Executive summary.

[zotz]

There seems to be trauma in the air.

Doonesbury is quite good again today.

Update:

It seems that the surviving three-fifths of the MC5 are playing at the 10 Club tonight. Sponsored by Levi's.

Words fail me.

Grauniad article here.

Good god.

Comments

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

I'm quite enjoying the trauma. Reminds me of the good old 'diary of a Manics fan' days.

[reddragdiva]

The MC5 deserve every goddamned penny they can make as the MC5.

[zotz]

That doesn't mean they should be taking second billing to a clothes company.

Levi's Vintage Clothing Presents Sonic Revolution - A New Energy Rising featuring the MC5 and Next Generation Rockers

It's an insult. I'd go see them if they played normally, but I'm buggered if I'd go along to promote a bunch of retro T-shirts.

The MC5 - Live on Tony B's doorstep. That's what we want. What I want, anyway.

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

...oh well, you'll never know if you don't ask, and there are no stupid questions, and that, so...

...who?

E.
x

[zotz]

The Guardian article has some background. The band they're spoken of in the same breath as is The Stooges, who were their friends (and who got a recording contract from a rep who came to town to sign the MC5 and took the opportunity to pick up another similar band while he was there).

Things would have been very different without the MC5.

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised that I haven't even *heard* of them. Ah well.

Even without the background knowledge, just with what I can pick up from the article, that's disturbing and awful. Sort of redefines 'selling out', rather.

~sigh~

E.
x

[zotz]

They don't get much spoken of these days, and even of those who've heard of them, not that many have heard anything by them. Kick Out The Jams turns up being covered occasionally, and of course the phrase was appropriated for the Illuminatus trilogy, which is why the KLF previously called themselves the JAMMs. They do have a wide legacy, if you go looking for it.

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

~nods~ Almost certainly a legacy that runs through many of the bands that send me running from the room, yes?

E.
x

[zotz]

Yes, but not just them, I'm sure. Do you flee the KLF or Iggy?

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

From a musical point of view, I flee Iggy but not so much the KLF. From a general ethos point of view, I flee the KLF but not so much Iggy. But yes, I do flee both of them.

The KLF are another of those bands who bizarrely think music should involve politics; Iggy did look quite good in transparent trousers.

E.
x

[zotz]

The KLF thought that music should involve weirdness. If they had such a thing as a political agenda, then I've no idea what it might be.

Cue nickys with her KLF story?

Anyway, the Ig's written some fantastic pop songs even if you ignore the Bowie/Pop cowrites.

Oi!

[inulro.livejournal.com]

The Idiot is one of the best albums of all time. Lust for Life is pretty cool too but has a couple of duff tracks.

He's put out some less than stellar stuff, but it's Iggy, he's still a hero and is allowed. (I just don't need to buy it).

And nooo, Iggy did not look good in the see-through trousers. As a friend said after the first time I saw him live (um-possibly the only time. I can't remember), "talent notwithstanding, he's still the ugliest man in the business"[1]

[1] Obviously he'd blanked Shane McGowan from his mind, but it's still close.

Re: Oi!

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

I think Iggy's quite attractive, although I am with you on the see through trousers.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Grauniad article here.

Hm.
Well, that just spoiled an otherwise perfectly good afternoon.

Sweet Home Chicago

[road-emu.livejournal.com]

I'm sitting here with my mouth open.

I remember the riots of the Chicago Democratic Convention. Obviously, I was too young to be a participant, but I distictly recall those terrible days. My grandparents wouldn't let me play outside, although the rioting was no where near our neighborhood.

And now they are pushing T-Shirts?

I need to lay down. The world changes in some ugly ways.

[dj-alexander.livejournal.com]

Is this Mega City 5? Why they constantly being referred to as MC5?

[yehoshua.livejournal.com]

I believe it's "Motor City Five", alluding to their hometown, and I suspect they abbreviate to disguise their Detroit roots. A less sexy place to hail from has yet to be discovered.

[zotz]

I think you're thinking of the Mega-City Four.

[dj-alexander.livejournal.com]

You are of course correct and I am an idiot.

Or maybe MC5 was the Sequel?

(albeit about 15 years earlier)