Document Type
Review
Abstract
[First paragraph]
When I saw the announcement for Mathew Bartkowiak’s book, The MC5 and Social Change, I had two immediate thoughts: a) damn, somebody beat me to it and b) I just hope it is not a book done by some kid who only just discovered the MC5 and thinks he invented them. After opening the book I discovered that Bartkowiak had probably anticipated this sort of reaction from people like me. First, he does not write yet another biography or history of the band but instead offers a critical look at the MC5's controversial position among politically-charged music and musicians. While the book is insightful and thorough in its investigation, the specific focus on the band’s relationship with the White Panther Party (WPP) is such that there is room, even encouragement, for additional study. In this second regard, Bartkowiak admits to encountering the MC5 very recently and recognizes the minefields that surround the band, its music, its fans, its critics and its scholarship. This is especially the case for the growing number of us who can claim membership in multiple categories in that list.
Repository Citation
Ouellette, Marc. "Review of The MC5 and Social Change: A Study in Rock and Revolution, by Mathew J. Bartkowiak." Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture vol. 10, no. 3, 2010, pp. 1–5. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/reconstruction/vol10/iss3/26