Talk Show with Harper Simon
Episode 29
MC5’s Wayne Kramer on Garage Rock, Politics, and Life in Jail
The MC5, garage rock explosion that led to the Iggy and the Stooges, and what follows sex, drugs & rock and roll is shared by Wayne Kramer. The social firmament that birthed the White Panthers and Weathermen, plus the Occupy movement and Obama’s need to govern ‘from the center’ is discussed, along with a hard look at the failed drug war and racist justice system. Kramer’s time in jail, and the Jail Guitar Doors prison program are discussed in a wide reaching discussion that shows the depth and wisdom of the rock and roll legend on Talk Show with Harper Simon.
Episode Breakdown
00:01 Welcoming MC5 original member Wayne Kramer to Talk Show with Harper Simon.
01:32 MC5 birth & Detroit in the early 60’s.
03:50 Meeting Fred Smith.
04:51 The music scene and Motown in the 60’s.
05:33 Other influences, counter culture in Detroit & the Vietnam War.
08:50 The aesthetic and political rise of MC5.
10:35 Sun Ra and finding a voice through electric guitar.
13:08 John Sinclair & and the early years of MC5
16:20 Helping Iggy and the Stooges get their break.
18:24 The birth of the White Panthers.
20:50 Mistakes we were making by romancing violence & the limitations of the protest movement.
23:33 The legacy of questioning authority.
25:50 Obama’s apology and dealing with the reality of politics.
27:57 Champions of Justice reform and the “Jail Guitar Doors Foundation”.
32:40 “Jail Guitar Doors” U.S.A and similar prison rehabilitation programs overseas.
36:20 Switzerland & the greatest failure of domestic policy in US history: The War on Drugs.
39:59 The economics of corruption in the imprisonment of the black community.
Guest Bio
Wayne Kramer was a founding member in legendary band, the MC5. After the band imploded in a haze of counter-culture politics and drugs, Kramer was imprisoned for several years for charges related to selling cocaine. He is active with the charity group, Jail Guitar Doors, which provides instruments to incarcerated people in American prisons.
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