"MC5: A True Testimonial" Coming? Be Patient, Be Patient.

Footage would make it better, that’s for sure. However, I can think of one historical documentary legend who has made a number of them dealing with periods where there was absolutely no film footage to be used but his “workaround” was taking images and moving the camera over them accompanied by commentary, of course.

 

There are a few tunes where there just isn’t video with live audio extant. They made the best of what’s available, and some key numbers had to be included, but they only way to include them was to montage silent footage, still photos and live audio.

 

A post of mine from a 2014 thread on this:

I saw the movie "The MC5: A True Testimonial" years ago at a small theater in NYC, and man, I've gotta say seeing that Wayne State University footage in prime quality was a revelation. At that time (2003? 2004?), all these online video sites weren't around, so most folks who had even caught of glimpse of this footage previously relied on squinty bootleg VHS tapes or DVDs.

I like the "Kick Out the Jams" LP -- it's loose with intensity -- but the clips from the Wayne State performance show the band tighter, more dynamic, and exciting (IMHO, of course). They were well oiled and primed.

This doc really delivered when it was released. Because a lot of it has shown up online since then, some of might be dulled, but the doc in sequence and its entirety is worth seeing.

 

As I think back, myself nor anyone in my "friend orbit" had any of their albums. When their first album released in February 1969 I was in Grade 13 and nobody in my classes was into the album or at least didn't let on that they were.

There are only two books I've read dealing with the band: the second being Wayne Kramer's autobio and, luckily for me the first being this.

There are so many topics dealt with in Brett Callwood’s superb book, MC5: Sonically Speaking- A Tale of Revolution and Rock 'n' Roll, (of which the paperback in my possession
has this appearance),

​

that can be checked off is truly is mind-boggling.

As already alluded to in this thread, the importance of the band and the time they ruled is easily as important fifty years later than the short-lived era they lived in, maybe more so.

They have stood the test of time.

 

I have a copy of this on DVD-R I got about 13 years ago, and I thought it to be one of the greatest rock documentaries ever.
Interesting to see if it gets released.

 

Any other updates? I can't find anything.

 

I was going to write something about how great this one is but you covered everything about it.

Now, if I could just get a copy of The Public Image Is Rotten...

 

I helped shepherd Detroit poster artist Gary Grimshaw through a half year he spent at a recovery center in my town. This was a couple years before he died. He had suffered incredible physical maladies which required constant medical oversight and the only place he could recover was at facilities in my west Michigan town - where he’d never been. I foisted myself into his life, trying to get him to draw and even talk as he was very shy. Of course I asked all about the ‘5 and the Detroit, Ann Arbor and Frisco scenes I’d been enamored with in my youth (where I was too young to participate).


Though they apparently later reconciled GG had little good to say about Wayne as I learned when I asked why he hadn’t had a hand in the design of the MC5 comp which was relatively new at the time and Wayne had overseen. Hell, he’d designed their logo, first album and a slew of posters for the MC5 but was passed over for that project. The designer that was employed did a bad knock off of Gary’s style. It was also implied that Mrs Kramer had instigated the hullabaloo that resulted in the movie being shelved.


ANYWAY to shorten an already too long story Gary improved and returned to Detroit after nearly six months in my vicinity. His wife, Laura, had been greatly relieved I was looking after Gary and said if there was ever anything she or Gary could do for me I need only ask. I replied that the only thing I wanted was to see MC5: A True Testimonial. Laura said it shouldn’t be a problem.


A few months later my wife and I were invited to a party for Gary at the home of Rob Tyners widow. At one point his wife instructed me to head to an upstairs bedroom. After passing Tyner family photos, which included family shots, nieces, nephews, people at the lake, school portraits AND on-stage photos of Rob I arrived at the bedroom where three old white panthers were passing two different joints back and forth. One was busy with a fancy laptop. When he’d finished he opened the CD drawer and popped out a DVD of MC5: A True Testimonial, put it in a case and handed it to me with thanks for my looking after “brother Grimshaw.”


Ive only seen this copy which appears to be not quite finished. There’s a couple rough edits and the titles are done with old school character generated lettering as though they are for indication only.

 

Great story.
I'm just hoping that Kramer has seen the light on this and maybe, just maybe, they've re-edited it to include the extra Wayne State material that's on You Tube, which was put there by Kramer and looks amazing.

 

"I wanna see a sea of hands out there!"

 

Excellent story.

 

If they can't edit into the movie it would make for a great extra feature.

 

Here's a band whose legacy deserves so much better treatment. They're one of the greatest bands America ever produced, but you'd never know it.

Get the documentary out. Get a box set with all the cool bonuses. Start officially releasing whatever live shows may exist.

The MC5 was a serious, important and influential band. Their legacy should reflect that.

 

Totally agree with you. I know there was going to be a deluxe Kick Out The Jams at one point consisting of whatever else they cut at the Grande, but that got scuttled.
I would love deluxe versions of all three albums with any stray tracks and a couple of era appropriate live shows attached. And if any band deserves a nice, thick, glossy color photo book as part of the package, it's the MC5.

 

Did anyone attend the MC50 tour. I heard bad stuff about it and I don't know that it was well attended.

I did see the tour about 15 years ago and that was incredible.

 

Also saw DKT which was awesome for me cos I is far too young to have caught the real deal. Great great show, think the dude from Mudhoney was doing vox at that show. Didn't see MC50 though.

 

Color me skeptical. Clicked on the mc5 twitter in OP, pretty vague. "To be released post COVID."
Reading the conflict around the film looks like the filmmakers were exploiting the surviving members and not giving them a fair share. Don't f-k with the 5.
Headed over to youtube to see what all the fuss is about.

 

This was available for download on a couple ROIO sites a few years ago, probably still is.

 

It showed up on YouTube back in 2013 for a short period.
Just found a 15 minute preview here:

 

It's been on and off YouTube and maybe it was on Vimeo for a short while.

I guess I've just decided to wait for a proper release.

 

Saw the MC50 tour at a small venue in Manchester. Not amazingly well attended, but a great night with Michael Monroe supporting and joining the MC50 for the encore blowing a little saxophone.

They played :

01 Intro - Brother J.C. Crawford
02 Ramblin' Rose
03 Kick Out The Jams
04 Come Together
05 Motor City Is Burning
06 Band introductions
07 Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)
08 Borderline
09 I Want You Right Now
10 Starship
11 Remembering the original MC5
12 Tonight
13 Shakin' Street
14 Gotta Keep Movin'
15 I Can Only Give You Everything
16 Call Me Animal
17 Sister Anne *
18 Let Me Try *
19 Looking at You *

Michael Monroe - saxophone on *

 

It would be also be nice if they found/included some of the rumored MC4 reunion footage from the last time they played with Sonic following Tyner‘s death. The fact that the four of them played some of those songs again with a mic just standing on its own in the middle of the stage...what a powerful and moving moment that must’ve been.

 

Thanks for the great story - I think you qualify as an official part of the MC5 story, that is a good thing you did.

Hey I didn't know Fred Sonic Smith was married to Patti Smith!

 

MC5ologists , any updates on True Testimonial? Been listening to the 5 a lot, am very interested in this phenomonon.

 

They say it's coming. Unfortunately, there's no date yet just something about coming to theaters and DVD after Covid.