The legendary punk band from Michigan, the MC5, garnered fame in the late '60s for playing outside at the 1968 Democratic Convention, which then devolved into a riot. The MC5 rose to prominence during a stressful time in American history, the late '6...
The legendary punk band from Michigan, the MC5, garnered fame in the late '60s for playing outside at the 1968 Democratic Convention, which then devolved into a riot. The MC5 rose to prominence during a stressful time in American history, the late '60s, with Richard Nixon in power and the Vietnam War in full force.
\Fifty years later, founding member and guitarist, Wayne Kramer, is still calling for a revolution. Kramer joined Salon's Amanda Marcotte on "Salon Talks" to discuss his new memoir "The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, The MC5 & My Life of Impossibilities,". He explained why he finds the parallels between Trump and the Nixon concerning.
"We have a wretched grifter in the Oval Office who has an utter contempt for the rule of law and tries to manipulate the political process to his own ends. Very much so like Richard Nixon," Kramer pointed out. "We have corruption that's stunning."
The MC5 is still playing and kicks off their anniversary tour, MC50th, this September.
Watch the video above to learn more about Kramer's comparisons between the Nixon era and today. And check out the full interview to hear Kramer's take on why the Detroit area, surprisingly, sparked music creativity.
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