Guitarist recalls '00 Rage show

Rocky Mountain News

Published August 18, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Wayne Kramer

Guitarist Wayne Kramer, 60, of MC5 played at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He'll be in Denver on the same bill as Rage Against The Machine. He spoke to the Rocky about hearing the band's controversial show at the 2000 Los Angeles DNC:

That was a pretty surreal moment for me. Rage Against The Machine opened their set with Kick Out The Jams, a song I wrote with the MC5. You can't anticipate moments like that.

I saw the LAPD forming up. They looked like cyborgs from a Star Wars motion picture - the high-tech shoulder pads, the face screens, all the boots. Listen, this is Hollywood. We do it up right here. They looked like cartoon movie characters, except this wasn't a joke. The wisest thing to do was to get away from them. I got home and watched it on TV.

My role is a rabble-rouser and poet and dancer. I do my part and try to avoid being brutalized by the police if I can. My game plan is excitement and coming out to fight the power. I'm encouraged because I've heard it said that there's a lot of apathy in the younger generation today. But I don't see that when I see hundreds of thousands of people protesting this war and millions of people getting involved with Barack Obama's campaign.

I think all politics and all change and all revolution starts on the street level. Change doesn't happen from the top down; it happens from the bottom up. Civil rights in America came from the streets up. The war in Vietnam stopped from the people up.

As a person, as a citizen of the world, I have a responsibility to participate in what goes on around me. Democracy requires us to be involved.

I'm always looking forward to taking the electric guitar and turning it up to 12 and blasting out the sound of freedom and justice.

I have very high hopes for Denver. I'd like to think that in America, people can come and express their views, and they can be dissenting views. That you can make some noise and not be arrested and beaten for it. I'm going to Denver with peace on my mind and cooperation and justice in my heart - and a song on my lips.

• August 18, 2008

  2:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ParkHillPosse writes:

  I wish MC5 was playing in Denver. Rage Against the Machine was pretty cool...in 1994.

• August 18, 2008

  3:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  EtJ writes:

  Life is good. Brother Wayne Kramer swinging around that mighty axe of his. The 5's message in the 60's, STILL appropiate for the times today. ROCK on Brother Wayne. WP

• August 18, 2008

  6:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jwbeuk writes:

  snooze, wake me up when this fiasco is over.

• August 18, 2008

  7:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  afvx3 writes:

  Even if these people had peace love and rock and roll they would still find something to fight the power. Leaving town for a week and can't wait to do it. This convention is not worth the hassle we have had to put up with. Glad to see civic center was finally cleaned up, what a charade!!!!!

• August 19, 2008

  9:33 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  guz21715 writes:

  "snooze, wake me up when this fiasco is over."

  Umm, sure...

  "Leaving town for a week and can't wait to do it."

  Buh bye...

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