MC5 phenomenon to its early days as the raucous house band of Detroit's legendary Grande Ballroom. Callwood also traces the MC5's revolutionary political bent through their relationship with friend―and later, manager―John Sinclair, their firsthand experience of the 1967 Detroit riots, and the formation of Sinclair's White Panther Party. Callwood surveys the three classic albums that came out of the band's blend of political protest and hard driving rock 'n' roll, and he details the later projects of the ex-MC5 members, including Sonic's Rendezvous Band, the influential art-punk band Destroy All Monsters, and Wayne Kramer's solo recordings. He also recounts their personal struggles with drugs, incarceration, and estrangement from one another, as well as the untimely deaths of Smith and Tyner in the 1990s.

With the remaining members of the MC5 still making music and coming off a hugely successful string of performances as the DKT/MC5 in the last decade, Callwood proves that the band's story and their music are as intriguing and relevant as ever. Anyone interested in musical history, Detroit rock 'n' roll, or American popular culture of the 1960s and beyond will appreciate this candid and fascinating look at the MC5, which was originally published in the UK and is available for the first time in the US in this updated version.

Genres: Music, Biography, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Nestor Rychtyckyj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally – the ultimate MC5 book that answers all of those questions that have been asked repeatedly and not answered for far too long. For those of us that weren’t around to experience the original MC5 – this is the ultimate answer. In 230 pages, Brett Callwood (a relocated Britisher living in Detroit) does more than an admirable job in bringing the story of the MC5 and their fascinating history to life. The story of the MC5 is the story of Detroit, filled with promise and success, followed by failure and then despair and concluding with rock & roll redemption. We all know the basic outline of the MC5 – formed in the late 1960s in Detroit, created 3 influential and commercially unsuccessful albums that later became one of the catalysts for punk rock. Unlike their fellow rockers the Stooges, the MC5 never had a personality like Iggy to keep them in the headlines for the years during which the band was in hibernation. Their return in 2003 was a major happening, but the MC5/DTK3 with both Rob Tyner and Fred “Sonic” Smith missing, could not quite capture the essence of the MC5.

Brett Callwood’s book captures the entire history of the MC5 from their beginnings in Lincoln Park through the wild ride that Rob Tyner, Fred “Sonic” Smith, Wayne Kramer, Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson and Michael Davis embarked on the years after the MC5 broke up. The first half of the book covers the early days in Lincoln Park, the formation of the band and their short-lived career. There’s plenty of sex, drugs and rock & roll here, but the politics and controversy takes center stage. Like other bands that just could not make that leap from sheer brilliance (my punk analogy is the Bad Brains) to commercial success, the MC5 would always have something happen to derail them from real success. Reading these chapters is painful in a way as chance after chance is frittered away through mistake after mistake, but bands like the MC5 are rarely destined for mass acceptance anyway. The three albums are described meticulously and you are forced to immediately listen to them again because you have obviously missed something. I just realized that my copy of High Times is missing and this sent me off on a frantic search through used record stores to replace it.

I was too young to see the MC5 in person, but was old enough to see most of the most-MC5 projects that were formed after the demise of the band. The punk revolution that swept through in the late 1970s also gave an additional lift to bands such as the ex-MC5-ers whose music and attitude fit in well with punk. I had ample opportunity to see Destroy All Monsters, Sonics Rendezvous Band, the Motor City Bad Boys and the other projects that the various ex-MC5-ers would do. For me, these guys were like Detroit rock royalty – their albums were mentioned reverently by almost all punk bands, but they were hard to find and definitely not heard on any of the local rock stations. For one reason or another, the post MC5 music careers never seemed to get going. The book discusses this in excruciating detail, but other than the Wayne Kramer records from the 1990s – there just wasn’t that much available from all of the post-MC5 bands. I know that a lot has come out after the fact, but one Rendezvous single and four or so DAM singles did not do these bands justice. The book has an excellent MC5 and post-MC5 discography and also discussed the never “officially” released MC5 documentary. My favorite recollection was seeing Rob Tyner, who managed the vastly under-rated and under-appreciated Vertical Pillows (sound familiar?). Their set often concluded with “Kick Out the Jams” and the Rob Tyner would sometimes (or at least once) take the mike and turn the world into a few moments of rock & roll heaven. I remember this distinctly from Lili’s and then tragically he was gone soon afterwards. I went to the Tyner tribute show and the DTK reunion show and cheered mightily when the remaining members of the MC5 ripped through all of those great tunes that I never had the opportunity to hear in person. Without Tyner and Sonic – this could never be an MC5 reunion, but it still brings us back to an era when one of the greatest rock & roll bands of all time came into existence right here in Detroit.

This book is a “must read” for anybody that cares about rock & roll and Detroit and we’re immensely grateful that the story of the MC5 has now been told.

[Reza Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is a gigantic fan of the fab 5, I was really captivated by the excellent research and writing of Brett Callwood. The MC5 story is in turn both inspiring and tragic.

Never-mind the over-hyped and over-rated claptrap of The Sex Pistols, these guys (as well as The Stooges) created the blueprint for punk rock. May messers Tyner, Davis and Smith rest in peace.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve always been aware of MC5 and its cult following but honestly, I’ve never listened to them until now. The only song of theirs that I ever knew was the great ‘Kick Out the Jams’ but that’s less because of MC5 and more through Blue Oyster Cult's cover of it because I’ve seen them so many times and they always played it. Listening to the MC5 albums now, I have to say I’m not that impressed but my taste in music has changed a lot over the years. I don’t dislike their music but I’m not crazy about it. Makes me think of the Ramones who of course came on the scene much later.

Sonically boring so I had to DNF it.

[Roger Piasecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. I went to one of their concerts and was blown away. I’ve been a fan for 50 years

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skipped a lot of the final quarter which deals with the members’ post-MC5 careers.

[Alessandro Lischi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gran bel libro per tutti i fan dei mitici, per usare un eufemismo, MC5!

[Robert Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Today, Detroit rockers the MC5 (for “Motor City 5”) are lauded as legends - an early “protopunk” band that influenced all the punks that followed. In their time, though, they were a “cult band” that failed to achieve mainstream success. They recorded three albums (highly regarded now, but not so much then), and then, their record label dropped them, and infighting and substance abuse tore them apart. They disbanded, and - after one final show on New Years Eve, 1972 - they never played together again. This book tells their whole story - through the “glory days” of the 1960s and early 1970s, and on through the aftermath of their break-up and up to the date of this book’s publication.

Most readers will probably be most interested in those glory days. Indeed, those were exciting times, and author Brett Callwood provides great accounts of certain live performances, band mates’ interactions, and the creation of now-classic songs and those three now-classic albums. He also touches on the band’s political messaging and association with artist/left wing activist John Sinclair, who would eventually become its manager. Sinclair, in fact, is as colorful a personality as any of the band members - if not more so - and his involvement forms an important part of the narrative.

As noted, Callwood continues following the individual band members post break-up. Surprisingly, some of those accounts are almost as fascinating. What do you do when you get a taste of “the big time,” and it all slips away? Each member continued to pursue a music career with varying degrees of success. Some struggled with addiction and sometimes found work where they could. Two (guitarist Fred Smith and vocalist Rob Tyner) died tragically young (Wikipedia tells me that bassist Michael Davis has also passed since this book’s publication, leaving guitarist Wayne Kramer and drummer Dennis Thompson as the two surviving members.). Wayne Kramer’s story, however, stands as an inspiring one: After a stint in prison on a drug-related charge, he experienced ups and downs before eventually finding success as a solo artist, record producer and film/television composer.

In general, MC5: SONICALLY SPEAKING proves a decent primer on the band and its history. That’s especially useful given that there aren’t many books on it. Those hoping for an in-depth treatment, however, are bound to be disappointed. MC5: SONICALLY SPEAKING weighs in at a mere 231 pages, including ancillary material, and copious block quotes pad much of that page count.

While those quotes are excessive, I will give credit where it's due. Callwood conducted a number of interviews - not only of the then-surviving MC5 members, but also of fans, relatives, spouses and children, business associates and the aforementioned John Sinclair, as well as Sinclair’s wife Leni. Oral history thus mixes here with traditional written history, and oral history does have value.

That said, Callwood is over-reliant on those first person accounts. Some quotes are rambling and go on for several pages…often to be followed shortly by another quote. Upon occasion, Callwood actually borrows a quote from another published source rather than presenting an original one. The overall impression, then - deserved or not - is of laziness, as it feels that Callwood will gladly slap in a quote whenever he can to avoid original writing.

In his introduction, Callwood explains that he is an English fan of the MC5, and that he so fell in love with his subject and the Detroit music scene as a whole that he ended up moving to Detroit and marrying a resident. His enthusiasm does show through, but one suspects that his objectivity suffers. At one point, for example, he vociferously defends the then-surviving MC5 members from a charge of “selling out” as if he himself had been attacked. Why not let readers make up their own minds?

Ultimately, then, I find myself in a somewhat contradictory position: I admit to mostly enjoying this book but due to its glaring faults, I also can’t fully recommend it. The MC5 deserves a book with a true journalistic approach to its members and its history, but this is not that book. Again, though, it is serviceable as a basic introduction to the topic...at least, until something better comes along.

[M. L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for background on The MC 5, Detroit in the 1960's, John Sinclair, Detroit Artists' Workshop, Wayne State University and mo with an intelligent eye and scholarly approach.