Wayne Kramer (1948-2024) - The Vinyl Guide Interview

The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Nate Goyer

Music, Music History, Music Interviews

4.7 • 579 Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2024

⏱️ 85 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A replay of our interview with Wayne Kramer (1948-2024) discussing the MC5, the recording, censorship and legacy of "Kick Out The Jams", making "Back In The USA" and "High Time", various controversies, "Jail Guitar Doors" and more.

Which came first – the guitar or politics?
Starting to play in local bands
His mother's warning for going into music
Forming the MC5
Original lineup of MC5
The ethos and radicalization of MC5
The music and message of MC5
The story of AMG records and early records of MC5
Reissue of music on AMG
A-Square records "Borderline / Looking At You"
Memories of the Chicago Democratic National Convention – 1968
Getting signed to Elektra records by Danny Fields
The Stooges got signed as their "Little Brother Band"
Recording "Kick Out The Jams"
Recollections of the live sets for "Kick Out The Jams"
The guitar went immediately out of tune
Wayne singing "Ramblin' Rose"
Rob Tyner and being censored for "Kick Out The Jams"
The MC5 strategy for changing "brothers and sisters" to "Mother f*ckers"
Reaction to being censored by their record label
Calling out the "Hudson's Record Store"
Getting dropped from Elektra while record is still in the charts
Danny Fields got slapped and fired
Wayne's reaction to the album "Kick Out The Jams"
Album cover of "Kick Out The Jams" – art director put himself on cover
Transitioning to Atlantic Records was painful
Hard to record "Back In The USA"
Jon Landau's wisdom and Wayne playing bass himself
Critics disliked the spontaneity of MC5
Highlights of "Back in the USA"
How did hard bop influence the MC5?
Memories of "High Time"
The fight with Bill Graham
The end of the MC5
Last gasp of the MC5 in Europe
The longevity and influence of MC5
The genesis of "Jail Guitar Doors"
Playing for inmates with Chuck D
The rehabilitation and other musicians
Voyage Air Guitars donating to "Jail Guitar Doors"
End of interview

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Ah, that's just the only sound I feel like making at the moment.
0:07.4	Bad news, people.
0:09.3	As you may have heard, Mr. Wayne Kramer, guitarist, songwriter, activist, pioneer of punk rock, and just a good soul.
0:20.2	He passed away. We just learned good soul. He, uh, he, uh, he passed away. Uh, we just learned about it,
0:24.2	uh, a couple hours ago. Wayne was 75, uh, years old. And to be fair, those are some pretty
0:32.6	hard miles, but damn it, he was one of the great ones. You know, he's gone.
0:37.6	No idea how.
0:39.1	It's just fresh news, but man, we were lucky to have him as long as we did.
0:44.4	Now, if you're not familiar with him, I urge you to look him up.
0:48.9	Spend some time with Wayne's music and story.
0:52.7	He made his bones as the guitarist and founder and primary lightning
0:58.4	rod for the band MC5, Motor City 5 out of Detroit, punk rock pioneers, I mean from Day Dot, really.
1:06.7	I mean, it was his band that helped sign the Stooges, right? Without the MC5, we may not have heard of Iggy Pop.
1:14.6	And then from the MC5, Wayne's path went many places. He was very vocal in his activism and even ended up spending some time in prison, where he not only emerged stronger and wiser, but also more compassionate,
1:30.8	honoring the inmates that he met and prisoners around the world with a charity jail guitar doors,
1:38.4	founded with Billy Bragg, which helps in the rehabilitation of prisoners through music.
1:43.8	And Wayne was always a very expressive soul.
1:47.6	He got into experimental jazz and produced some incredible work throughout his life.
1:52.2	Anyway, I hope we could honor the man today and going forward.
1:55.8	I never have the album kick out the jams far from my turntable.
2:00.7	And today I'm going to share this
2:02.4	conversation I had with Wayne going way back to August 2016, which was part of episode
	...

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