The MC5 and Social Change

Book excerpt: The MC5's 1969 live album Kick Out the Jams was a new measure of the relationship between music and cultural and political change. As the "house band" and central organizing force for the White Panther Party, which advocated an end to capitalism and supported the Black Panther Party's initiatives and aims, the MC5 formalized the threat, promise, and parity of music within larger societal spheres. Using the band's career as a case study in evaluating the relationship between rock music and social change, this book examines how the inherent rebelliousness of rock afforded both media producers and consumers a safe space in which to question social mores and ideas.