Poet. Performer. Author. Activist. Record producer. Manager of the MC5 (Motor City Five). Flint, Michigan, born John Sinclair played a significant role in shaping both the counterculture movement of Detroit and the United States during the 1960s.
After graduating from the University of Michigan-Flint in 1964, Sinclair spent time at Wayne State where he wrote for the underground newspaper Fifth Estate and co-founded the Detroit Artists Workshop, a collective that supported the arts in the community. Around this time his passion for jazz music led him to work as a jazz critic as well.
From 1966 to 1969 he managed Detroit proto-punk band MC5, influencing their political leanings and activism. During this time, he also co-founded the White Panther Party, a group dedicated to revolutionary anti-racism, an answer to the call from the Black Panther Party for white people to support their movement.
Under Sinclair’s guidance, who, at the time, preferred to be known as leader of “Trans-Love Energies” rather than a conventional band manager, MC5 quickly became engaged in left-wing politics.
During their early career, MC5 had a politically charged stage presence, often appearing on stage with unloaded rifles and incorporating provocative elements into their performances. One such element was a simulated shooting of vocalist Tyner by an unseen sniper at the end of their shows.
Sinclair and the band were also at the centre of the protests against the Vietnam War at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which descended into a police riot. Their performance at the convention was particularly notable for its duration. While many musicians were scheduled to perform at the day long concert, only the MC5 initially showed up. They played for over eight hours straight. Neil Young was also scheduled to perform, but due to chaos at the convention, did not take the stage. Folk singer Phil Ochs was also among performers who showed up for the concert.
MC5 went on to earn national attention with their first album, Kick Out The Jams, recorded live at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom on October 30 and 31, 1968, two months after their appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The album caused some controversy due to Sinclair’s inflammatory liner notes and the title track’s rallying cry to “Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!”.
When Hudson’s, a Detroit based department store chain, refused to stock Kick Out The Jams due to the obscenity, MC5 responded with a full page ad in the local underground magazine Fifth Estate saying “Fuck Hudson’s!”, accompanied by the logo of their record label. Hudson’s pulled all Elektra records from their stores, and in the ensuing controversy Elektra fired the band, ripping up their contract and dropping them from the label.
Shortly after the 1969 release of Kick Out The Jams, Sinclair was arrested for offering marijuana to a female undercover agent and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The severity of the punishment sparked widespread support for his release, with protests organized by members of the Detroit music community and prominent figures such as Stevie Wonder, Allen Ginsberg, Yoko Ono, and John Lennon. Lennon even wrote and recorded the song “John Sinclair” to bring attention to Sinclair’s unjust sentence, releasing it on his Some Time In New York City album.
While Sinclair was in prison, MC5 released their second album, Back In The USA. Produced by future Bruce Springsteen mentor Jon Landau, the album virtually provided a prototype for punk rock with its short, fast, hard edged angry guitar rock. Released by Atlantic Records with a vastly different production and marketing effort, the band’s sound radically differed from their debut to such an extent that they were barely recognizable as the same band.
The album received mixed reviews and sold poorly, peaking at #137 on the American charts in March 1970, charting for just seven weeks. The band’s tours during this time were also not as well received as before. This can be attributed in part to the band’s exhaustion from their heavy touring schedule and increased drug use.
After falling out with Sinclair, the band was not invited to play the December 10, 1971 John Sinclair Freedom Rally, organized to protest Sinclair’s incarceration on marijuana possession. Speakers and performers at the rally included John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Ochs, The Up, Commander Cody, Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, Archie Shepp, Joy Of Cooking, David Peel, Bobby Seale, Jerry Rubin, Allen Ginsberg, Jane Fonda, Ed Sanders of The Fugs and others.
The event was filmed and released as the movie Ten For Two directed by Steve Gebhardt. Three days after the rally, Sinclair was released from prison when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the state’s marijuana statutes were unconstitutional.
After serving two years and four months in the Michigan State Prison in Jackson, Sinclair remained in litigation with the United States government. His case against the government for illegal domestic surveillance was successfully pleaded to the US Supreme Court in United States v. U.S. District Court 1972.
Within months of the ruling, MC5 were no more. Their December 31, 1972 show at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, the venue that previously hosted over a thousand eager fans for the recording of their debut album, drew only a few dozen people. Distraught and in the throes of heroin addiction, lead guitarist Wayne Kramer left the stage after only a few songs. The group disbanded not long after the event.
Wayne Kramer passed away February 2, 2024 at the age of 75.
Kramer is predeceased by lead singer Rob Tyner.
Rob Tyner passed away in 1991 at the age of 46.
Guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith (husband to Patti Smith) passed away in 1994 at the age of 46.
Bassist Michael Davis passed away February 17, 2012 at the age of 68.
Born in 1948, drummer Dennis Thompson is the last surviving member of MC5.
John Sinclair, now 82 years old, has since relocated to Amsterdam from the United States. Despite his age, he continues to write, record, and remain active in the music industry. Since 2005, he has hosted his own radio program, The John Sinclair Radio Show, and produced various other programs for Radio Free Amsterdam.
In 2004 he established The John Sinclair Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The foundation’s main objective is to preserve and showcase Sinclair’s creative works including poetry, music, performances, journalism, editing and publishing, as well as broadcast and record production. Over the years, the foundation has published books, zines, records, and documentaries highlighting Sinclair’s significant contributions to the cannabis legalization movement, Detroit rock music, and psychedelic communitarianism.
Sinclair was among the first people to purchase recreational marijuana when it became legal in Michigan on December 1, 2019.