MC5: A TRUE TESTIMONIAL

The combination of blue collar ethics, a burgeoning national youth culture and Detroit's 1967 race riots made an uncompromising, politically-charged band like the MC5 inevitable, and director David C. Thomas does an excellent job of keeping A True Testimonial moving in perfect pace with the music of the group and the raging era that birthed them. Told in the surviving members' own words, the story of the MC5's triumphant blitzkrieg through the late 60s and inglorious dissolution in the early 70s will be compelling even to those without much interest in rock & roll (and more than a few will be converted along the way). Guitarist Wayne Kramer is the film's primary interview subject, having been part of the band from its innocent beginnings to its bitter finale, and he's enthusiastic about the chance to relive his memories and revisit the places where it all happened. Bassist Michael Davis is interviewed at his Arizona ranch, and he appears at ease with the past and comfortable in the present. However, it's drummer Dennis Thompson who best embodies the contradictions of the MC5, a band that promoted peace and brotherhood but wielded rifles in promo shots and were openly competitive with other groups that dared to share their stage. Defending the band's rallying cry of "Kick out the jams, motherfuckers," Thompson insists that "behind the 'motherfucker' is peace and love and growth and equality, okay?" and he's often combative in his segments (he takes time to insult both Kiss and Iggy Pop over the course of the DVD's interviews). MC5: A True Testimonial would be valuable if only for the volume of archival footage unearthed, certain to thrill long-time fans who missed the chance to witness the power of the band first hand. Previously unseen home movies not only capture the MC5 tearing it up for the audience, but clowning together between gigs (including a few priceless seconds of volleyball played in full stage attire), and the weathered silent footage of these young bucks in their prime is bittersweet. Thanks to the paranoia of the United States government, the band's storied appearance at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention has been preserved, and Thomas includes ultra-rare TV performances that provide the film's best moments; seeing the MC5 blaze through "Looking at You" before a huge outdoor audience is worth the price of admission alone (and the DVD release features several more exciting television segments as extras).