totally committed to revolution
Robin Tyner: “We’re trying to reach as many people as possible with our program. We’re trying to have a real impact on not just one localized area, we’re trying to elevate and escalate our program to reach a wider area. The revolution, as it stands now, there is a lot of confusion, a lot of disorganization, and a lot of people involved in things that, while they can be applied, are still not effective. Now these programs don’t have a real impact on the community or on the nation. The only thing that’s happening right now is that they’re drawing fire from the fascists. And when you have to spend all your time defending yourself and defending yourself you don’t have time to run a coherent and cohesive program.”
John Sinclair: “It should be clearly stated and understood, as it was and is by the people who took part in that period of Detroit rock and roll history that there has really never been anything like the MC5 of those days, neither musically or in terms of the intensity and purity of the people’s response to them. It was really far out”
When speaking of the MC5, it is appropriate to pay tribute to Tyner and Smith, whos presence is dearly missed. Tyner died in 1991, while Smith followed three years later.
But in a larger sense, we could also mourn the death of the innocence and adventurous creativity that both represented. Sometimes it seems mlike the MC5 story is filled with more pain than triumph, and the idea that un bridled optimism and righteous, high-energy music could help people come together to change the world seems quaint. But then again, given the MC5’s cultural influence, maybe they changed the world more than they’re given credit for.









