Detroit Rock City (56 page)

Margaret Dollrod:
I didn't see it coming, and I'd like to know what other part of Detroit exploded. Please tell me what other person exploded other than Jack. Eminem? Kid Rock? They weren't with us. Kid Rock saw us play and he told me, “You guys are crazy” in a complimentary way. Later I was at a party for WRIF, and
I had come up with this great idea that he should go on stage with your stripper people and stuff and have your Little Joe come out. And you know the cartoons that have the dynamite TNT thing? Little Joe could do TNT dynamite thing and the girl's tops will fly off and there will be fireworks behind it. Well, I never got to tell him the idea because Kid Rock said, “I don't want anything to do with you.” When people would come to town to talk to the bands, no one would tell them to get in touch with us. We were kind of older and not really part of it by then.

Rachel Nagy:
Let's face it: the Stooges, the MC5, Motown—that's the fucking shit. This is where it all comes from. And yet we're the fucking apocalypse personified. I've been hearing ever since I was a child that “Oh, yeah, it's gonna get better, and we're gonna make Detroit better.” Yeah, that'd be great, but you know what? I don't want it to change. It's Detroit. I've watched all the cities in Ohio. I drive through Cleveland and even Toledo, and it's like, “Whoa! What happened? Look at this. It's amazing. It's a real city.” I don't really know if I want to see that happen in Detroit. Detroit is Detroit. It's this beautiful place where you sacrifice your safety for a shitload of freedom.

In the early-eighties punk rock days, where I come from, the Thanks List was a vaunted place that usually included every bathroom attendant and half-girlfriend. My favorite reaction to that was always the Brit band Discharge, which simply put on the back of its first single, “Thanks to No Fucker.”

I like the sentiment, but that's not the case here. I have some hearty thanks to give to both connectors and connected.

At the top of that list is any and everyone who spent their precious time with me both in person and on the phone, and this includes the accomplished stars, the aspiring artists, the promoters, producers, fans, record store workers, roadies, sound people, DJs, and scenesters who created and cultivated the Huge Deal that Detroit music was and is. You collectively created this book with your generous contributions.

Thanks also to Ben Blackwell, Brian Bowe, Robert Matheu, Dan Carlisle, Rich Tupica, my editor at Da Capo, Ben Schafer, and my agent, David Patterson, at Foundry Literary + Media.

I can be reached by e-mail at
[email protected]
.

Hit
Facebook.com/Detroitrockcitybook
and my website,
Avalanche50.com
.

If necessary, corrections will be made in subsequent editions of the book.

ACT I

Dan Carlisle:
Disc jockey. WABX, WRIF.

Russ Gibb:
Promoter, entrepreneur. Opened and booked the Grande Ballroom, Eastown Theater, and numerous other Detroit venues. Funded the Graystone Ballroom in the eighties.

Mitch Ryder:
Musician. Vocalist, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Detroit with Mitch Ryder. The white James Brown.

Stirling Silver:
Scenester. Record store guy, brought the New York Dolls to their first Detroit in-store.

VC Lamont Veasey:
Musician. Bassist, guitarist, Black Merda, Detroit's pre-Funkadelic psychedelic black rock band.

Robin Sommers:
Artist, scenester. Friend of
Creem
founder Barry Kramer. Deceased.

Ron Cooke:
Musician. Bassist, Detroit, Gang War, Sonic's Rendezvous Band.

Don Was (Don Fagenson):
Musician, producer. Vocalist, the Traitors. Cofounder, bassist, vocalist with Was (Not Was) with David Weiss. Grammy-winning producer with credits that include the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, and Paul Westerberg.

Mark Norton:
Musician, journalist. Vocalist Ramrods, 27. Writer for
Creem
.

Hiawatha Bailey:
Musician, scenester. Vocalist Cult Heroes. Only black man to work for the White Panther Party.

Brian Pastoria:
Musician, producer. Drummer, Adrenaline.

Tom Morwatts:
Musician. Guitarist, Motor City Mutants, the Mutants.

Dave Leone:
Promoter. Booked the string of teen clubs called the Hideout with Punch Andrews and later formed Diversified Management Agency, which handled loads of Detroit acts.

Jerry Bazil:
Musician. Drummer, Dark Carnival with Niagara and Ron Asheton.

Jaan Uhelszki:
Journalist.
Creem
magazine.

Pete Cavanaugh:
Disk jockey, promoter. WTAC, booked shows in areas north of Detroit.

Punch Andrews:
Promoter, manager. Bob Seger's manager from almost the beginning. Andrews also promoted and booked Detroit's Hideout teen clubs.

Jeep Holland:
Founder, A-Square Records. Manager, Rationals, SRC, and host of others. Deceased.

Robin Seymour:
Disc jockey, television personality. Host of
Swingin' Time
, DJ at CKLW. Introduced Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Glenn Frey, and Ted Nugent to local television audiences.

Art Cervi:
Talent coordinator,
Swingin' Time
, Bozo the Clown in Detroit.

Jerry Wexler:
Record exec, producer, considered by some the man who made Aretha Franklin. Deceased.

Scott Morgan:
Musician. Guitarist, vocalist, the Rationals, Sonic's Rendezvous Band.

Deniz Tek:
Musician. Guitarist, Radio Birdmen.

Scott Richardson:
Musician. Vocalist, Chosen Few, Scott Richard Case, SRC.

Steve Forgey:
Musician, scenester. Guitarist.

David Teegarden:
Musician. Drummer, Teegarden & VanWinkle, Bob Seger, Silver Bullet Band.

John Sinclair:
Band manager, starmaker, inmate, actvist. Managed the MC5 and headed the White Panther Party.

Iggy Pop:
Musician. Vocalist, the Stooges, solo.

Gary Rasmussen:
Musician. Bassist, the Up, Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Iggy Pop.

S. Kay Young:
Photographer.

K.J. Knight:
Musician. Drummer, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes.

John Finley:
Musician, scenester. Guitarist, the Lourds (pre-Amboy Dukes Nugent band). Deceased.

Rusty Day:
Musician. Vocalist, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, Cactus. Deceased.

Ted Nugent:
Musician. Guitarist, the Lourds, the Amboy Dukes, solo. Also known as the Nuge and the Motor City Madman.

Dennis Thompson:
Musician. Drummer, MC5, New Order.

Jon Landau:
Music writer, producer.

Jac Holzman:
Record exec, Elektra.

Frank Bach:
Musician. Vocalist, the Up.

Bob Sheff, aka Blue Gene Tyranny:
Musician. Keyboardist, the Charging Rhinoceros of Soul, the Stooges, Laurie Andersen, John Cage.

Rick Kraniak, aka Rick K:
Promoter.

Leni Sinclair:
Photographer. Coauthor of
Detroit Rocks! A Pictorial History of Motor City Rock and Roll 1965–1975
.

Gary Grimshaw:
Photographer. Coauthor of
Detroit Rocks! A Pictorial History of Motor City Rock and Roll 1965–1975
.

Sigrid Smith:
Ex-wife of Fred “Sonic” Smith.

Fred “Sonic” Smith:
Musician: Guitarist, MC5, Sonic's Rendezvous Band. Deceased.

Sun Ra:
Musician. Composer, pianist, synthesizer. Sun Ra Arkestra, solo. Deceased.

Dennis Dunaway:
Musician. Bassist, Alice Cooper.

Norm Liberman, aka Panama Red:
Musician. Vocalist, the Frut.

John Kosloskey, aka Kozmo:
Musician. Bassist, the Frut.

Neal Smith:
Musician. Drummer, Alice Cooper.

Pete Woodman:
Musician. Drummer, Popcorn Blizzard, Floating Circus, Bossmen.

Susie Kaine:
Musician. Keyboardist, Popcorn Blizzard, Floating Circus.

Jack Bodnar:
Scenester.

Bill White:
Musician. Bassist, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes.

Rick Stevers:
Musician. Drummer, Frijid Pink.

Donny Hartman:
Musician. Guitarist, vocalist, the Frost.

Michael Lutz:
Musician. Guitarist, bassist, vocalist, Brownsville Station, Ted Nugent.

Shaun Murphy, aka Stoney:
Musician. Vocalist, Wilson Mower Pursuit, Stoney and Meatloaf, Bob Seger, Silver Bullet Band.

Marvin Lee Aday, aka Meatloaf:
Musician. Vocalist, Floating Circus, Popcorn Blizzard, Stoney and Meatloaf, solo.

Dave Palmer:
Musician. Drummer, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes.

Greg Arama:
Musician. Bassist, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes.

Al Jacquez:
Musician. Bassist, vocalist, Savage Grace.

Bobby Rigg:
Musician. Drummer, the Frost.

Patti Quatro:
Musician. Guitarist, Pleasure Seekers, Cradle.

Suzi Quatro:
Musician, actress. Bassist, Pleasure Seekers, Cradle, solo. Played Leather Tuscadero on seventies sitcom
Happy Days
.

Nancy Quatro:
Musician. Vocalist, Pleasure Seekers, Cradle.

Johnny Badanjek:
Musician. Drummer, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Detroit, the Rockets, Ronnie Montrose, Nils Lofgren, Alice Cooper, Edgar Winter.

Ray Goodman:
Musician. Guitarist, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, SRC.

Gary Quackenbush:
Musician. Guitarist, SRC.

Billy Goodson:
Scenester.

Glenn Frey:
Musician. Guitarist, Eagles. Sang backing vocals on Bob Seger's hit “Ramblin Gamblin' Man.”

Wayne Kramer:
Musician. Guitarist, MC5, Gang War, Was (Not Was), solo.

Becky Tyner:
Wife of Rob Tyner.

Bill Graham:
Iconic music promoter, stable of venues that included the original Fillmores. Deceased.

Michael Davis:
Musician. Bassist, MC5, Destroy All Monsters. Deceased.

Steve Mackay:
Musician. Saxophonist, Charging Rhinoceros of Soul, the Stooges.

Arthur Kane:
Musician. Bassist, New York Dolls.

Jim McCarty:
Musician. Guitarist, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, the Rockets, Cactus.

Lester Bangs:
Journalist,
Creem
magazine. Deceased.

James Williamson:
Musician. Guitarist, Chosen Few, the Stooges.

Dave Alexander:
Musician. Bassist, the Stooges. Deceased.

Ron Asheton:
Musician. Guitarist, bassist, the Stooges, Destroy All Monsters, New Order. Deceased.

Jimmy Recca:
Musician. Bassist, the Stooges, New Order.

DJ Dianna, aka Dianna Frank:
Scenester.

Niagara:
Artist, musician. Vocalist, Destroy All Monsters, Dark Carnival. Girlfriend of Ron Asheton.

Tony DeFries:
Head of MainMan, which briefly represented Iggy and the Stooges.

John Kordosh, aka John Amore:
Musician, journalist. Bassist, the Mutants. Wrote for
Creem
early to mideighties.

Cathy Gisi:
Journalist. Wrote for
Creem
mid- to late seventies.

Robert Matheu:
Photojournalist. Shot for
Creem
and numerous other rock magazines. Author of
The Stooges: The Authorized and Illustrated Story
and
Creem: America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine
.

Nikki Corvette:
Musician. Vocalist, Nikki and the Corvettes, Nikki and the Stingrays, Gorevette.

Todd Rundgren:
Musician, producer. Produced Grand Funk Railroad,
We're an American Band
and
Shinin' On
.

Art Lyzak:
Musician. Vocalist, the Mutants.

Mike Rushlow:
Musician. Bassist, the Pigs, the Boners, Rushlo-King Combo.

Bob Mulrooney, aka Bootsey X:
Musician. Drummer, vocalist, Coldcock, Ramrods, Bootsey X and the Lovemakers.

Skid Marx:
Musician. Bassist, Flirt, Seat Belts.

Nick Kent:
Journalist. New Musical Express, The Face.

Dave Hanna:
Musician. Guitarist, the Boners, the Ramrods, Space Heaters.

Scott Asheton:
Musician. Drummer, the Stooges, Sonic's Rendezvous Band.

Barry Kramer:
Cofounder, editor,
Creem
magazine. Deceased.

Ric Siegel:
Journalist. Part of the crew that started
Creem
.

Greg Errico:
Musician. Drummer, Sly and the Family Stone.