Though they would later become associated with the nascent stirrings of punk rock, during their brief career, the MC5 were better known for their radical lifestyle than their music. David C. Thomas' digital video documentary, MC5: A TRUE TESTIMONIAL, takes an impressive look at the band's turbulent life and times. Formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1964 as a high school garage band, they were later inspired by the same industrial bleakness of nearby Detroit that spawned their spiritual brothers The Stooges. Guitarists Fred "Sonic" Smith (who later married Patti Smith) and Wayne Kramer piled on the distortion, creating a ferocious and unparalleled guitar-fueled din. Along with their rabble-rousing manager, John Sinclair, the band took inspiration from the Black Panther Party, forming the White Panther Party, a mock political organization based on unabashed love of drugs, sex, and guns. This invited harassment by local and federal law enforcement agencies. Revealing interviews with surviving members Kramer (who is the most insightful), bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson, as well as a videotaped 1988 interview with the late vocalist Rob Tyner, paint a portrait of a band whose lifestyle created obstacles every step of the way. Cut in a rapid-fire style, the film is a heady, kaleidoscopic swirl of stills, talking-head snippets, and concert footage.

IN THEATRES: APRIL 23, 2004 (LIMITED)

DVD Features:

Region [unknown]
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33

David C. Thomas: Director, MC5 * A TRUE TESTIMONIAL (2004)

Laurel M. Legler: Producer, MC5 * A TRUE TESTIMONIAL (2004)

"[T]he proto-punk warriors known as the MC5 left a dent that outlasts their mostly negligible record sales, and the director's curiosity is piqued by the group's sociological impact."
"[W]ide-ranging and beautifully edited -- it's a vivid evocation of a moment when the ugliest guitar feedback could be taken as a serious political statement."