February 1970
LETTERS
John Clarry
To the Editor: John Sinclair’s article was, to say the least, an interesting history of rock and roll in Detroit, of which the MC5 could probably be considered the vanguard. The transition of the MC5 from a derelict street band to a killer high energy group was a major accomplishment for Sinclair, though he didn’t do it alone.
Death City
ROCK & ROLL NEWS
Steve Winwood
The old Grande Ballroom is open again after some extensive interion surgery. When the ballroom closed last summer, it looked like its fifty years of use had finally caught up with it, but with over 800 lbs of plaster, a complete paint job and the help of some hard-to-find artisans, it looks better than....well, better than anyone thought it would.
You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
Connie White
The MC5 returned to Detroit, at the Eastown Theater January 9-10, for their first appearance of 1970, with a drastically changed stage show and performance.
Everyone Benefits
The entire Detroit rock and roll/cultural/political community united behind the issues of dope-smoking and John Sinclair last weekend, generating total high energy, fantastic vibes, a newly strong sense of community and $8,000 for the John Sinclair Defense Fund.
Hendrix & Miles Dead at the Fillmore
John Woodruff
It is very difficult for me to say this, but probably the most disappointing musical experience I’ll have in 1970 already happened on the year’s first day. What has Jimi Hendrix been doing up in Woodstock? With each song of the set I found myself starting to compromise - telling myself that next song he will explode, but that next song never came.
Report from the 'zone
Deday LaRene
The delightful Stooges will be going to New York City in the middle of February to round off recording plans for their second album, which they’ll start immediately thereafter. They haven’t yet settled on a producer to replace John Cale, but they’ve narrowed the field to three.
Altamont part 2
Michael Goodwin
The article in the last issue was written, because of deadline pressure, less than 24 hours after it all came down.
two jews blues
PAUL KRASSNER INTERVIEWS BOB DYLAN. Reprinted from EVO (I had originally intended to use this interview for the tenth annual edition of The Realist, but after eleven years of The Realist, I don’t think there is going to be a tenth annual edition.
A Stone for Danny Fisher
Debbie Burr
“I have some of the finest hate on the planet for me,” brags Ted Nugent, infamous Duke of anaconda suit and polar-bear’s ass-fur-on-the-head fame. It’s probably true. His strange reputation has become a mixture of one part hate (however explainable or in--, rational or ir--), one part respect and admiration for his abilities as a guitarist, and one part awe and bafflement at his shenanigans.
Records
Dave Marsh
LET IT BLEED — Rolling Stones — London NPS4 There’s nothing mysterious about the new Stones album and that’s as it should be. Like the Stones themselves, it’s all right there, readily accessible to all of Us (if not to Them). And, exactly because it’s so accessible, it doesn’t tell us anything new about the Stones; it merely reaffirms our knowledge and suspicions about what is probably the best rock and roll band in the world.
Books
Abraham Peck SEED
THE WHOLE EARTH CATALOG Portola Institute, 558 Santa Cruz, Menlo Park, Calif., 94025. $5 per catalog or $8 for two different catalogs and four Difficult But Possible Supplements per year.) THE BUST BOOK (New York Regional SDS, 133 Prince Street, New York High School Student Union, 208 West 85th Street, New York Movement For A Democratic Society, 225 Lafayette Street, New York.