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Guitar Army: Rock and Revolution with The MC5 and the White Panther Party

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Now in an updated edition with two dozen previously unpublished black-and-white period photographs, additional recent writings by the author, and an introduction by Michael Simmons, Guitar Army: Rock Revolution with MC5 and the White Panther Party is the testimony of the Detroit MC5 band manager and leftist revolutionary "White Panther Party" leader John Sinclair, originally published in 1972. Sinclair was one of the best-known casualties of the "war on drugs", sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for alleged possession of two marijuana joints - his supporters believed the disproportionate sentence was a form of persecution for his political leanings. Guitar Army collects Sinclair's writings on the street (1968-69) and in prison (1969-71) and discuss the power of revolution, the influence of rock-n-roll as a revolutionary weapon, the history of blues, tales of injustice and murder by the state, and much more. "Entertainment, as something you do on the weekends after slaving in the factory or the office all week, sitting at home at night taking in all the vile pablum spewed out of the television set. Luxury. What You Could Do Without. No sense, these people in this country have no sense of the immediacy of music, the quick feel of it, the way it can shape your life and take your life's shape as you give yourself to it every moment of your life, as a first term in your life." An accompanying music CD features recordings of MC5 and other revolutionary bands, enhancing this classic manifesto of music-inspired rebellion.

"Guitar Army" satisfies those of us who tried to forge a new path back in the turbulent 60's and 70's.
And if you were a part of the Detroit and Ann Arbor Communities, it has personal meaning.
I'd recommend this for anyone wanting freedom then or now!

One thing needs to be clear about this book: it is NOT about the MC5. Any mention of the band and its history is strictly incidental. If you're researching Sinclair and his hippie-era ravings, then this book will be of interest to you. But if you're primarily a fan of the band and have only marginal interest in their manager's politics, you will probably walk away disappointed.