Punk Turns 30

Mick Collins of The Dirtbombs, and previously Blacktop and The Gories - one of rock n roll's greatest performers however not the superstar he deserves to be - in my opinion, America at large is afraid to acknowledge his greatness... because he's Black All the rage in America, and likely the world today is that Barack Obama will be accepting the Democratic Party's nomination for President... today, August 28, the anniversary of Martin Luther King 's 1963 I Have A Dream speech. Is America ready for Black president? The Democrats decided they weren't ready for a woman president, or at least didn't want to elect the one who was running... a former First Lady of maximum tenure, a Senator, someone who knows her way around the Beltway. Back in 1984, was the Democratic Presidential candidate Walter Mondale trounced by Reagan/Bush because of his running mate, Geraldine Ferraro? Have we become a more open-minded nation 45 years after King said: "I have a dream t...

It all started with Wayne Kramer and Fred Sonic Smith of the MC5. Then, the only guys who could hold the rock n roll fort down behind Iggy --- the Stooges. Ron Asheton still kicks out the jams with The Stooges. Iggy (he's for sale!) These Detroit (and Ann Arbor) guys who inadvertently gave birth to punk rock launched a thousand ships. They would influence so many, and give Detroit a special leg up on punk rock guitar heroism. All these Detroit rockers are loathe to associate with a label or genre beyond "rock n roll." They just rock hard- period. In the past few years, the surviving members of the MC5 have been touring and the young Turks who've been invited to join them onstage are actually the ones given a run for the money. The godfathers of punk rock - Wayne Kramer, Michael Davis and Dennis Thompson have not only years of experience at the rock, but facility across so many genres that they can keep all the youngsters guessing. The MC5's Wayne Kra...